Cream of Mushroom Soup 🍄🥣

The heart of this soup lies in mushrooms and cream. Mushrooms, naturally fragrant and savory, are sautéed until fragrant, and then combined with broth, milk, and cream, they create a rich, smooth, and comforting soup.

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🛒 Ingredients preparation (about 4 bowls)

• Fresh mushrooms🍄: 300g (white or brown button mushrooms are fine, but a mixture is recommended for a richer flavor)
• Onion: 1 (chopped)
• Garlic🧄: 2 cloves (chopped)
• Butter: 30g
• Olive oil: 1 tablespoon
• Low-gluten flour: 2 tablespoons (for thickening the sauce base)
• Chicken or vegetable soup: 500ml
• Milk: 250ml
• Fresh cream🍶: 100ml (optional, it will make it creamier)
• Salt: appropriate amount
• Crushed black pepper: appropriate amount
• Herbs: A little (such as thyme and parsley, for flavoring and decoration)

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👩🏻🍳 Detailed cooking process

1. Processing mushrooms

• Use a damp cloth to gently wipe away the dirt and dust on the mushrooms. Do not rinse them with water for a long time, otherwise they will absorb water and become more leaky.
• Slice or dice. If you want a richer taste, leave a small portion and cut into thick slices. Do not break it up at the end to retain the grainy texture.

2. Stir-fry the base

• Heat a large pot over medium heat and add olive oil and butter.
• After the butter is melted, add the onion and fry until transparent, then add the garlic and fry until fragrant.
• This step makes the soup base sweeter and more fragrant.

3. Sauté mushrooms

• Add the chopped mushrooms and stir-fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms start to release water. Continue stir-frying until the water is dried up and the surface is slightly golden brown.
• This "stir-frying" step is the essence, because the mushrooms will release a strong umami flavor.

4. Whole white sauce base

• Turn to low heat, add flour and mix quickly to ensure that the flour is fully blended with the butter and mushrooms and becomes a paste.
• Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring as you go to avoid clumping.

5. Cook until the flavor is absorbed

• Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the mushroom flavor is infused into the soup.
• If you prefer a smoother texture, you can blend the soup in a blender and then return it to the pot.

6. Add milk/cream

• Add milk and stir slowly over low heat.
• If you want it to be creamier, you can add fresh cream.
• Remember not to use high heat to boil, otherwise the milk will separate and affect the taste.

7. Seasoning

• Season with salt and crushed black pepper.
• You can add a little nutmeg powder to give it the aroma of a hotel restaurant.

8. Finish serving

• Pour the hot cream of mushroom soup into bowls.
• You can sprinkle a little black pepper on the surface and bury a few herb leaves for decoration.
• A bowl of rich and smooth creamy mushroom soup is ready~✨

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🌟 Editor's Tips

• Texture choice : It will be super smooth after crushing, but if you leave some mushroom pieces, it will have a chewy texture.
• Lazy version : If you don’t want to use flour, you can directly use cream instead, which will make it naturally thicker.
• Healthy version : Reduce the amount of butter and use olive oil instead for a lighter flavor.
• Upgraded version : Add a little white wine or cream cheese and cook it for a more advanced taste.
• Hong Kong-style nostalgia version : If you want to recreate the flavor of a tea restaurant, you can use instant cream soup powder + fresh mushrooms to cook together, the taste will instantly bring back the childhood feel~