Chinese-style shiitake and sweetcorn soup

This classic dish is usually made of chicken, egg and sweetcorn in a rich broth; however, Ayurveda recommends only one type of protein per dish to ease digestion. You don’t hear much about mushrooms in Ayurveda (unlike traditional Chinese medicine where the reishi, shiitake and cordycep are big hitters), but their healing properties are recognised as being powerful. A little like garlic, mushrooms are considered good in small quantities, otherwise they become Tamasic (see here), but much less so than meat and fish.

In this simple soup, dried shiitake mushrooms are simmered for half an hour to make a flavoursome broth while providing a meaty bite. If you don’t have shiitakes, then use homemade chicken bone broth for a rich flavour or the dashi stock from the Proper Miso Soup (see here) and throw in some rice noodles or cook in some basmati rice instead to bulk out the soup. Ayurveda advises against reheating mushrooms, or eating them cold, so this soup is best when freshly made and piping hot. You could make this with shredded chicken, if you like – just leave out the egg.

Serves 2

2 medium corn on the cobs

750ml (3 cups) bone broth (see here), bouillon stock or water

10g dried shiitake mushrooms, or 40g fresh, sliced

5mm (¼ in) piece of fresh ginger, grated (optional)

1 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste

large pinch of ground white pepper

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

½ tbsp unrefined sesame oil, to taste

¾ tbsp arrowroot or ½ tbsp cornflour (optional)

1 medium egg, beaten

1 spring onions, finely sliced

tamari or soy sauce (optional)

½ tsp jaggery (optional)

1 Grate the corn from the cobs and add to a large saucepan with the broth, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, if using, and salt. Bring to the boil, lid off, and then leave to simmer gently for at least 30 minutes.

2 Add the white pepper, apple cider vinegar and sesame oil. Bring back to the boil.

3 Mix the arrowroot, if using, with just enough cold water to form a paste. Add this in a thin stream to the soup, stirring constantly, and cook for 3–5 minutes until the soup has thickened slightly.

4 Very gently stir in the beaten egg in a thin stream until just cooked, then sprinkle with the spring onions and remove from the heat.

5 Season to taste. If you like, add a little tamari (this will make the soup darker) and jaggery, if it needs sweetness.

FEELING
KAPHA

Favour dried shiitake rather than fresh for this soup.