This vegan mushroom noodle soup is made with three kinds of mushrooms to make the most deliciously potent broth.
It was inspired by a dish known as “double mushroom soup” (shuāng gū miàn, 双菇面) that I first tried in a Buddhist temple cafeteria in Shanghai. It carries on a long tradition of vegan and vegetarian cooking in China, where Buddhist cooks have perfected creative and tasty dishes with plant-based ingredients.
While that dish has two types of mushrooms, we’re actually going to use three here!
Our Favorite Vegan Noodle Soup Recipe
There aren’t many noodle soups that can pull off being totally vegan. This Mushroom Noodle Soup is one of those few, and a personal favorite in my book!
It seems impossible to create such a deep umami flavor without any meat. The secret is three-fold: a medley of mushrooms, a robust vegetable stock (inspired by Sarah’s tried and true Asian Vegetable Stock), and pulling the mushrooms out of the stock to braise with additional fresh mushrooms at the end so we don’t waste anything!
The braised mushroom “gravy” is glossy and flavorful, ladled over the hot noodles just before serving to give you multiple textures as you slurp it all down!
Lunch at Jing’an (Jade Buddha) Temple in Shanghai (玉佛寺双菇面)
We discovered this noodle soup while visiting Shanghai’s Jade Buddha Temple. Nestled alongside the shrines, there is a restaurant for temple-goers to replenish their qi (i.e. grab a quick bite) and enjoy a meat-free meal.
There they serve up steaming hot bowls of the most incredible vegetarian noodle soup. The most popular was their shuang gu mian (双菇面), or “double mushroom noodles.” Little did I know that these noodles would become my #1 priority whenever I’m back in Shanghai. You can see pictures of what it looks like here!
And you’d be crazy not to add a heaping spoonful of chili garlic sauce (like Rooster brand—the chunky stuff, NOT the squeeze bottle of Sriracha if you can help it!).
At the temple, the monks had their own particular brand placed at every table with a plastic spoon sticking out of it. It was so good, one year, I bought one and squirreled it away in my suitcase to bring home.
Best foods to eat in Shanghai
If you’re interested in more glimpses of delicious things to eat in Shanghai, check out this ode to the Shanghai breakfast from when we lived in China, and this must-have, greatest hits of Shanghainese specialties!
Now that travel to China is fair game again, we can’t wait to plan a trip back to eat all of our favorite foods!
How to Store Noodle Soup Broth
This recipe is generously portioned for four. If you have leftovers, we’d recommend storing the mushroom mixture and the broth separately in airtight containers, and make sure to dip into the mushrooms with a clean spoon only, otherwise it will go bad quickly (especially in the summertime).
When you want to eat some, boil noodles up fresh (we don’t recommend storing cooked noodles, as they will turn soggy). You can also freeze this broth and use it as a vegetable stock substitute in any other recipe.
Mushroom Noodle Soup Recipe Instructions
Rinse the dried shiitake mushrooms to remove dust and debris. Using about 4 cups of hot water for each, soak the dried shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms in two separate bowls for at least 2 hours (or soak in cold water overnight). Place a small bowl or plate on top of the mushrooms to keep them submerged.
After soaking, rinse the rehydrated shiitakes and wood ears thoroughly in a colander to wash off any remaining sediment. Squeeze the shiitake mushrooms of any excess water, and reserve their soaking liquid.
Add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil to a large stock pot set over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic, and fry until they turn golden at the edges, about 1 minute. Next, add the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and wood ears. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.
Add the fermented bean curd, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
Add 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, and the salt, along with 3 cups of the reserved mushroom water.
Be sure not to pour in any sediment from soaking the mushrooms that may have settled to the bottom of the bowl.
Increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil. Then cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add an additional 7 cups of water, along with the scallions, carrot, and dried kelp. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, turn off the heat. Use a strainer or slotted spoon to fish out the mushrooms from the stock. Set aside in a bowl. Salt the stock to taste.
Tip: Stick to the cooking time!
Don’t be tempted to cook the stock for longer than the total of 90 minutes, as the stock can become cloudy, and you won’t get much more flavor out of it.
Now it’s time to make the braised mushroom mixture. In a wok over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon neutral oil and the rock sugar (or regular sugar). Cook until the sugar melts into the oil, making sure it does not burn.
Add the king mushrooms, and stir-fry to coat them in the oil and sugar. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are caramelized but still plump.
Increase the heat to high, and add the reserved mushrooms from the stock. Stir-fry to cook off some of the excess moisture from the mushrooms, until they’re slightly blistered.
Add the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok, along with the 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Stir to combine.
Add 3 cups of water to the mushroom mixture, and bring to a boil.
Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the mushrooms for 35-45 minutes, until the sauce is glossy. Stir occasionally, keeping the mushrooms at a low simmer and monitoring water levels to ensure the wok doesn’t dry out.
Finish the mushrooms with the cornstarch slurry, adding a little bit at a time to the center of the mushroom mixture and stirring until the sauce is glossy and thickened. Depending on how much standing liquid you have and your stove’s BTUs, you may not need all of the slurry.
To serve, reheat the mushroom stock. (Be sure to season it to taste with salt.) Cook your choice of white wheat noodles in a large pot of water according to package instructions.
Divide the noodles among four bowls, and ladle over the stock. Then add a scoop of the braised mushrooms to each bowl.
Serve with your favorite chili garlic sauce on the side, if desired.
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Recipe
Mushroom Noodle Soup
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 2 ounces dried shiitake mushrooms (about 1½ cups dried, 3 cups rehydrated; I used a mix of small 1-inch/2.5cm mushrooms and larger 2-inch/5cm mushrooms)
- 0.7 ounce dried wood ear mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 2 slices ginger (⅛-inch/3mm thick, 2-inches/5cm long, smashed)
- 3 large garlic cloves (smashed)
- 2 cubes white fermented bean curd (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 scallions (cut in half)
- 1 large carrot (cut into big chunks)
- 1 5×5-inch/13x13cm piece dried kelp (AKA kombu, rinsed—be careful; one piece that looks like it is thin can unfurl to double its width)
- Salt (to taste)
For the braised mushrooms:
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 inch lump rock sugar (or 2½ teaspoons granulated sugar)
- 7 ounces fresh king oyster mushrooms cut into ¾-inch/2cm chunks (7 ounces/200g = about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (mixed into a slurry with 2 tablespoons water)
For the noodles:
- 1 pound fresh thin white wheat noodles (or substitute 1 pound/450g fresh noodles with 10 ounces/280g dried noodles)
Instructions
Make the stock:
- Rinse the dried shiitake mushrooms to remove dust and debris. Using about 4 cups of hot water for each, soak the dried shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms in two separate bowls for at least 2 hours (or soak in cold water overnight). Place a small bowl or plate on top of the mushrooms to keep them submerged.
- After soaking, rinse the rehydrated shiitakes and wood ears thoroughly in a colander to wash off any remaining sediment. Squeeze the shiitake mushrooms of any excess water, and reserve their soaking liquid.
- Add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil to a large stock pot set over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic, and fry until they turn golden at the edges, about 1 minute. Add the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and wood ears. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.
- Add the fermented bean curd, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, and the salt, along with 3 cups of the reserved mushroom water. Be sure not to pour in any sediment from soaking the mushrooms that may have settled to the bottom of the bowl.
- Increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil. Then cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add an additional 7 cups of water, along with the scallions, carrot, and dried kelp. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, turn off the heat. Use a strainer or slotted spoon to fish out the mushrooms from the stock. Set aside in a bowl. Salt the stock to taste.
Make the braised mushroom mixture:
- In a wok over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon neutral oil and the rock sugar (or regular sugar). Cook until the sugar melts into the oil, making sure it does not burn.
- Add the king mushrooms, and stir-fry to coat them in the oil and sugar. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are caramelized but still plump.
- Increase the heat to high, and add the reserved mushrooms from the stock. Stir-fry to cook off some of the excess moisture from the mushrooms, until they’re slightly blistered.
- Add the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok, along with the 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add 3 cups of water to the mushroom mixture, and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the mushrooms for 35-45 minutes, until the sauce is glossy. Stir occasionally, keeping the mushrooms at a low simmer and monitoring water levels to ensure the wok doesn’t dry out.
- Finish the mushrooms with the cornstarch slurry, adding a little bit at a time to the center of the mushroom mixture and stirring until the sauce is glossy and thickened. Depending on how much standing liquid you have and your stove’s BTUs, you may not need all of the slurry.
Assemble the bowls:
- To serve, reheat the mushroom stock (be sure to season it to taste with salt), and cook your choice of white wheat noodles in a large pot of water according to package instructions. Divide the noodles among four bowls, ladle over the stock, and then add a scoop of the braised mushrooms to each bowl.
- Serve with your favorite chili garlic sauce on the side, if desired.
