Mushroom and Coconut Soup With Ramen

Mise En Place

• Skillet with high sides or medium sized pot to cook the soup
• small pot and strainer to boil and drain the ramen
• cutting board and knife for the mushrooms
• can opener
• measuring spoons and cup

• Neutral oil. – Flavorless cooking oil. Vegetable and canola oil are two widely known varieties.
• Baby Bella Mushrooms. – Also known as cremini mushrooms. They are the younger version of the portobello, the meatiest mushroom of them all.
• Ground Turmeric. – Turmeric is a root (gingers cousin), earthy and pungent in flavor and the main ingredient in curry. Its bright yellow-orange Turmeric is most commonly sold dried and ground in most supermarkets next to the other spices.
• Curry Powder. – A blend of warm and hearty spices, used mostly in Indian cooking. Yellowish in color, sold in most supermarkets.
• Garlic Chili Paste. – Highly flavored garlicky and spicy sauce. You can find this in most supermarkets.
• Tomato Paste. – Concentrated tomatoes, super dense and used for flavor and to thicken soups and stews.
• Coconut Milk. – Delicious liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts and sold in cans. Has a thick layer of cream that sits right on top.
• Preferred Milk. – Use any milk you prefer. Cows milk or soy or almond.. it all works.
• Vegetable Stock.- Flavorful liquid made from simmering vegetables. Can be homemade or store bought.
• Agave/Honey. – Both are liquid sweeteners. Agave comes from the agave plant (same plant that makes tequila) and Honey is made from bees.
• Ramen Noodles. – Wheat noodles that have sodium and potassium carbonate. It’s what makes them yellow and firm. Use fresh or instant noodles.
• Green Onions. – Also known as scallions. They are part of the onion family and have a less pungent flavor.
• Cilantro. – Sometimes called coriander in some places. It tastes bright, pungent, a little lemony and peppery.
• Limes. – Green citrus fruit used to brighten dishes and balance out recipes.
• Chili Oil. – Oil made by infusing It with chili peppers. Can be store bought or homemade. Click here for my homemade chili oil.

Now that your Mise En Place is ready to go…everything chopped and measured, ramen waiting in the cuff…we can get cooking.

The first step is heating the oil. Make sure the oil is hot. Cold oil does not brown, it soggs. Oil shimmers slightly when it’s ready. Add the mushrooms and try not to crowd them. Sauté these until they release all their liquid and start to brown. Now is the time for salt and pepper just a pinch is fine.

CHEF TIP – never salt mushrooms before browning them. salt releases moisture and it’ll take you twice as long to brown

After the mushrooms, we add the spices followed by the chili garlic sauce and tomato paste. The flavor of this mushroom and coconut soup comes mainly from the spices. Heat wakes them up, enabling it to do its job 😉 same goes for the tomato paste. Season with a dash of salt and pepper here too.

CHEF TIP – Season as you cook. A pinch of salt after every step won’t make the final result salty. If anything, you’ll have to adjust less at the end.

Now the liquids and sweetener. Before adding the coconut milk, make sure to shake that can so damn hard! There’s a thick layer of coconut cream just sitting on top of the milk. It’s a lot easier to incorporate in the can than doing it after you add it to the recipe. Its a hot mess so do yourself a favor and shake the can. The honey and agave balance out the heat and acid in the soup so don’t omit it.

Simmer for 5 minutes and you’re done! Ladle the Mushroom and Coconut Soup into bowls and divide the ramen noodles between them, top with the rest of the ingredients. Enjoy!

Can we Prep ahead?

Maybe, Lol. This Mushroom and Coconut Soup with Ramen is pretty straight forward and already a quick recipe. But, where theres a will theres a way.

One or two days before you’re ready to cook I would:

• Clean the mushrooms. To clean them, slice the hard part off the bottom of the stem and wipe the mushroom with a damp paper towel to remove the any dirt. Store them in an open brown paper bag in the fridge.
• Consolidate the liquids and spices. Put all the liquids ( don’t forget to shake the can) into one container and store in the fridge. Same goes for the spices. Group them with the chili garlic sauce and tomato paste, put them in air tight container and right in the fridge.