Vegan Potato Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms

SHIITAKE mushrooms are a popular ingredient in Asian cuisine, and are also used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Ingredients:

For the potato soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
1 piece of leek (4 cm)
3-4 potatoes, peeled and diced
580 ml vegetable stock
salt, pepper

For the crispy SHIITAKE mushroom “bacon” (optional – you can skip it):
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground smoked paprika
200 g SHIITAKE mushrooms, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Finely chop the onion, garlic and leek.
2. Heat the olive oil, onion, garlic and leek in a saucepan.
3. Fry for a couple of minutes until the onion softens and becomes transparent (but not browned).
4. Add the diced potatoes, vegetable stock, salt and pepper (the exact amount of salt depends on the saltiness of the vegetable stock you choose).
5. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are completely tender (stir occasionally). Cook for about 20-25 minutes. Add more vegetable stock if necessary.
6. Puree about half of the soup with a blender (just not too much - leave a few pieces of unmashed potatoes).
7. Preparation of the crispy SHIITAKE mushroom “side dish” (optional - you can skip it): Preheat the oven to 180°C.
8. Place all the above “side dish” ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
9. Add the mushrooms and let them soak in the sauce for at least 10 minutes.
10. Drain the excess liquid and transfer the mushroom pieces to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
11. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Serve with soup.

Yield: 2 servings
Recipe: wholefoodsoulfoodkitchen.com