This Japanese Sweet Potato Soup was a recipe that took a while to marinate (no food pun intended). I was thinking about it while on tour for my cookbook. There was just something about chunks of japanese sweet potato simmered until creamy and held together in a light broth that sounded amazing to me. The thing is, I didn’t know how to get from idea to recipe, at least not yet. Sometimes these recipes are meant to simmer (again, no food pun intended), until all the correct ingredients come to my head. So this soup sat in the back of my brain for a few months until one Sunday all the steps just hit me. And like magic, this fresh-feeling, comforting soup with remarkably clean flavors was born, and wow do I love it.
Now this Japanese Sweet Potato Soup accomplishes what I want all soups to do: It is the full meal. There are tons of vegetables, edamame for protein, the sweet potato for carbohydrates and coconut milk for healthy fats. Everything simmers together for only 30 minutes, so the bulk of the recipe is done during the prep time. This soup coaxes out flavors of ginger, coconut, salty miso and a bit of chili, but everything marries together so that whoever you serve it to will say, “this is so good, but I can’t quite put my finger on why.” And to me, that is the highest compliment.
I use this soup for meal prep all the time, but it also makes a stunning recipe for a simple dinner with friends. It makes six servings and stores like a dream. Also, I’m just no realizing it’s vegan! So a win all around!
Japanese Sweet Potato Soup
Equipment
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 large Dutch oven or stock pot
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound oyster mushrooms
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 small Birdseye chilies only use 2 if you are sensitive to heat
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced ginger
- 4 ounces scallions `about 4 large scallions or 7 small scallions
- 2 pounds of Japanese sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup white miso paste
- 2 13.5 ounce cans of full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
- 5 cups of water
- 10 ounces bok choy about 2 heads
- 2 cups frozen edamame beans shells removed
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For serving
- Fresh mint leaves optional
Instructions
- Cut off the base of the oyster mushroom cluster and discard it. Tear the oyster mushrooms into strips.
- Thinly slice 4 garlic cloves, a knob of fresh ginger, and 3 Birdseye chilies and set aside.
- Halve the scallions and slice the white parts into medallions and set aside. Thinly slice the green parts at an angle and set those aside for garnish.
- Cut the Japanese sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
- Place a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add the mushrooms and cook undisturbed for 4 minutes or until they begin to brown on the bottom. Then stirring occasionally, cook them another 5-6 minutes or until the mushrooms are deeply browned and half their original size. Lower the heat if you see them beginning to burn onto the bottom of the pot.
- Add the sliced garlic cloves, chilies, and white parts of the scallions to the mushrooms. Add 1/4 cup of miso paste and stir everything to combine into a paste. Cook for 2 minutes, letting everything mingle but not darken.
- Add the Japanese sweet potato and stir to combine. Then pour in the five cups of water and two cans of coconut milk.
- Add the 1/4 cup of sliced ginger into the soup.
- Bring this to a simmer, then cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the potato is tender but not falling apart.
- Uncover the soup and if you prefer to remove the ginger slices, you can do that now (I like to leave it in, but some people don't like the ginger slices in their soup).
- Tear in the bok choy leaves. Stir to combine, then cover and let simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and add the 2 cups of edamame. Stir to combine. Leave the soup on the heat for another 2 minutes so the edamame fully thaws into the broth.
- Taste the soup and season with salt as preferred, then remove it from the heat.
- To serve, top with the remaining scallion greens and mint. Serve warm!
Oh wow, can’t wait to try this! Sounds lovely for the New Year as well all try to eat a bit lighter.
PS- love your recipes!
PSS- I’ve noticed on some recipe posts there is no field to leave a comment. Not that I’m a huge commenter normally, but sometimes I just want to share how good something was ( I.e. your spinach ricotta dumplings !! )
Ahhhhh that’s because I’ve coded the site myself and there’s a glitch I can’t quite figure out 😭 my new years resolution is to work on it!
This looks so good! New to your recipes but have been devouring (literally) so many of your recipes including from your cookbook ever since I discovered your blog!
Any thoughts on a good substitute for the mushrooms? As much as I’ve tried I just can’t do the texture 😭
You can just leave them out of this one! I add them for veggie bulk but they aren’t necessary 🙂
This is a perfect January recipe. Tons of veg and super filling and comforting. I’ll be making this the rest of the winter. Thank you Justine!!
So happy you liked it!!
Sounds delicious! Do you think this recipe would take well to being put through the blender?
Oh dear, I wouldn’t do that if you don’t have to! Both bok choy and edamame would blend horrendously (I’m sorry!!)
what is a scallion medallion?
It’s just the shape they should be! Slice them, but not at an angle 🙂
It is hard to find Japanese sweet potatoes in my area. Can I sub regular sweet potatoes?
Curious about this as well – thank you!
Hi both, I was trying to find a moment this week to test it! I haven’t had time to make the recipe with sweet potato, but flavor-wise I’m sure it would still be similar. The only concern I have is the texture, since Japanese sweet potato tends to be starchier than traditional sweet potato. If either of you make the swap, please let me know how it turns out!
I made this yesterday and it is SO GOOD! Truly my kind of soup. Your work is so inspirational, Justine! ❤️
This was very tasty! I thought it needed a bit more salt and acid, so I added lemon juice (I was out of limes) and soy sauce, which made it even better!
I made this soup last night and it was AMAZING! So so good. I couldn’t fine oyster mushrooms so I substituted shiitake. Oh poor me! And I can’t have edamame so I put in a can of cannelloni beans. Everything else the same. I love the Japanese sweet potatoes. Truly a wonderful soup!
Yayay! I’m so glad you liked it!
This was so good, my wife said it was the best soup she’s ever had. She also said you are her soup soulmate because every soup recipe I make of yours is filled with texture and depth and she particularly hates a textureless soup. Thanks for giving me serious wife points.
Not to be weird but I love your wife
Maybe I’m missing something, but how are we to prep the bok choy? It says “Tear in leaves” at one point, but I assume the rest goes in as well in bite-sized pieces?
Love your recipes!
Bok choy is best prepared as full leaves! “Tear in the leaves” means pull each leaf off from the head. These just simmer in the broth, so follow the instructions and they will cook with the soup!
While all of your recipes are great, this has to HANDS DOWN be one of my favorites. I added snap peas to the mint mix on top just because they looked fresh where I was shopping and gave me the extra crunch. The umami of this broth mixed with alllll the fresh veg in here is a 10/10. Thanks for sharing it!