I needed a bowl of comfort and as a result, this soul warming mushroom soup was created. Did you know that the chicken soup is not the only one good for your belly? No? Well, now you will. This delicious flavour combination of saesongi mushrooms, ginger, beans and cilantro will warm not only your soul but also your belly.
I wanted something that gives an earthy flavour so I chose the saesongi mushrooms. I found them at the supermarket and I simply had to buy them. Saesongi mushrooms are also known as king oyster mushrooms. And to tell you the truth, they don’t have an earthy taste. I can’t even say that they have a special aroma but for sure they have a firm-textured white flesh. Because of their meaty texture, they are very versatile mushrooms. In fact, you can use them for everything, for soups, pasta, meat and you can grill, broil or stew them. They can be prepared in any way you can think of.
I added two ingredients with different levels of spiciness. Ginger, which slowly warms your throat and belly and then chili pepper, which “burning” is more intensive and lasting. Furthermore, I used cilantro with a citrus/parsley aroma. Remember, for the best cilantro aroma, you have to consume it fresh (not dried or frozen). In conclusion, I decided to make a twist and used beans with a honey bbq sauce. What an amazing taste!
Ingredients for two portions of the soul warming mushroom soup:
- 1 saesongi mushroom (medium/big)
- 50 g noodles
- 1 pak choi
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 red onion
- a piece of ginger
- 1 chili pepper
- 3Tbsp of BBQ honey beans (cooked)
- 3 Tbsp of soy sauce
- a handful of cilantro
- a handful of bean sprouts
- 1 Tbsp of olive oil
Take a small pot for the noodles and a large non-sticking pan. Boil some water in the small pot and cook the noodles. Try to put them in a bowl just before they get al dente. They will get cooked till the end together with all other ingredients later in the pan.
Now chop the onion and garlic and sauté them in a pan with some olive oil on medium heat. Do not let the garlic burn and become bitter. Sauté them till the onion gets translucent. In the meantime wash and clean the pak choi, peel and chop the ginger, clean and slice the mushroom (ca 3mm) and wash the cilantro.
Once the onion and garlic become softer, add the mushroom slices and the chopped ginger. Sauté for 30 seconds or so and then add the soy sauce, some noodle water (ca 2 ladles), the bbq honey beans and the noodles. Stir and cover for 3-5 minutes. If you don’t have bbq honey beans, simply use kidney beans and a couple of spoons of bbq sauce. That will also work great.
At the end add the pak choi leaves (I left them whole), bean sprouts, chopped chili pepper and roughly chopped cilantro to the pan. Cover and cook for 2 more minutes.
Serve the soul warming mushroom soup in a deep plate with a lemon or lime wedge. In fact, that is all what you really need.
Enjoy!
