This is a great soup for any time of the year! Using shredded king oyster mushrooms, because I love that texture, but thinly sliced portobello mushrooms work too.
Ingredients
1 medium onion
1 large potato, baker size
1/2 small fresh chillies (optional)
2 tbsp plain flour (gf flour works here)
1 tsp Cajun seasoning powder
1 tsp chipotle chilli powder
1 vegetable stock cube / stockpot
400g can chopped tomatoes
Small can of sweetcorn or red kidney beans
Method
Important - prep everything in advance and have it ready to go!
Boil a kettle full of water.
Use a fork to help shred the stalks of the king oysters into strips. Cut the strips into spoon size bites. Separate off the caps and rough chop them. If using portobellos, slice thinly and then rough chop.
Dice the onion, but not too finely. Peel and chop the potato into about 1-2cm cubes - they don’t need to be too precise. Cut the chillies into thin slices. Mix the flour with the powdered spices.
Heat a non-stick pan (seasoned cast iron works) to medium-hot and then add the mushrooms with no oil. Sprinkle on a pinch of salt and about a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder. Allow them to sear and start releasing their water. You can encourage this by pressing down on them with a spatula. You can turn them once there is a good sear going, but don’t disturb them too much until most of the water has evaporated off.
As the mushrooms start to dry out, carefully add some oil to the pan and stir the mushrooms into it. This will enhance the searing effect. Give them a few minutes to develop good colour, then turn off the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Leave to cool as you get on with the soup.
Heat a soup pot on a medium-high heat and add in the 2 tablespoons of oil. Let the oil get really hot - literally starting to smoke - and then add in the flour and spices mix. Stir this gently in the oil for several minutes until it starts to darken. Now add in the onion, chillies and potato and stir all to mix.
Add in your stock cube and the start pouring in the boiling water slowly, continuing to stir gently, until the water level covers the ingredients. Now stir in the can of tomatoes. Drain and rinse the sweetcorn/beans and add to the pot. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of salt. Add more water if it seems too thick. Add in the reserved mushrooms.
Simmer until the potato is cooked. Check for seasoning, then serve in big bowls with some corn chips.