king oyster soup for the soul

What do you do when you want to make some soul-warming vegan soup for a loved one feeling under the weather? Oh and, without harming a chicken? You toss some oyster mushrooms in the pot!

King Oyster mushrooms are rich in vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) and if you’re feeling restless, irritable, depressed or experiencing fatigue - add some mushrooms to your diet. This soup is the perfect way to enjoy them if you’re not a big mushroom fan. It takes away the earthiness of the ‘shrooms and allows them to soak up the savoury flavour of all the herbs, spices and vegetables in this soup.

INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS

Estimated time: 50 minutes

Effort/Skill: Easy

Ingredients

• 3 small onions, diced

• 4 stalks celery, diced

• 2 carrots, diced into coins

• 4 medium King Oyster mushrooms, shredded with a fork

• 3 small potatoes, washed and diced into cubes

• 2 tbsp Vegeta or vegan boullion

• 2 x 900 ml vegetable broth

• 1-2 cups water

• 5 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 thumb-sized nub of ginger, finely grated

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp thyme

• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1 tsp sumac

• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

• 1 tsp avocado oil

Directions

1. Wash, prep and cut all veggies. Shred the oyster mushrooms so they resemble shredded chicken.

2. In a large pot, heat the avocado oil on medium-high heat. Add onions, pepper and gradually brown.

3. While the onions begin to brown and soften, add the bouillon, turmeric, black pepper.

4. Add the mushrooms, celery, carrot, potato, and mushrooms. Gradually add in water so you have about 1 cm above most of the veggies.

5. Bring the soup to a rolling boil and add in the vegetable broth.

6. Let the soup cook well over medium-high heat until most veggies are softening, but still firm.

7. Add the nutritional yeast, thyme and sumac. If you don’t have sumac, paprika is nice too.

8. Add more black pepper, cover and let simmer on low heat until all the veggies are soft. Don’t overcook those mushrooms though. You want them chewy, but soft enough to slurp your soup.

9. Once the soup is well-cooked (approx. 30 minutes), pour over noodles or rice. Or enjoy with a slice of toast on the side.

10. Slurp up!