Cream of Mushroom Soup

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A creamy, delicious and comforting soup made with pantry staples and easy techniques, this cream of mushroom soup is too good to be too (but very real). This cream of mushroom soup comes together easy with you needing to throw just a few pantry ingredients into a pot. It cannot get easier than this, and the flavour of the mushroom shines through. This soup is flavoured with onions, herbs, lots of freshly ground black pepper and of course, the mushrooms. This cream of mushroom soup tastes best when steaming hot, with some toasted bread on the side.

This cream of mushroom soup is a hands-on recipe that uses very simple and basic ingredients. If you do not like the chunks of mushroom in your soup, you can go head and blend it. It tastes way better than any canned soup and is free of any kind of preservatives.

Ingredients in this Cream of Mushroom Soup

Like already mentioned, the ingredients in this cream of mushroom soup are minimal and very very easily available in most kitchens. I have skipped any ingredient that I felt would complicate it. This is honestly the easiest this recipe can get. Here’s a look at the key ingredients.

– Mushrooms

For the mushrooms, you can use any kind of mushrooms that are easily available around you – Portobello, Oyster, Button or a combination of them all. I have used button mushrooms as they are abundantly available all around me at this time of the year and are very easy on the pocket too.

– Cream

I have used thick Amul cream in this recipe as it is one of the main ingredients. The cream contributes towards the silky texture and taste of the soup to a great extent. You can use heavy cream, light cream, coconut cream (if you want it vegan), or heavy cream. But heavy cream really tastes the best.

– Herbs

This cream of mushroom soup recipe uses both dried and fresh herbs. You can choose the kind of fresh herbs you want to garnish it with. I chose a mix of Italian basil and cilantro. You can choose anything you have available like rosemary, fresh thyme, oregano and the likes. For dried herbs, I have used thyme. Again, go with what you have available and what you like. You can customise the flavours of the herbs as per your choice.

– Flour

The thickness of this soup for which it is loved comes from adding flour. I have added all purpose flour or maida which acts as a great binding agent and leads to a beautiful and thick soupy texture. All purpose flour also does not add any flavour of its own to the soup. If you want to skip using all purpose flour, you can also use roasted gram flour (besan) as a thickening agent. However, it will slightly change the flavour profile of the soup. Another substitute is cornstarch. Mix around 3 tablespoons of cornstarch to water to make a slurry and add it to the soup.

– Stock or hot water

This is an easy version to a cream of mushroom soup which uses hot water as the soup base. You can always use vegetable, chicken or any kind of stock that you might have handy. If you do not have stock at hand, go ahead with boiling hot water. The flavour won’t be the same as with stock, but it it pretty darn good irrespective. The soup needs time to boil and assimilate with all the flavours and ingredients, and even with hot water, the results are pretty incredible.

Cooking the Mushroom

This cream of mushroom recipe requires a bit of technique to get the maximum flavour out of the mushrooms. Here are some tips to make the best version possible.

Here’s a tip to make sure mushrooms cook without any excess water – wash and pat dry the mushrooms with a paper towel before you add them to the pot or skillet to cook. Excess water on the surface of the mushroom creates a lot of moisture, which released into the vessel you’re cooking them in. So make sure your mushrooms are dry from the surface.
The mushrooms need to be added to the onions and garlic, once the onions turn brown and transparent (see video for reference). Once you add the mushroom, give it a light stir and let it sit untouched for about 5 minutes. This technique ensures that the mushrooms do not become soggy, and instead have a crispy coating of the oil and butter in which it is cooked. Once the mushrooms reduce flip them over and do the same for another 5 minutes. Monitor the heat, keep it at medium to high.
Use a heavy bottomed pan or pot if you want that perfect char on the mushrooms. Using a less dense bottom will not give you good results. Go for cast iron dutch oven or a good quality stainless steel skillet/pot.

Here’s a look at the recipe.

Preparation time – 15 minutes

Cook time – 30 minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

800 g button mushrooms
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 tbsp olive oil/vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
200 g heavy cream
1 tbsp dried/fresh thyme
1/2 cup all purpose flour
800 ml hot water/stock
Fresh basil
1 tbsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste

Directions

Heat olive oil and butter in a heavy bottomed pot or skillet. Keep the heat at low.
Add the finely chopped garlic and stir for another minute. Increase the flame to high to get a good char on the onions.
Once the onions are golden brown and transparent, add the finely chopped garlic. Stir till the raw aroma of the garlic fades completely.
Add the sliced button mushrooms and give it a light stir. Let it sit in the pot or pan for five minutes untouched.
Stir after five minutes and repeat the process. Monitor the heat as you do this. This technique ensures the mushrooms get a golden brown char and do not become excessively soggy.
Once the mushrooms are cooked through, add the all purpose flour and give it all a good mix.
Add the dried thyme, salt and black pepper powder. Mix well.
Pour the hot water or stock and mix well. Let it come to an aggressive boil.
Boil the soup till you get your desired consistency.
Once you have achieved your desired consistency, add chopped basil and serve.
Garnish more herbs and freshly ground black pepper on top before serving. Enjoy with some toasted bread on the side.