The recipe
Restorative mushroom soup
Serves 4
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled
3 shallots
2 red chilies
2 lemon grass sticks
3 garlic cloves
2 lime leaves
Stalks from a bunch of coriander
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Handful of dried porchini mushrooms
2 limes – zest and juice
750ml Stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp Fish sauce
1 tbsp Soy sauce
1 ½ tsp palm sugar (or maple syrup)
Garlic clove, thinly sliced
250g Shiitake mushrooms – chopped into quarters
250g enoki mushrooms
Sesame oil
Udon noodles
Tofu
Spring onions
Radishes
Coriander leaves
Sesame seeds
Method
1. Finally chop the shallots, ginger, chillies, garlic, lemon grass and coriander stalks (or blitz in a food processor).
2. Heat the coconut oil in a pan and add the above, sauté for 5 minutes then add the spices, lime leaves, shitake and enoki mushrooms and lime zest, heat for another 2 mins, keep stirring to make sure it doesn’t burn.
3. Then add the stock, tamarind, fish sauce and soy sauce. Simmer keeping to a medium heat for at least 20 minutes to allow the soup to infuse.
4. Next dry the tofu between paper towel and cut into cubes, fry in a pan with ground nut oil until crisp and golden then add a splash of soy sauce and sesame oil. While these cook, slice up the spring onions, radishes, coriander and chilies for your topping.
5. Cook your noodles according to the packet instructions. Serve in a deep bowl with the broth, mushrooms and tofu, adding all the pretty toppings, finishing with a few coriander leaves and toasted sesame seeds.