Sumashijiru

Sumashijiru is a traditional soup originating from Japan. This clear soup is very simple to prepare and it's based on dashi, a stock made by soaking niboshi (dried smal lsardines), kombu (dried kelp), or katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). The dashi is combined with soy sauce, water, and sometimes sake. Once cooked, this clear soup is poured into a bowl and served. It can be enriched with seafood, meat, vegetables, mushrooms, or tofu, if desired. Although sumashijiru is also called suimono, there's actually a slight difference between the two – suimono is eaten as an accompaniment to sake rice wine, while sumashijiru is sometimes served with cooked rice on the side.