Coconut Soup with Mushrooms

Originally I was going to make Kevin's Warm Mushroom, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese salad for my contribution to this month's mushroom focused edition of No Croutons Required. Tempted by a bowl of warm brothy soup, I instead decided to make a simple Thai soup that I have adapted from World Vegetarian Classics by Celia Brooks Brown. This is only the second recipe I have tried from this newly acquired book and it was just as tasty as the Mushrooms Paprika.

This is a very elegant soup that is prepared with fresh coconut milk. Coconut milk is quite simple to make and a welcomed addition to a particularly fragrant soup. When you smell the broth cooking you will be very glad it doesn't take long to cook.

Coconut Soup with Mushrooms

2 1/2 cups of unsweetened coconut
5 cups of boiling water
1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, finely minced
2 trimmed pieces of lemon grass
2 - 3 tablespoons of tamari sauce
2 teaspoons of brown sugar
1/2 cup - 2/3 cup of dried wild mushrooms
2/3 cup of button mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup of fresh oyster mushrooms, chopped
juice from one small lemon
fresh coriander or parsley for garnishing

Soak the dried mushrooms in a small bowl of hot water for 15 - 20 minutes. Reserve the soaking liquid, squeeze out excess liquid from the soaked mushrooms and chop. Set aside.

Place the coconut in a large bowl and cover with the boiling water. Leave to cool. You can puree the mixture with a hand mixer or blender if desired. Press the coconut through a sieve, taking care to extract as much coconut milk as possible. You should have roughly 4 cups of coconut milk.

In a large saucepan, bring the coconut milk to a boil along with the lemon grass stalks, minced ginger, sugar and tamari sauce. Reduce the heat, simmer, and stir occasionally for 10 minutes. Now add the mushrooms, along with a few tablespoons of the reserved mushroom soaking liquid, bring to a boil and then simmer for a few more minutes. Remove the lemon grass stalks, add the lemon juice and taste for seasoning. Garnish with coriander or parsley leaves.

Serves 4.