Asian Mushroom Soup- Vegan and Gluten-Free

I bought a quart of baby portobello mushrooms for Thanksgiving and never used them, so I decided to make an Asian mushroom soup to use them up. This recipe is very similar (with just a few variations) to my original recipe for hot and sour soup (link) that I published way back in 2011. 

It is delicious and easy to make!

I used onions, mushrooms,  ginger paste, seasoning, vegetable broth, potato starch, chili powder, and tofu. My husband raved about it and said it was better than the hot and sour soup he had in some Chinese restaurants.

If the weather is getting colder where you live, this flavorful soup with warm you up! It contains tofu, which provides a nice amount of protein as well as nutrients from the fresh vegetables and herbs. 

For me, it's always soup time regardless ofwhether the weather is cold or hot outside. (and right now in Miami it's a HOT and sunny 84 degrees!)

Mushrooms are a great addition to any diet. They contain Vitamin D as well as other valuable vitamins and minerals. Yet, they are low in calories, fat, and carbohydrates.

Eat this soup with a salad for a light meal or as a starter with an entree.

The soup relatively easy to make. The most time consuming part is cleaning and chopping the mushrooms, onions, and tofu which only takes about 10-15 minutes of prep depending on how fast you are at chopping. Then it's a matter of sautéing and adding the seasonings, liquids, and potato starch and heating until it thickens. The entire rich delicious soup should be ready in less than half hour. 

saute onions, mushrooms, and tofu 

I don't make this soup in the Instant Pot because it cooks quickly on the stove top, and I need to add the potato starch and water mixture(which thickens it) while the soup is cooking.

After sautéing the mushrooms, onions, and tofu mixture, the soup only needs about 10-15 minutes to cook. 

If you are a soup lover, like me, you will definitely want to give this tasty soup a try! 

The recipe serves 8 small bowls of soup or 4 large bowls.

Ingredients: 

1 quart (not pint) of baby portobello mushrooms, cleaned and chopped

2 cups of white or yellow onions, chopped

8 ounces of tofu, chopped

1 teaspoon of "salt free seasoning" such as Trader Joe's "21 Salute"

5 cups of vegetable broth

4 cups of water

2 tablespoons of (GF) soy sauce or Braggs amino acids 

Cracked pepper

1/2 teaspoon of ground chili powder (or more to taste) 

1 tablespoon of ginger paste (mix it with a little water and whisk it before adding to soup) or 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger

1 heaping tablespoon of potato starch + 1/2 cup of water

Chopped scallions for garnish 

Optional: 1 teaspoon of sesame oil or 1 drop of sesame oil in each bowl 

Directions: 

Sauté onions, mushrooms, tofu and salt-free seasoning in a soup pot (use 1/2 cup vegetable broth or olive oil for sautéing) stirring frequently. When onions are translucent, add the broth, water, soy sauce, cracked pepper, chili powder, and ginger paste that has been mixed with a little water to dissolve it). Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly pour in potato starch mixture and stir well. Allow to cook 2 more minutes and then remove from heat.  

My notes:

1. If the soup is too thick after cooking, add additional vegetable broth at the end. 

2. I keep my cooking oil-free. However this soup is more authentic with with a drop or two of toasted sesame oil in each bowl. It's not mandatory, but does raise the taste up a notch!

3. I used ginger paste in my recipe. If you are using fresh grated ginger, you can add it when you sauté the mushrooms, onions, and tofu.