How do you evaluate a soup? Spicy? Sweet and sour? Delicious? In China, we like to use freshness to evaluate a soup. This simple, fresh mushroom soup recipe is an easy way to experience this concept.
By freshness, we mean the flavor of the ingredients creating the flavor of the soup. In Western cooking, many soups start from a stock or broth, such as beef broth, chicken or turkey stock, seafood stock, consommé, bouillon, or from a gravy base, such as Cajun roux. In China, many soups use water instead of seasoned soup stock, and we let the ingredients create the flavor in the broth. When you cook a soup, if you can let the flavor of the ingredients blend into the soup, then the soup is already 70% successful, and people can taste the ingredients of the soup, not the seasonings of the broth or stock, when they eat it.
There are many Chinese soups that use a soup stock. For instance, our “mysterious” milky white soup base uses chicken, duck, and pork bones. Also, hot pot, mala tang, and my favorite, luosifen, are made from a soup stock or seasoned base. Stock-based soups are more involved and complex, and they take more labor and time to yield their rich flavors. This easy mushroom soup recipe lets you enjoy fresh mushroom flavor without all the time and effort, and it is lower in calories.
Tips for success when making fresh mushroom soup
How to cook a successful clear soup with the simplest steps?
- Not too many ingredients
- Not too many seasonings
We use just one main ingredient and seasoning to make this Chinese clear mushroom soup. Do you want to know how delicious this fresh mushroom soup tastes? This soup is one of the easiest dishes to prepare. Make it with us and see for yourself!
White Mushroom Soup
Equipment
- 1 wok or skillet
Ingredients
- 10 white mushrooms
- 3 green onions
- salt (to taste)
- 1 tbsp oil (15 ml)
- 17 oz water (500 ml)
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the mushroom caps and discard.
- Wash the mushrooms thoroughly. Chop the green onions.
- Heat the pan. Then add the oil and place the mushrooms in the cool oil. Sauté the mushrooms over low heat until a yellow broth appears. Turn them to cook evenly. Do not sear or burn the mushrooms.
- Use the edge of your spatula to cut the mushrooms into 2 or 4 portions and add water.
- Cook on high heat for 3-5 minutes, then season to taste and add the green onions.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- By sautéeing we can get the mushroom’s to release their juices to flavor the soup, which is very delicious and has the aroma of mushrooms. This is the secret to making this soup so delicious.
- Be careful not to fry the mushrooms. Adding oil to the hot pan at the same time as adding the mushrooms avoids burning the mushrooms. If you heated the oil with the pan, the mushrooms might brown or burn immediately.
Nutrition
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