Magic Mushroom Broth

Recipe: Magic Mushroom Broth

Makes : Makes about 2 1/2 quarts | Soups/Stews Soups/Stews , Vegan , Vegetarian
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Keep a batch of mushroom broth in the freezer (divvy it into quart-size containers) for when illness strikes (or just because it tastes delicious). Heat up the broth and sip it straight from a mug for a savory, comforting and mineral-rich pick-me-up.

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 ounce dried maitake mushrooms or substitute more shiitakes
  • 1 (9 by 4-inch) piece kombu
  • 1 gallon water
  • 1 leek, halved lengthwise and quartered
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
  • Sea Salt

Instructions

  • Put the dried mushrooms, kombu and water in a soup pot. Let the mushrooms soak for 30 minutes. Bring the liquid just to a simmer and then remove and discard the kombu.
  • Add the leek and garlic to the broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 2 hours, adding more water as needed to keep the water level fairly constant. Taste the broth; it should be intensely mushroom flavored. If it's not, continue to simmer for up to another hour. Stir in enough sea salt (at least a few teaspoons if not significantly more) to make the broth savory and tasty enough to sip as tea. Remember--the sea salt is mineral rich and an essential part of the broth. Strain the broth and serve hot. (You can keep the broth covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat before serving. Freeze it for longer storage.)

8 Comments

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  1. Dori says:

    Thanks Laura!
    This looks amazing!
    Best,
    Dori

  2. Magi says:

    Hi Laura..
    This sounds great. We have a great mushroom guy at our farmers market….
    what amounts should i use when substituting fresh for dried mushrooms?
    Thanks.. Magi

    • laura says: (Author)

      That’s a great question. I’m not sure I can give you an exact answer; you may want to ask the mushroom guy about it, too. Dried mushrooms have very, very concentrated flavor and generally you use a small amount of dried mushrooms in place of a very large amount of fresh ones. This recipe happens to use quite a lot of dried mushrooms in order to make a highly flavorful stock. I suspect you’d need around two pounds and I’d almost consider roasting them or browning them first in the pan before adding the water and kombu to bring out more flavor. I’m sure it would work, may need some tinkering, though.

      • Will Mooney says:

        Laura,
        I’ve been making broths for years.
        Dried mushrooms are about 10% the weight of the fresh. We roast some fresh shiitake and maitake to get the richness into the broth, then add fresh as well.
        Excellent getting the word out about the broths, we need more of that.
        Thanks,
        Will

        Chef Will Mooney
        The Brothers Moon
        7 W. Broad St.
        Hopewell, NJ 08525
        609-333-1330
        brothersmoon.com

  3. Catherine says:

    I’m so looking forward to this recipe. I have found the shitake and another mushroom pack that has the maitke mushroom in it but not alone. It is mixed with more shitake and some porcini and something else. I hope it works okay. I also discovered that I can’t find sheets of the seaweed. I was able to find dried and shredded. Should be interesting

    • laura says: (Author)

      Those other mushrooms will taste great. The kombu is usually dried–it’s brittle in the package–but I haven’t seen it shredded. Are you sure it’s kombu and not shredded nori?

  4. Noah Smith says:

    Mushroom broth? Wow! I am looking forward to use your recipe and let my family try it. I’m sure they will love it. this will be added to my list. Thank you.

  5. Elizabeth Sallee Bauer says:

    This is exactly what I was looking for! I went through 20 rounds of chemo and lost souch weight due loss of appetite. A dear friend of mine made maitake miso broth and it made me what to cry! I could actually taste it and it was so comforting! I just found a whole lot of maitake, hiking in the woods has been my therapy:) I think I will try pressure canning this recipe so when I start treatment again I’ll have something easy for my hubby to heat up. Thank you!

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