About YUU日本語
Onion Soup
Serves 2–3 · About 35 min
A soup where you fry onions until brown to bring out their sweetness. Using the microwave first makes the frying time shorter.
① Slice the onions thinly→② Heat in the microwave→③ Fry in butter until brown→④ Simmer with water and consomme
What to buy
Vegetables
Dairy
Check what you already have
Tap an item to check it off (checks clear when you close the page).
How to make it
1
Slice the onions thinly
- Cut off a little from the top and bottom of the onions and peel them
- Cut in half from top to bottom and put them cut-side down on the cutting board
- Cut along the lines (the fibers running top to bottom) into thin slices 2–3 mm thick
How to tell it's doneBoth onions are cut into thin half-moon shapes.
Be carefulMove the knife slowly. Curl the fingertips of the hand holding the onion inward, and don't point them at the blade. If your eyes sting, chilling the onion in the fridge before cutting helps a little.
2
Heat in the microwave
- Spread the onions on a microwave-safe plate and cover loosely with plastic wrap
- Heat in a 600 W microwave for 5 min
How to tell it's doneThe onions are soft and have shrunk.
Be carefulThe plate is hot when you take it out. Hold it with oven mitts or a cloth. Peel the plastic wrap from the far side so steam doesn't hit your face.
3
Fry in butter until brown
- Put 10 g butter and 1 tsp vegetable oil in a pot, melt over medium heat, and add the onions
- For the first 5 min, fry over medium heat, stirring from the bottom with a spatula
- When the water has cooked off and the bottom starts to turn brown, turn down to medium-low heat and fry another 8–10 min
- If brown bits start to stick to the bottom, add 1 tbsp water, scrape them up with the spatula, and mix them into the onions
How to tell it's doneAll the onions are dark brown (caramel color), and they've shrunk to about 1/4 of what you started with.
Be carefulIf you burn them black, they turn bitter. After they turn brown, don't turn the heat up, and keep stirring.
Be carefulWhen you add water, it sizzles and splatters. Keep your face away.
4
Simmer with water and consomme
- Add 600 ml water and 2 tsp consomme granules and turn to medium heat
- When it boils, turn to low heat and simmer 3 min
- Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper and taste. If it's bland, add another pinch of salt
- Serve in bowls and sprinkle with dried parsley if you have it
ReadyThe soup is light brown, and the brown flavor from the bottom of the pot has dissolved into it.
📚 Learn more about this dish
🔪 Cutting & cooking tips
If it didn't work out
Bitter or tastes burntYou burned the onions black. Don't scrape up the black parts; leave them in the pot. Next time, in step 3 turn to medium-low heat once they turn brown, and add 1 tbsp water before they stick and burn.
They never turn brownThe heat is too low, or you stirred too much. Use medium heat for the first 5 min, and repeat: wait for the bottom to turn brown, then stir.
It isn't sweetYou didn't fry long enough and added water while they were still whitish. Next time, fry until the onions are dark brown and have shrunk to 1/4.
Too saltyToo much consomme, or you boiled it down too much. Add water 50 ml at a time, and taste each time.
The onions sting my eyes and I can't cut themChill them in the fridge for 30 min before cutting. Use a sharp knife and cut slowly, pressing down.
Was this recipe helpful?
This site is free with no ads. If you like, you can support it with a tip.
☕ Send a tip Choose how many cups. Everything stays free to read.Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me