Recipes

Spicy Vegetarian Mushroom Soup

Kaeng Hed Jeh

Straw mushrooms and bamboo shoots in a rice-thickened lemongrass and tamarind broth

Prep

5 min

Cook

12 min

Serves

4

Heat

hot

This vegetarian soup gets its body from an unusual source: glutinous rice, soaked and ground into a wet paste, then dissolved into the broth to thicken it naturally with a subtle nutty flavor rather than relying on coconut milk. Lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime build a fragrant herbal base, while a hit of tamarind paste and soy sauce brings sourness and salt into balance. A generous handful of hot chili, bruised rather than chopped, adds real heat while staying easy to fish out for anyone who wants a milder bowl, and a final addition of mild chili and kaffir lime right at the end keeps some crunch and citrus brightness against the earthy mushroom base.

Ingredients

• 5 1/3 cups Straw mushrooms (halved if large)
• 2 2/3 cups Bamboo shoots (rinsed and drained)
• 3 stalks Lemongrass (cut into pieces, cracked)
• 7 slices Galangal root (sliced 1/4 inch thick)
• 11 Kaffir lime leaves (some torn for the broth, some reserved for garnish)
• 3 Thai long chili (sliced diagonally)
• 9 Thai hot chilies (bruised, optional)
• 5 1/3 tablespoons Glutinous rice (soaked in water about an hour, drained)
• 5 1/3 teaspoons Light soy sauce (to taste)
• 5 1/3 teaspoons Tamarind paste (to taste)
• 2 2/3 teaspoons Salt (to taste)

Directions

1. Soak the glutinous rice in water for about an hour ahead of time. Drain well.
2. Grind the drained rice with a mortar and pestle into a wet, chunky paste, working until most of the kernels are cracked.
3. Slice the galangal and cut the lemongrass into pieces, cracking it lightly with a knife handle to release more flavor. Bruise the hot chilies slightly to release their heat while keeping them mostly intact (or chop for a spicier soup). Slice the mild chili diagonally. Tear the stems from some of the kaffir lime leaves and break into pieces; rinse the bamboo shoots.
4. Boil water in a pot and add the lemongrass and galangal. Boil for about 5 minutes, then stir in the ground rice paste and let it begin to dissolve.
5. Add the soy sauce and tamarind paste, stirring well. Add the hot chilies and bring to a hard boil for about a minute.
6. Add the bamboo shoots and mushrooms. Boil for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft but still firm, adding water as needed to keep them covered.
7. Taste and adjust with more soy sauce, tamarind, or salt as needed. Add the mild chili and torn kaffir lime leaf, and boil for one more minute — the chili should stay a little crunchy, so don't overcook it.
8. Serve garnished with a few fresh hot chilies and kaffir lime leaves.

Notes

Grind the soaked rice until most of the kernels are visibly cracked — an underground paste dissolves slowly and unevenly, leaving the broth thin in some spots and clumpy in others.

Substitutions

Any mix of fresh mushrooms works well here — shiitake, oyster, or button mushrooms can all substitute for or supplement the straw mushrooms.