I used to love canned cream of mushroom soup, however with the recent slightly lack of tolerance for my bowel, and my mom's sensitive digestive system, we can't always "go cheap" and be done with it.
Especially we do not know whether how good the canned ingredients are anymore of late....
(I digress!)
The finished product, chunks and smooths well combined
With the recent experience during my mom's birthday where she ordered a really nice mushroom soup and that was really filling and no gastric side effects on her, I have decided to try to give it a go and "replicate" the soup we all loved.
(just not so thick, my mom requested 😅)
The base where all the mushrooms are, both fresh and dehydrated
Here are the raw ingredients: Just so happened that there were some sales going on, so I decided to just choose 3 types of fresh mushrooms and used 2 pieces of the dehydrated shitake mushrooms to "boost the umami-ness"
(It does cost a little less than $USD 3 for all of these)
Flavouring ingredients
Then I have the flavouring agents that is added to the mix, which gives the fragrance that permeates the entire house when the cooking starts! A stick of celery was added in because for the different fiber texture that not only great for the digestive system, it also gives a different fragrance from the usual.
Garlic and (Yellow / Holland / Brown) onion will elevates and balance the earthy mushroom flavour. If you don't like it too pungent, then just add a little lesser it should be all right.
We will get to the "additional anomaly" ingredient later.
Shimeji Mushrooms (or jade mushrooms) and White Crab Mushrooms properly washed and cleaned
Soaked shiitake mushroom thinly sliced.
Washing the mushrooms is important. Although some do say if properly cut they are "generally clean" but since there could still be some earth (moss) dirt around, it is always best to have a thorough rinse.
The shitake mushroom that was soaked with hot water has bloomed quite a bit and just 2 pieces was enough. Just slice it as thinly as possible for easier blending later.
First batch of mushrooms are coarsely blended.
I have decided to split around 1:3 ratio for both coarse and smooth textures. 1/3 of the fresh mushrooms are used for little chunks so that there is a "bite" to it when you enjoy the mushroom.
If you want your soup chunkier, you can just split to half; but I find 1/3 is not too overwhelming.
Second batch is where all the flavour is!
The rest of the diced ingredients are ready to be poured into the blender jug soup-maker, and because the capacity is small, I have split into 2 times so that it is easier to make. Every process takes around 20 minutes and it does very well after that.
But before that, let's talk about the "anomaly ingredient"... yes, the barley.
The Secret Ingredient to make it silky smooth. It doesn't need a lot
You actually do not need a lot, maybe just a (Chinese soup) tablespoon or approximately 20ml (cough mixture cap measurement). Wash it thoroughly and this is actually the "smooth creamy agent" in the blend.
No starch, no cream needed. Purely vegan.
I used the "porridge feature" with the blender soup maker and it does come out pretty good. So far, I am not regretting getting this machine at all!
With the chunks that are being "stewed" in the pot with added salt and pepper to taste, the smooth is poured in and stir it under low heat (because the smooth portion is already cooked thoroughly with the machine's help)
Add more salt and pepper (option) until you are satisfied with the palette you want.
And that's it! It was all done within and hour, and it was enough for at least 6 bowls (or more if you water it down further)
You can also have an option to add almond milk (vegetarian version) or a little bit of skimmed milk (non vegetarian version). To add additional fragrance, even a small spoon of butter will do the trick.
Other than my parents who had the privilege to enjoy the soup, I had another great sister in Christ and a tester who has been suffering a lot of allergy to give it a try as well. Her portion was a little under-salt and no butter, but she still enjoyed it thoroughly.
That's a 🌟 from someone outside the family. haha
Overall it cost around less than $5 USD for a whole pot (approx MYR20) enough for 6 people / 6 portions.
Still cheaper than eating out in a restaurant, but you got to do all the work. But thanks to the "helper" I spend less time and less gas. Its an investment (I think around $22.5 USD) that I hope will generate more soup for more people for a long time.
Until Then
Stay healthy, stay curious and learn new things, and stay happy!
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