TtoE Summer Soup

This summer is a bummer. In the Kanto region, we've experienced many nights described as 熱帯夜, nettaiya, tropical nights. This is a regular occurrence in Japan. Nighttime temperatures remain above 25 degrees Celsius. But this year is brutal.

This week marks the hottest summer on record. My south-west facing apartment in a Kanto suburb swelters at 34 degrees when I come home in the evening. That's with the windows open all day.

I have to eat when I get in, and a decent meal requires some cooking. A counterintuitive dinner approach is to start with soup and rice. This week, I made a big batch of soup inspired by The Woks of Life. The food blogger takes advantage of summer produce to create a simple and nourishing soup made with summer veggies.

My Japanese variation is either canned Italian tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, Hokkaido potatoes, and cabbage. For added flavour, I add a dash each of hontsuyu, shoyu, and ponzu. An Italian-inspired variation adds oregano, parsley, and a bay leaf. Whatever seasoning I go with, I serve it with potato salad or rice. 

https://thewoksoflife.com/tomato-potato-soup

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20250829/k10014906681000.html