Enoki mushroom soup

Winter is still here! I certainly don’t feel like my normal salads for lunch so often find myself making soups to get my veggie intake but also keep me warm.

This enoki mushroom soup is super easy to make and can be adapted with other veggies you have in your fridge.

Fun fact about enoki mushrooms: they contain a particular beta-glucan called Flammulin (1).

Beta-glucans in general, are a polysaccharide compound found in mushrooms and are the primary medicinal constituent that give mushrooms, and particularly medicinal mushrooms, their immune-benefitting reputation(2).

Some of the many benefits of these beta-glucans include(2):

The enoki are great to use in these Asian-style soups because of their shape – they act as a nutritious alternative to white carbohydrate-rich rice noodles. Plus, they are delicious!

Enoki mushroom soup recipe

Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 large carrot chopped
• 1 red onion chopped
• 1/2 clove garlic finely diced (or 1 clove it you like it strong like me)
• 1 packet of enoki mushrooms (cut at the base)
• 4 large regular mushrooms sliced thickly
• 1 cup of sliced cabbage
• 1-2 tbsp Organic tamari sauce
• 1/2 tsp vegetable stock powder
• 2 tbsp vegetable or bone broth powder
• Optional: chilli flakes to taste and add extra warmth

Method:

1. In a medium sized pot, sauté on medium heat, the onion with the garlic until well cooked
2. Add in carrots and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes
3. Add in the sliced cabbage and enoki mushrooms until they begin to brown
4. Add around 3 cups of boiling water – or more if desired
5. Add tamari sauce, chili, stock powder and broth powder
6. Allow the soup to simmer for a few minutes but as long as the veggies are cooked through then it is good to go
7. Add optional protein: tempeh, tofu or cooked chicken

Enjoy!

References

1. Rop, O., Mlcek, J., & Jurikova, T. (2009, November). Beta-glucans in higher fungi and their health effects. Nutrition Reviews. Nutr Rev. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00230.x

Guggenheim, A. G., Wright, K. M., & Zwickey, H. L. (2014). Immune modulation from five major mushrooms: Application to integrative oncology. Integrative Medicine (Boulder). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684115/

Chelsey is an Endeavour College Alumni and qualified naturopath practicing at Perth Health & Fertility in City Beach, Perth. She is passionate about all things women’s health and specialises in, among general naturopathic medicine, treating hormonal conditions such as PCOS, cycle irregularities, endometriosis, PMS and acne.
In Chelsey’s graduating year, she graduated with the Naturopathy Academic Excellence Award and Dux Medal Award. Her goals are to continue her studies alongside clinical practice with hopes to one day complete a PhD and help contribute to the naturopathic research field.

She is one half of @peppermintandsage_ on Instagram and has interests in health education and regularly conducts public based health education talks in the community.

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