How to Make Thickened Mushroom Soup

Fresh shiitake mushrooms are not only great for stir-frying with meat, but they also make a delicious, thickened soup.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

Per serving:

Slice the shiitake mushrooms (each slice should be 0.5-1 cm thick; thicker slices are chewier than thinner ones). Place them in a large bowl and pour in 2 g of table salt to soak for 15 minutes.
Pour the cornstarch into a small bowl, add 50 ml of water, and stir until the cornstarch dissolves completely with no lumps (this creates a slurry).
Discard the saltwater from the bowl and gently squeeze out excess moisture from the mushrooms (to facilitate the next frying step) [Optional].
Heat the pan over low heat, add the oil, and wait until small bubbles form (about 30 seconds on low heat, depending on the stove's power). Add the mushrooms and pan-fry for 10 seconds on each side [Optional].
Pour in 300 ml of boiling water, increase the heat to medium, and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Pour in the cornstarch slurry, stir the soup gently, add 3 g of salt and 3 g of chicken bouillon powder, then garnish with chopped scallions before serving.

Example Dish

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