My favourite recipe : Wild Mushroom Soup

I used to have a dislike for mushroom. It just does not look appetizing to me. I even picked up the habit of picking every single slice of mushroom of a pizza top and make my pizza-eating frenzy less exciting.

But years ago, when I was a studying abroad, a friend of mine made me taste her mushroom soup. It was quite nice actually and since then I was hooked. I tried adding in mushrooms in my stir-fried cooking, and my pizza tasted even better.

This is my favourite recipe for mushroom soup after years of improvisation. It is very simple and it also a very popular starter for my family. Try your best to use shiitake mushroom. It has a rich smoky flavour that will make a difference to your soup!

Shiitake mushrooms have lots of health benefits. L-ergothioneine, a powerful antioxidant, has been discovered in mushrooms. In research presented at the 2005 American Chemical Society meeting in Washington, D.C., an American research team revealed that mushrooms contain higher concentrations of the antioxidant; higher than two dietary sources previously believed to contain the most: chicken liver and wheat germ. And more good news, L-ergothioneine is not destroyed when mushrooms are cooked.

Although it is has lots of benefits, do bear in mind that Shiitake mushrooms contain naturally-occurring substances called purines. The health condition called "gout" and the formation of kidney stones from uric acid are two examples of uric acid-related problems that can be related to excessive intake of purine-containing foods. For this reason, individuals with kidney problems or gout may want to limit or avoid intake of purine-containing foods such as shiitake mushrooms.

Or easily, take everything in moderation!

What you need :

10 shiitake mushrooms (sliced)

3 small red onions (sliced)

2 clove of garlic (sliced)

2 cups of cream / milk

2 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon of butter

parsley to garnish

salt and pepper to taste

*Recipe is for about 5 bowls of soup

What to do:

Heat butter and oil, toss in onions and let it cook for a few minutes before you add in the mushrooms. Saute the mushroom until it is well cooked. Leave it to cool a little before putting in the processor and blend it until you get a smooth puree.

Now pour in the mixture into a saucepan and heat it up under slow fire. Pour in cream / milk and stir occasionally. Do not let it boil. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot and garnish it with parsley.

Easy isn’t it?

Estimated cooking time : 25 minutes

Note : You can omit butter and cream if you want a healthier alternative.