A Deliciously Tasty Asian Mushroom Soup Recipe
One of the best soup rotations that will make you feel better when you are sick and packed full of flavor is an Asian mushroom soup recipe. This dish can be made vegetarian or even vegan and meet various dietary needs. It is an excellent starter for a large meal at dinner parties or if you just want to do some meal prep for the weak and want something light and fresh.
History of Asian Mushroom Soup Recipe
There has been a variation of this soup dating back hundreds of years across the Asian continent. This dish of blending some of the most popular mushrooms in Asia with noodles, broth, and fresh vegetables was a way to feed larger families and served as one of the dishes of the evening.
Over time, this dish has been perfected with spices and herbs and tailored to fit all heat palates, with some wanting a spicier variation of this soup dish. Depending on what your preferences are for your diet, you can add to this dish to make it a full meal or use as a portion of a larger meal.
Ingredients
Some ingredients are essential to this Asian mushroom soup recipe: the mushrooms themselves. Asian mushrooms include the following:
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Enoki mushrooms
- Shimeji mushrooms
- White Oyster mushrooms
- King Oyster mushrooms
- Straw mushrooms
These mushrooms are the most common used for soups because of their denseness and ability to withstand long periods in the north. They also offer a variety of flavors that pair well together.with each other and the different ingredients that will be paired in the dish.
Soup Additions
While the base of this dish is vegetarian and vegan, you can build up the soup and add more protein. Additions like shrimp, chicken or tofu for vegans are great to make this a full meal.
Ingredient List
- Two quarts of vegetable broth
- Two cups of assorted Asian mushrooms
- Two tablespoons of soy sauce
- One teaspoon of sesame oil
- 1/2 cup of outer cabbage leaves
- Two tablespoons of minced garlic
- Two tablespoons of minced ginger
- Two chopped or sliced large carrots
- 1/2 cup of snow peas
- 1/4 cup of sliced scallions
- Salt and pepper to taste
- One cup of ramen noodles
Before you begin building your soup, you should make sure you have all the ingredients above first. While some of these may be in your pantry, already, you can easily grab the rest of the ingredients from your local market. The international section of your market will have the different oils and sauces that are Asian-based.
Begin Building Your Soup
Once you have gathered all your different ingredients, it is time to start building your Asian mushroom soup.
1. Prepare Veggies and Mushrooms
The first thing you need to do is start washing your mushrooms, cabbage, and carrots. Give them a good wash under cold water in the colander and make sure all dirt is removed.
Begin slicing your mushrooms into equal slices. If you prefer larger or thinner slices, that is completely up to you. Your carrots should also be chopped pretty thin so they will not take too long to cook down. Do a rough chop on your cabbage so that it can spread out. You only have a few leaves of this and they will wilt down more when cooking.
2. Building Your Soup Base
Pull out your large soup pot and throw in your spices and oils. Turn your burner on medium heat and start roasting the garlic. Once you smell the garlic cooking, throw in your carrots and cabbage and let them cook for the next few minutes. The goal is to let these heartier veggies cook down to match the mushroom tenderness.
3. Add in the Remaining Ingredients
Once the veggies start cooking down, throw in the mushrooms and the vegetable broth to the soup pot and bring the soup to a boil. Once the soup starts a rolling boil with all the ingredients, make sure you turn it down to simmer and cover the soup.
4. Simmer and Serve
After the soup has cooked for over twenty minutes, check the veggies and make sure they are tender. If you want to add noodles to your soup, throw them in at this time and let them soften over the next few minutes.
After five minutes, you can ladle the soup into bowls and serve it to your guests. If you want to garnish your soup, add your scallions to the soup. You don’t want to throw in all the scallions, or they can change the taste of the soup.
5. Storing Your Soup
First, make sure you put your scallions away separately in the fridge so that you can add it to new bowls when you reheat. The leftovers of your Asian mushroom soup should be stored in the fridge for up to three days before you need to throw it out.
If you are not planning to eat the food right away, you can store it in your fridge up to six months in freezer bags that will protect the soup.
Upgrades to Your Soup
Keep in mind that the ingredients you use are interchangeable for this soup. If you have a preference for different veggies, you can replace them to change the consistency and texture of the soup.
If you want to add more heat to your soup, you can add some hot sauce at the end of the soup, or you can add some of your favorite hot pepper slices to the soup during the simmer stage. This will add some spice to the whole soup without overpowering it from the beginning.
Any proteins that you add to the soup to upgrade it should be cooked separately and then added to the soup during the simmer stage. If you have guests who may not want protein, you can add it in a separate dish and allow each guest to add it later after the soup is served.
