Mushroom broth is a real lifesaver for people for whom, for whatever reason, meat and fish soups are prohibited.
All Christians know that during Lent you can cook any first course with it: cabbage soup, borscht, rassolnik, any mushroom soup.
For vegetarians, this is one of the first bases for soups; it is generally not clear what they would do without such a product. These people know exactly what mushrooms smell like. Oyster mushrooms, for example, don’t make much of an aromatic mushroom broth. It’s better with champignons, but the real forest aroma will be transferred to the broth, and eventually to the soup, by the forest mushrooms. In first place, of course, is the white mushroom - the king among its relatives.
But soups are also cooked based on broths from chanterelles, boletuses, boletus, honey mushrooms, and extreme dishes even from russula. In a word, as long as it’s not made from fresh fly agarics or toadstools. Both newfangled shiitake and meitake are used.
It would seem that nothing could be simpler - wash the mushrooms properly, add water in a saucepan, put it on the fire - and now the broth is ready. And this is actually true, but you need to adhere to some rules. We are, of course, talking about extraction from the wild. “Store” mushrooms do not require much effort in preparation: washed, cut and boiled.
Rule No. 1. Clean and wash
Before cooking any mushrooms, they must be properly cleaned and washed. The volume that you brought from the forest in a basket already at this stage is reduced by about a third. Washing and processing take quite a lot of time, especially if it is rainy autumn, and along with mushrooms you have collected dirt, fallen leaves, blades of grass, and sand.
Rule No. 2. Soak
All this must be removed and the mushrooms should be left to soak. For what? The mushroom has a porous structure. A lot of things get clogged up in your pores, but you’re unlikely to want to eat them. Therefore, we cleaned, cut off all excess, washed - put the mushrooms in a sufficient amount of water, they should be completely covered with liquid. Leave them for 2 hours, no need to change the water. Some mushrooms have their own characteristics: milk mushrooms can be bitter, butter mushrooms themselves are slimy.
Rule No. 3. Boil first
So, if you are dealing with noble mushrooms - for example, porcini, boletus, boletus, then you can start cooking them immediately after soaking. If the mushrooms are capricious, then they should be boiled over a low simmer for at least an hour, or better yet, two. The liquid that forms during the cooking process is not broth yet, it must be poured out! And after that you can use the mushrooms further: you can cook broth from them, and then soup; You can fry it, you can freeze it, or you can dry it.
Rule No. 4. Cook the broth
Now let’s actually cook the mushroom broth. The mass of mushrooms depends on the purposes for which you then want to use them. On average, 200 g of dried mushrooms are taken per 2 liters of water, and 500-700 g of fresh or frozen mushrooms. But if you are planning to prepare a luxurious puree soup, where mushrooms will be the main ingredient, then there should naturally be more of them.
If you take dry mushrooms, you must first soak and rinse them. It is better to defrost frozen ones, although this is not necessary.
When you start cooking, immediately add spices. Pairs well with mushrooms:
- Onions (leeks or onions), 1 large one is enough for a two-liter saucepan;
- Bay leaf, but it may interfere with the mushroom flavor;
- Peppers of all types (black, white, red, sweet peas, paprika, chili);
- Parsley - both root and green;
- Celery;
- Thyme;
- Oregano;
- Tarragon;
- Caraway.
Choose a spice or combination of spices that you like. It is important that the spices are used in moderation - their aroma should emphasize the forest mushroom spirit, and not interrupt it.
Rule No. 5. How long to cook?
The preparation time for mushroom broth ranges from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours on average. It depends, again, on the mushrooms. You can easily prepare a broth from champignons in about 40 minutes. The rule is that wild mushrooms should be cooked longer. Determine readiness by consistency and smell. When the broth is ready, it is filtered, the mushrooms are chopped so that they can be used further.
How to use mushroom broth?
Its main purpose is to become the basis of the soup! If you don’t want the mushroom first course immediately, you can cool the broth and freeze it.
For main courses, mushroom broth will be a good basis for side dishes: buckwheat porridge cooked in it is already excellent. You can make excellent pasta if you boil the spaghetti in broth rather than water.
Mushroom broth is perfect as a base for julienne and all its varieties. You can stew meat, chicken, and vegetables in mushroom broth. As a result, they will all acquire a unique forest aroma!
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Mushroom broth is an amazingly tasty and healthy decoction obtained by cooking mushrooms (see photo). As a rule, it has a rich consistency, expressive aroma and pleasant taste.
This valuable product can be prepared from absolutely any mushroom: honey mushrooms, chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, champignons, porcini mushrooms, etc. Moreover, for its preparation it is possible to use both fresh and dried mushroom ingredients. Keep in mind that the color of the broth directly depends on the type of mushroom used.
On sale, mushroom broth is often found in the form of a dry mixture, which usually includes not only mushrooms, but also spices. The latter can be salt, pepper and various spices. The main companies that produce this seasoning are Rollton, Knorr, Maggi and Galina Blanca. The latter manufacturer most often produces mushroom broth in the form of pressed cubes. It is recommended to use such dry mixtures called “broth” in cooking strictly according to the instructions indicated on the product packaging.
How to make mushroom broth at home?
Despite the fact that today the food industry offers a wide range of mushroom broths, most cooks prefer to make this product at home. First of all, this is due to the fact that a decoction prepared by yourself is many times healthier than the dry mixture sold in stores. The whole secret lies in natural ingredients, which manufacturers in most cases replace with artificial additives. In addition, homemade broth has a more pleasant taste, as well as a more pronounced mushroom aroma.
As previously mentioned, you can prepare a decoction from either fresh or dried mushrooms. In the first case, you need to be extremely careful, since fresh forest fruits can absorb heavy metal salts. To avoid this, mushrooms must be thoroughly cleaned and processed before cooking. For dried mushroom ingredients, it is recommended to soak them in cold water for at least two hours before using. This procedure helps return the mushrooms to their original texture.
Cook homemade mushroom broth after boiling for at least sixty minutes over low heat. If necessary, the broth can be supplemented with fresh onions, garlic, as well as spices and spices. After preparation, the liquid must be filtered and used for its intended purpose. You can also freeze the broth and thereby prepare it for the winter. To do this, the product should be poured into portioned molds and placed in the freezer for further storage. It is noteworthy that during the freezing process the broth does not lose its properties.
You can store mushroom decoction in the freezer for up to three months, while its shelf life in the refrigerator is only one day!
Use in cooking
Using natural mushroom broth you can prepare a lot of tasty and nutritious dishes. First of all, this product is great as a base for soup. In this case, the broth needs to be supplemented with potatoes, some cereals and herbs, after which the dish can only be boiled until the ingredients soften and served. If the finished soup needs to be lightened, you can add sour cream or cream to it before serving.
You can also make the following dishes using broth:
- sauces;
- porridge;
- gravies;
- potatoes with meat;
- vegetable stew;
- cabbage soup, etc.
There are many original and tasty recipes that require mushroom broth. And thanks to its low calorie content, effective diets for weight loss are even being developed based on this product.
Benefits and harms
Thanks to the unique chemical composition of wild mushrooms, broth prepared on their basis brings great benefits to the body. Natural mushroom broth contains a large amount of protein, as well as almost the entire list of amino acids and trace elements. This product is rich in vitamins and antioxidants.
Medical experts say that properly prepared wild mushroom broth has the following beneficial properties:
- strengthens the walls of blood vessels;
- prevents the development of cancer;
- has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the brain;
- prevents heart and vascular diseases;
- cleanses the body of toxins and other dangerous substances;
- protects the body from viruses.
In addition, it has been scientifically proven that mushroom decoction is incredibly beneficial for skin, hair, and nails.
Harm from this product may occur if it is consumed excessively. The thing is that mushrooms contain chitin, which usually has a bad effect on the stomach. Mushroom decoction is especially dangerous for children under seven years of age.
Mushroom broth is an integral part of cooking. This product has a lot of advantages, as well as many ways to use it well.
Greetings, my friends! Today our subject of interest is mushroom broth. Different cuisines of the world can boast of flavor options for soups, rich and lean broths made from these products, and sauces based on them. For some, this is an unpretentious food, the result of a “quiet hunt.” For others, a delicacy is that restaurants that are famous for their mushroom offerings are booked months in advance, families come from many countries and present visits as gifts.
Almost everything about mushroom broth
This is a decoction, for example, of mushrooms, meat with roots. Light, easily digestible. It is used as a dietary dish, medicinal, since the calorie content (3 kcal per 100 g of decoction) is unobtrusive. In addition, the protein content is low (0.5 g), even less fat (0.1 g) and no carbohydrates at all. Although as a protein product they are considered equal to meat.
The decoction is distinguished between white and yellow. White color is given by unfried roots and representatives of the kingdom of living nature, to which scientists include mushrooms, yellow - by fried ones. They are served as a separate dish, they are used to prepare puree soup, soups with filling (for example, noodles, croutons, boiled eggs), sauces for meat, pancakes, potatoes, and porridges. Prepared from frozen, dried and fresh.
For problems with the digestive system, liquid soup is a suitable food. Eukaryotic organisms, as mushrooms are scientifically called, are rich in minerals, enzymes, proteins, and vitamins. Excellent taste is complemented by potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and lipase. Despite the rich content of substances beneficial to the body, opinions differ as to whether children and at what age can include such a soup on the menu. Some say three years, others say six or seven years. In any case, this should be done infrequently - once every two to three weeks; for children, this broth is diluted with vegetable broth.
Regarding the dilemma, the benefits and harm that these half-plants, half-animals can bring to the body, let’s say so. You should be wary of inedible and poisonous forest specimens. Subject the forest harvest to careful processing. Forest products accumulate heavy metal salts, so they should be boiled in several waters, after which they are suitable for food. Boletuses and boletus mushrooms are not suitable for this first course, since the decoction from them looks unaesthetic.
And the last thing:
- add separately cooked mushrooms to the soup 15 minutes before they are ready;
- salted at the end of cooking (and fried - at the beginning);
- champignon soup, from fresh forest specimens, cook over low heat for 2-2.5 hours, after an hour, add the roots;
- dried ones are pre-soaked in hot water for an hour;
- cook with spices (black pepper, cumin, basil, parsley, thyme, tarragon, rosemary), but in small doses so as not to clog the aroma;
- At the end of cooking, turn the heat to high for 3 minutes. Then you need to let the broth brew for 20 minutes;
- Store dried mushrooms in tightly sealed glass jars.
The best recipes from the chef
Try making soup according to our recipes, cooking cabbage soup with mushrooms. The proposed recipes with photos will take their rightful place in your practice and will bring a lot of positive emotions at the family table.
1. Dried soup
The most aromatic soups are made from white boletus, but you can also make it from chanterelles and others too. However, transparent and puree-like ones are made only from white ones.
Rinse the soaked dried preparations, pour in the strained water in which they were soaked, and set to cook. After boiling, add roots - carrots, parsley, celery, coarsely chopped. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain the cooled broth, rinse the cooked mushrooms and chop or mince. Place the boiled ones into the soup 15 minutes before removing.
Ingredients: 2 liters of water, 50 g of mushrooms, parsley root, celery, 2 carrots.
2.Frozen soup
Fill the champignons or wild mushrooms with water and let them cook. Add chopped potatoes, carrots and onions fried in butter to the boiling soup. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes until the vegetables and mushrooms are cooked. Salt and pepper. We insist for 20 minutes.
Ingredients: 1.5 liters of water, 500 g of mushrooms, 2 potatoes, carrots, onion, 20 g of butter, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Chicken soup
Cook the chicken broth, carefully removing the foam so that our soup is as clear as possible. Chicken legs or breasts are cooked for 40 minutes over low heat. We cut the potatoes into cubes and cubes, chop the mushrooms, chop the onions, and grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Place carrots and onions in heated vegetable oil in a frying pan and sauté for two minutes over medium heat. Add flour and salt. Remove the cooked chicken meat, separate it from the bones, and strain the broth. We put potatoes and mushrooms in it. Cook for 20 minutes. Simmer for another five minutes, adding carrots and onions. Season with herbs, sour cream, green peas.
Ingredients: 1.5 liters of water, 2-3 chicken legs, 3 potatoes, 1 carrot, onion, 100 g mushrooms, 1 tsp. flour, bay leaf, butter, salt, herbs.
4. Beef soup
Cook in the same way as in the previous recipe. Instead of chicken - beef with bone. First, cook the broth (it needs more time than chicken), and then add the mushrooms.
Ingredients: 2 liters of water, 600 g of beef, 200 g of mushrooms, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaf, herbs.
5. Chicken and meat broth for soup
We cook it the same way as chicken and meat. Cook on pork ribs with chicken backs. Add mushrooms immediately. After half an hour, add cubes of potatoes, carrots, roots and onions (which we will remove after 25 minutes).
Ingredients: 300 g pork, 250 g mushrooms, 8 potatoes, carrots, onion, salt, herbs.
How many calories are in chicken soup with mushrooms? – In 100 g of chicken broth – 15 kcal, pork – 23.15 kcal, beef broth – 28.8 kcal.
Bon appetit everyone!
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Surely everyone makes soups. They can be meat and vegetable, rich and dietary, dairy and puree. You can also use mushroom broth to prepare first courses and various sauces.
To begin with, it’s worth saying that mushroom-based broth is not only very tasty, but also healthy. It's no secret that mushrooms contain a large amount of protein. Some people even call them forest meat.
In addition, mushroom broth has low energy value. That is why it is often used to prepare delicious dietary dishes. There are several ways to prepare the base for the first course with mushrooms. Let's look at the most popular options.
Mushroom broth from champignons
To prepare this version of a liquid dish, you will need several mushrooms that you most often use, a pan of water, an onion and carrots.
Rinse the vegetables thoroughly. Remove the caps from the mushroom stems and process them separately. If desired, you can first finely chop the mushrooms. In this case, the liquid will be more aromatic and rich. Cut the carrots into half rings, and leave the onion whole, after peeling it.
Place all ingredients in a saucepan with water and place the container on the stove. When the liquid boils, set aside 40-50 minutes and cook the vegetables for the indicated time. If necessary, add salt and spices to the products. During the cooking process, foam often forms. It must be removed so that the mushroom broth is as transparent as possible.
When the allotted time for cooking has passed, strain the resulting liquid and then use it for its intended purpose.
recipe with meat
There is a way to prepare a liquid mushroom base with the addition of pieces of meat. In this case, the dish will turn out rich and will have a slightly higher calorie content.
As you know, the most delicious liquid bases are obtained from porcini mushrooms. These are the ones that will be used in this recipe. You will also need one small chicken fillet and your favorite spices.
Rinse the vegetables thoroughly under running water and cut into cubes. Place the product in a pan of water and leave for half an hour. At this time, process the chicken meat. Wash it and cut it into small pieces.
After the specified time has passed, put the pan on the fire. As soon as the liquid boils, add the meat to it and stir the ingredients. Add your favorite spices and cook the mushroom broth for half an hour after boiling. Try to skim off any foam that pops up and stir the food more often.
Dietary option for preparing mushroom base
For people on a certain diet, there is a way to prepare a mushroom base that contains virtually no calories. You will need any mushrooms and an onion.
Rinse the food and place it in water. Place the container on the fire and cook for one hour. After this, drain the resulting liquid and fill with clean water. Place the onion, cut in half, into the pan and cook for another hour. After the specified time has passed, you can add the necessary ingredients or proceed to the actual consumption of the dish.
Conclusion
Now you know several options for how to prepare mushroom broth. Try each of the proposed methods and choose the one you like best.
It is worth remembering that mushrooms can be stored for a long time in frozen or dried form. Such products make no less tasty and healthy dishes. Vegetables practically do not lose their quality during storage.
Have fun cooking and eat right. Enjoy your meal!
