Light Soup With Mushrooms
Published June 4, 2025
Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 ounce/1 heaped cup dried mushrooms, such as shiitake, porcini or portobello
3 large plum tomatoes, halved
1 medium red or yellow onion, peeled and quartered
1 Scotch bonnet chile, stem off
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, scrubbed and halved
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon bouillon, such as Better Than Bouillion paste, or use light miso (optional)
2 cups mushrooms (oyster or shitake), or use 4 (4-ounce) fish fillets, such as tilapia, catfish or cod, skin on or off, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 teaspoons kosher salt (preferably Diamond Crystal)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
8 grams carbs; 51 milligrams cholesterol; 137 calories; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 510 milligrams sodium; 22 grams protein; 4 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a medium pot, add the dried mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, Scotch bonnet chile, ginger and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, turn the heat to medium. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tomato skins start to crack and slip off easily when pulled.
- Step 2
Remove the tomatoes, onions, ginger and Scotch bonnet (leave the dried mushrooms in the pot), and place in a blender or food processor. Coarsely pulse with 2 cups water, about 1 minute.
- Step 3
Strain this mixture back into the pot using a sieve. Press down on the mixture until it’s somewhat dry. Discard what’s left in the sieve. Stir the tomato paste and bouillon, if using, into the pot.
- Step 4
Bring to a boil, add the salt and simmer the soup on medium-low heat until thickened but still brothy, 25 to 30 minutes. Skim any foam off the surface. Add the sliced mushrooms (or fish) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until tender and just cooked through. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
Private Notes
Comments
Scotch bonnets do have a specific flavor, so a good option would be to add the chile at the beginning and then remove and discard it *instead* of pureeing it with the tomatoes and other aromatics. You could, of course, sub in whatever less potent chile is available to you, to no-doubt delicious but different effect.
If you use miso instead of bouillon, don’t add it until after the soup has boiled. Boiling destroys valuable nutrients in miso.
Many milder chilies. Ask your veg person at the store. But Scotch Bonnets have fruity undertones, so go in that direction.
For those asking about peppers, I think that the Scotch Bonnet is a type of habanero (capsicum chinense), so subbing in another habanero makes sense. Scotch bonnets generally run between 100,000 and 350,000 Scoville units - very hot! I used a Kumasi, which is a Ghanaian habenero (67,000 Scoville units) But if you want something less spicy than that, there are some relatively mild habaneros, too.
This recipe is terrific - brought back memories of my first encounter with light soup in Ghana. I used a Kumasi pepper - like other Scotch-Bonnet types, they are quite hot. So since I didn’t think anyone else here would manage the full-fledged version, I only put about 1/2 of the blended mixture in ... and aved the rest for a future batch.
Just magnificent. I made this for one of my sisters who was recuperating from a procedure. She's vegan and adores mushrooms. It was the perfect salve, and so delicious! I loved it so much I'll be making it for myself soon.