Vegan Mofo #14 - Terry’s Ginger Shiitake Soup with Cabbage and Edamame...

Vegan Mofo #14 - Terry’s Ginger Shiitake Soup with Cabbage and Edamame

The Book - "Clean Start"
The Author - Terry Walters
The Recipe - Ginger Shiitake Soup with Cabbage and Edamame
Page # 98
Difficulty - Easy
Duration -30 minutes advanced prep, roughly 20 minutes cooking time

I grew up a mushroom hater. All my life I despised and avoided these little fungi. I wouldn’t eat them in anything, I wouldn’t eat any dish that contained them. I absolutely hated them, and I’m not exactly sure why. I think it’s mostly a texture thing, but also I find mushrooms to have kind of a dirty and/or fishy taste. Then I went vegan and realized that so many great vegan dishes contain mushrooms. Also upon going vegan I decided to make it a point to not exclude any of the foods in the plant kingdom. So I started slowly conditioning myself to eat and like mushrooms. It took many months but now I’m actually quite fond of portobelo and cremini mushrooms though they have to be cooked just right. Many of the people I know love Shiitake mushrooms, and I’ve tried them again and again but I have to say, the Shiitake Mushroom is not my favorite of the fungi family.

So when I first happened upon this soup in Terry Walters excellent book "Clean Start" I was initially very skeptical. There were just too many shiitake mushrooms! However the picture looked beautiful, so beautiful I could almost taste those edamame beans! I love edamame by the way and am always eager to try any dish that contain them. One night I was really in the mood for a hot, brothy Asian inspired soup, and so going against my natural instincts when it comes to mushrooms I decided to give this soup a try anyhow.

Surprisingly - despite the horrendous odor that omits from the soaking mushrooms during your prep time, the shiitake flavor is not overpowering. In fact it was just enough for me, however since it is a bit mild if you do really like shiitake’s you might want to consider adding a few more. I did make a few changes to the soup, adding in more cabbage then was required, one extra carrot and about a half tsp or so more minced ginger. I also took Walters suggestion and added in some noodles just to give the soup a little more heft. Although I didn’t have the soba on hand that she suggested I used rice noodles and it worked out perfectly.

I have had nothing but good fortune with Terry Walters "Clean Start" so far, and I know I’ll definitely be making this soup again. It’s so flavorful, and filling yet doesn’t bog you down. I find it to be a very healing and soothing sort of soup. The perfect thing to whip up on a cold fall or winter day when you’re feeling a little under the weather. Or if you’ve spent a little too much time out in the cold. The perfect soup to make on a weeknight when you haven’t got a lot of time. If you prep the mushrooms and make the broth in advance you can have dinner on the table in 20 minutes which frees you up to be able to do so much.

Enjoy this soup with some soothing music with hot cup of tea and a good book and a cozy blanket waiting nearby. Even if you think you hate mushrooms particularly shiitake’s you might be surprised at just how comforting and delicious this soup is!