Oooooh-mami!

I'll never forget this particular lesson in flavor-power my mom taught me when I was little: we were making a traditional Chinese dish of stir fried vegetables, meat, and mushrooms sitting over a bed of crispy, pan-fried noodles. The night before, my mom soaked a handful of wrinkled, dried mushrooms in hot water, and the next day pulled them out of the microwave all puffed up and reconstituted. Dried shiitakes have so much more flavor than fresh -- something about the drying concentrates all the flavor and seems to multiply. Helping to prepare the dish, I squeezed out the mushrooms so they could be sliced, and then tossed the bowl of soaking water.

"Wait!" my mom said as I dumped the water into the sink. She smiled and said, "I was going to use that." Evidently, the good flavor from the mushroom water serves as a flavor boost, though not specifically called for in the recipe. Lesson learned!

As many of you probably know, there are five recognized tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami -- umami is that savory, meaty flavor that's making your mouth water right now. Got it? Mushroom happens to be one of those foods that -- while not a meat itself -- can create an umami-richness of its own, which helps explain why the mushroom-water is so tasty.

The weather has been appropriately wintery the last few days, inspiring one of my favorite soups. Heidi Swanson's mixed mushroom soup is the most umami-goodness I've ever experienced, packed into one little bowl. The amazing thing is that there's no meat in it. I used to think that soy sauce and sesame oil could only lead to "Asian"-flavored food, but not in this case. The mushrooms, soy, and sesame created a satisfying, warm-tummy feeling for hours. I've made the recipe with chicken stock before, but the vegetable stock (with some of the dried mushroom-soaking liquid, of course) goes a long way. If you're looking for a hearty winter soup (err...and you like mushrooms), this one's for you. The chewy mushroom chunks and toothsome barley make it ultra-satisfying, and the little bright chive bite balances the richness.

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Mixed Mushroom Soup
(from Heidi Swenson)


1 lb assorted mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used some reconstituted dried shiitakes as well as fresh creminis)

fine grain sea salt & freshly ground pepper

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

2-3 T soy sauce

1 1/2 c cooked pearled barley

5 c vegetable broth, plus 1 c soaking liquid from dried mushrooms

1/4 t toasted sesame oil

finely chopped chives or scallions

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are browned, stirring a few times (5-8 min). Remove mushrooms and set aside.

Using the same pot, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil, still over medium-high heat. Cook onions until soft (4-5 min.). Add two tablespoons of soy sauce, barley, and then the vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat a bit. Add the mushrooms and cook another 10 minutes. Stir in the toasted sesame oil and taste. Feel free to add more soy or sesame to your liking (the salt level will depend on how salty your broth was). Sprinkle with chives and serve.