This is a dish that highlights Hylian mushrooms by simmering them in fresh milk along with other vegetables. This dish is particularly popular in the regions of the Kingdom dotted with forests, die to the abundance of mushrooms. Settlements surrounding the Great Hyrule Forest make excellent versions of this soup due to the amazing quality of the mushrooms from this part of the kingdom.
“The creamy mushroom and vegetable soup is so chunky it eats like a meal!”
I’ve come to appreciate these wonderful belly warming Hylian soups. They are fairly quick and easy, and make for a nice side dish to a weeknight meal, particularly on a cold day. The mushroom soup is particularly delicious. The mushroom are sautéed in shallots and allowed to release their liquid before building the rest of the soup. Rather than just simmering the vegetables in milk, we will be taking an approach similar to that of Japanese cream stews. We will soften the vegetables in broth with herbs, and then we will stir a béchamel sauce into the soup afterward. We will then simmer the sauce a bit longer to allow it to all come together.
Ingredients
1 large shallot or small onion, finely diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 ¼ tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp pepper
5-7 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cups vegetable broth
3 cups milk
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp butter
1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped small
1 potato, peeled and chopped small
12 oz baby shiitake mushrooms,
4 oz bunapi mushrooms
2-3 tbsp chives, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 ¼ tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp pepper
5-7 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cups vegetable broth
3 cups milk
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp butter
1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped small
1 potato, peeled and chopped small
12 oz baby shiitake mushrooms,
4 oz bunapi mushrooms
2-3 tbsp chives, diced
Add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté until it is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1 tsp of salt and ½ tsp of black pepper. Stir. Allow the mushrooms to cook for 3-5 minutes until the mushrooms release their liquid and soften.
Add the carrots and potatoes, stir, and allow the vegetables to cook for a minute or two in the mushrooms. Add the vegetable stock along with the thyme sprigs and the bay leaves. Allow soup to come to boil and then reduce to low heat to bring it to a simmer. Allow to cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes soften.
While the vegetables soften, we will make the béchamel sauce. Set another smaller pot over low heat. Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in the pot. Once the butter is melted, add the 3 tablespoons of flour. Whisk the flour into the butter to create a smooth roux. Allow the flour to cook for about 2 minutes, but do not allow it to brown.
After the 2 minutes, start slowly whisking in the milk. Pour the milk in slowly, about 2-3 tablespoons at a time and completely whisk it into the roux before adding more. Continue this process until the full three cups of milk have been whisked in. Once all of the milk has been added, add ¼ teaspoon of salt. Whisk the salt into the sauce to fully blend. Turn the heat up to low-medium and allow the béchamel sauce to thicken a little more, about 3-5 minutes. When the béchamel sauce is done, remove it from the heat
When the vegetables have softened, remove the Dutch oven from the heat, and then remove the thyme and bay leaves from the soup and discard them. Now we’ll temper the béchamel before adding it to the soup. Scoop out one ladleful of the hot soup broth and add it to the béchamel sauce. Stir the broth into the béchamel sauce to fully incorporate it. Repeat with a second ladleful of hot broth. Once the béchamel has been tempered, slowly pour it into the soup pot and stir it into the remaining broth, mushrooms, and vegetables. Continue stirring until the béchamel sauce is fully incorporated into the soup.
Return the pot to the heat and allow it to return to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes. Season further with salt as needed. If the soup is too thick for your liking, it can be thinned out by stirring in an additional ½ cup to 1 cup of vegetable broth.
Remove the soup from heat when it is finished. To serve the soup, ladle it into bowls. Garnish each bowl with diced chives. Enjoy!
Learn more about the Cream of Mushroom Soup dish from Breath of the Wild at Zelda Dungeon.