miso braised mushroom and daikon soup
Make this a part of your Winter weekly lineup and stay warm and healthy. Almost every ingredient in this soup is known to support the immune system! The mushrooms used in this soup all boast a multitude of insane healing properties (which I strongly suggest researching) and don’t even get me started on the wonders of miso and bone broth. This recipe will serve two as a main course, or four as a side/starter and will take about twenty minutes of your actual time (plus one hour in the oven). A side of brown rice and kimchi will make this pot stretch in to a more substantial meal if needed. I suggest reading the additional notes below the recipe
Ingredients
2 tablespoons EVOO
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
6” daikon radish
4 shiitake mushrooms
1 head of maitake mushrooms
1 medium lion’s mane mushroom (about softball size)
1 quart of chicken bone broth
2 tablespoons miso paste (I used half/half light miso/dark miso for added depth)
2 dried chilis
1 tablespoon soy sauce
6” strip of kombu seaweed (optional)
1” nub of ginger, peeled
Sliced scallions for garnish
A few shakes of togarashi and some citrus zest (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Start warming a Dutch oven or thick bottomed pot to medium/high heat with the two oils. Peel the daikon and trim both ends so you’ve got a perfect cylinder. Place the daikon radish in the hot oil to sear, occasionally turning the daikon with tongs to achieve an evenly dispersed light brown coloration. While the daikon is cooking in the pot, prep the mushrooms. Cut the shiitakes in quarters, and break up the maitakes and lion’s manes to pieces similar in size to the shiitake pieces. Add them to the empty space in the pot alongside the daikon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have also picked up a bit of color (about 2 minutes). Add 1 quart of bone broth to the pot and turn it up to high.
Once the pot comes to a boil, turn it down to a rolling, consistent simmer. Toss in the two dried chilis, the whole nub of ginger, soy sauce, and strip of kombu. Gradually stir in the miso then put the lid on the pot and transfer it to the oven. Let the mushrooms and daikon braise in the enriched broth in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the daikon is just tender but not turned to mush. You can test the doneness of the daikon by inserting a knife into the center - it should be removed with little to no effort.
After taking the pot out of the oven, remove the daikon from the broth with a pair of tongs and place on a wooden cutting board. Slice the daikon in to rings before transferring to a bowl and serving with a ladle of brothy mushrooms. Finish with some sliced scallions and a few shakes of togarashi if you want to add a bit of heat. I also added some yuzu zest, taken from the fruit with a vegetable peeler. Feel free to use lemon, orange or even lime.
Please research the health benefits of mushrooms like shiitake, maitake and lion’s manes. I’m much better and describing how tasty they are and I’m no doctor.
Mushrooms ready for the pot. Feel free to play around with different mixes of mushrooms, but this recipe should always have shiitakes.
These small dried chilis have become a staple in my pantry. You should be able to find super affordable packs of these at any Asian market (and most grocers in California)
Often times I’ll use two types of miso for a more rounded umami experience.
The braised and sliced daikon, in all her steamy glory.