Turns out mushrooms have been quietly onto something all along. Beyond their earthy flavour and gut-loving reputation, varieties like shiitake, cordyceps, lion’s main and turkey tail are prized for their potency – and here’s a fact that might surprise you: they’re one of the only non-animal sources of Vitamin D. But – just like us – they need a little sunshine to make it happen.
Pop your mushrooms on a sunny windowsill or outside for 15-20 minutes before cooking, and you’ll boost their natural Vitamin D content. A tasty (and surprisingly on-theme) reminder that sunlight really is one of nature’s best-kept wellness secrets.
Here at Wild Women, we always prefer our food in it’s natural form where possible. So, we’ve developed this delicious, mushroom-packed broth to enjoy on a wintery hike, or simply a Saturday night in.
How to make this Medicinal Mushroom Soup
Serves 8
Prepare at home and freeze in serving size portions so you can reheat on the trail, or carry ingredients including dried mushrooms for a lightweight, pack version which requires soaking mushrooms overnight.
Ingredients
Mushroom broth
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 brown onions, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 4cm root of ginger, grated
- 500g mushrooms. You can use shiitake, portobello, shimeji, king brown, oyster, maitake or any that take your fancy
- 100g enoki mushrooms
- Half cup mirin
- Half cup tamari
- 2 litres water
- 2 tbsp white miso paste
- 1 litre of organic chicken bone broth (optional)
- Udon, soba or ramen noodles, cooked (optional)
Mushroom topper
- Olive oil
- Sesame oil (optional)
- 100g enoki mushrooms
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 1 bunch English spinach, remove stems and wash thoroughly
- Sesame seeds (to sprinkle)
- 1 bunch spring onion – half chopped fine (5mm), half chopped chunky (2cm).
Method
- Heat oil and fry onions, ginger, and garlic until golden. Add shiitake and stir fry for a few minutes then add tamari, mirin, miso paste, and water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 30 min.
- Add remaining mushrooms and optional bone broth and simmer for 10 minutes. (Tip: give your mushrooms 15-20 minutes of sunshine before this step to naturally boost their Vitamin D content).
- Meanwhile, fry enoki and chunky spring onion with a good glug of olive oil and a dash of sesame oil.
- Add tamari and sesame seeds and stir until golden. Add English spinach and stir.
- To serve, add noodles and a good portion of mushroom broth to a large bowl, then add mushroom topper. Sprinkle with remaining spring onions and sesame seeds.
Enjoy!
