The weather is so good in Bangalore. Its cool outside with a slight drizzle now and then. It makes me crave for some hot soup. So today I decided to make the cream of mushroom soup that is a hit with my family. My daughter simply loves it. It is very simple and tastes much better than the store bought ones. For my daughter this is a comfort soup. It makes her feel good when she has a fever. It is delicious, delightful seasoned with herbs. Mushrooms are rich in potassium, copper(a less talked about essential mineral for the body), zinc. It is a great weight loss food as it is low in calories. It improves metabolism and has cancer fighting properties. However, this rich creamy soup would compensate for the low calorie. It is ideal for kids with low weight and people who are looking for protein strength.
Servings
This recipe yields about four bowls of soup
Ingredients
Fresh Button mushrooms - 1/2 cup chopped finely
Garlic - 3 pods chopped finely
Spring onion - leaves chopped finely and the onions sliced
Oregano / Mixed herbs - 1/2 tsp
Cheese slice -1 / Cream cheese - 1 tsp
Milk - 1.5 cup
Maida - 2 tbsp
Water - 2.5 cups
Butter - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste
Procedure
1. Heat butter in a pan. Add the garlic, onion slices and saute for a minute.
2. In another vessel, boil the milk and water together.
3. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes. Mushrooms let out a lot of water if cooked on low flame. But this also lets the mushrooms get cooked.
4. Once the mushrooms are cooked, add the maida and mix well to ensure that the maida is mixed evenly.
5. Now add the water milk mixture and stir continuously without lumps.
6. When the soup begins to thicken, add the cream cheese/ cheese slice, oregano. Cover and let the flavours infuse well.
7. Adjust the water milk ratio to the degree of thickness you prefer.
8. Add salt to taste. Finally add the spring onion leaves and pepper for garnishing.
9. Hot and creamy mushroom soup is ready to serve.
Note: I normally add small florets of steamed brocolli to this soup. It gives the soup a very distinct taste.
You could also puree the soup after step 5, if you do not wish to have bits of mushroom floating in the soup.