Soup of the Week: 3 Mushroom Miso Soup

I'm still nursing a sore mouth after my tooth extraction earlier this week and I must say, it's pretty hard to think about food, let alone cook and eat when your mouth hurts. I'm not allowed anything that requires a lot of chewing, nothing crunchy, no nuts or seeds or rice, and nothing acidic. That removes a whole lot of possibilities, so what's left? Chicken soup, that's what.

My darling husband took pity on me and went to the local Pho joint that he frequented while I was in Kenya. He came home with containers of noodles and chicken and a chicken broth that was rich and delicious and completely satisfying. It was the perfect restorative dinner and instantly made me feel better. I had some of that wonderful broth left over, so I used it for the base for my soup of the week, but you could use vegetable stock or water for a vegetarian or vegan soup.

I was hanging around in my pajamas and I really didn't feel like going to the store, so I just made soup from my pantry. I had dried morels, dried shiitakes and dried trompettes de la mort, so I soaked them in separate bowls and then added them to the broth. You could use any kind of dried mushroom, or fresh mushrooms if you have them. A bit of miso and a bit of soy and some noodles and I had a quick and easy soup for lunch. I used soba noodles and cooked them separately, but you could use Chinese noodles and add them directly to the soup pot.

Three Mushroom Miso Soup

1 oz. dried morels
1 oz. dried shiitake mushrooms
1 oz. dried trompettes de la mort mushrooms
6 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
1 heaping tbsp miso
1/4 cup light soy sauce
enough soba noodles for 2
bean sprouts for garnish
grated carrot for garnish

1. In three separate bowls place the dried mushrooms and add warm water to cover them. Allow them to sit for 15-20 minutes. One they are reconstituted, reserve the liquid from the morels and the shiitake mushrooms and discard the liquid from the trompettes de la mort, as it tends to be bitter. Chop the mushrooms to whatever size you desire.


2. In a large pot add stock or water, whisk in miso and add soy sauce. Add chopped mushrooms and the reserved soaking liquid. Heat through.


3. Meanwhile, cook soba noodles in a pot of boiling water until just cooked, about 5 minutes.


4. Place noodles in a serving bowl and ladle soup over top. Garnish with bean sprouts and grated carrot.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Related Posts:
Soup of the Week: Mushroom Barley
Soup of the Week: Five Spice Soup
Soup of the Week: Make an Asian Tofu Noodle Soup

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