Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup high-temperature cooking oil, such as safflower or canola
  • About 1/2 pound shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • About 1/4 pound maitake (hen of the woods) mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • 1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • 2 medium leeks, trimmed and cut into matchsticks, washed and well drained
  • 2 inches fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
  • 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 red Fresno chili pepper, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
  • 4 to 6 tablespoons Tamari sauce, to taste
  • 1/4 pound enoki mushrooms, separated
  • 1 package soba or 1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti or thin spaghetti
  • Chopped shiso leaf or cilantro, for garnish
  • Chopped scallion greens, for garnish
Preparation

 

 

Heat oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high to high heat. Add shitake and maitake mushrooms. Brown mushrooms until nutty and fragrant then add vegetable matchsticks, ginger, garlic and chili; season lightly with salt and liberally with black pepper. Stir-fry a minute or 2 then add stock and bring soup to a boil. Season with 4-6 tablespoons of Tamari. Add soba or spaghetti and cook to just tender. Stir in enoki.

 

 

Using tongs, fill bowls with noodles, mushrooms and vegetables. Ladle broth over top and garnish. Serve with chopsticks and a large spoon for slurping.