Our Taste of Home: Chicken Soup with Mushrooms, Carrots, and Daikon

by Brett Kaplan

Growing up with a Japanese-American mother, I’ve been exposed to a plethora of delicious Japanese-influenced dishes that uniquely steered away from strict and traditional recipes. The kinds of home-cooked meals I enjoyed as a child ranged from delicately wrapped turkey dumplings (gyoza) to Japanese pumpkin (kabocha)-stuffed croquettes. Although dishes like these were delicious, I believe home-cooked meals don’t always need to be complex or extravagant. Sometimes, a light and simple meal or side dish is just enough to fill a stomach and satisfy a yearning craving.

A simple side dish I’d like to share with you today is basic chicken-based soup with mushrooms, carrots, and Japanese radish (daikon).

We begin by making the soup base. At the local Japanese market, my mother was able to find the carcass of a jidori chicken. With this, we added it to a pot of water and let it simmer for a couple hours.

After the broth darkened in color, we cut some carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and daikon radish. We added this into the pot followed by some salt. The soup continued to simmer for 20 minutes.

This is what a small bowl of soup looked like once all the added vegetables were cooked through. The finished product is a light and gentle soup that goes well with fish or meat dishes.

The reason I love this unnamed Japanese-style soup is because of its simplicity and charm, especially when paired with other dishes. It’s neither flashy nor a strictly-defined recipe, but it has a strong sense of home and reminds me of my affinity for the diverse offerings of Japanese cuisine.