Cream of Mushroom Soup

The more colourful your food the more nutrition it carries. This is something that we have been reading quite often these days. Dietitians and nutritionists advice of bringing more colour to our dinner table. So then how does mushroom make it to the kitchen and ultimately to our plates? Well, this is an exception. Mushrooms may be lacking the bright colours but is still packed with a whole lot of nutrition. The benefits of mushroom are many.

We all know that the sun is only source of vitamin D and this vitamin is vital for calcium absorption. We need not go into the benefits of calcium here. The only bother source of vitamin D is the egg yolk. Though a source of a vital vitamin the yolk cannot consumed in large quantities. And what about the vegans? They are completely dependent upon the sun for their daily dose of the D vitamin. This is where mushroom comes in to the rescue.

Mushroom is the only vegan source for vitamin D and that means that it holds a pretty important position in our diet. This exclusive property of the humble fungi is enough to make it a regular part of the diet.

Besides the important vitamin D mushrooms are also a good source of selenium, potassium, iron, copper, phosphorus and dietary fibre. They are also known to give the body an immunity boost.

So why not cook up a mushroom storm in the form of a creamy soup. But hold on, this soup though creamy, does not contain cream. The taste and aroma are splendid.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

• Onion sliced - 1
• Mushrooms chopped - 200 gm
• Milk - 1 cup
• Water - 1 cup
• Olive oil - 2 tablespoons 
• Refined flour - 1 tablespoon 
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
• Pepper - 4 whole
• Salt as per taste 

Method:

Heat oil in a large, thick bottom dish. Add the bay leaf, pepper and cinnamon. Add the onion and cook till pink.
Add the mushrooms and cook till it gives off water.
Add the flour and cook further. The flour should not smell raw and the mix should look slightly thickening.
Add the milk and water and bring to a boil.
Allow to boil for approximately 10 minute.
Let the soup cool. We have not yet added the salt.
Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon.

When cool blend in a blender.
Put the vessel back on the fire and give the soup one final boil.
Turn off heat and add salt. Add freshly ground pepper and dry parsley or any other herb of your choice.

The herbs you add a matter of personal choice. You can even add finely chopped onion greens and parboiled carrots to give a bit of crunch to the soup.

I have also tried substituting the refined flour with a tablespoon or two of rolled oats. The results are equally good.