Almost-Instant Mushroom Broth For A Rich Base Flavor

One of the quickest ways to add rich flavor to a soup or stew is to start with a broth instead of water.

Bone broth—made from animal bones simmered in water—has been getting a lot of attention the last few years. It may provide nutrients, but that doesn't make it healthy or humane.

A much more compassionate, and in my opinion, healthier and tastier alternative is mushroom broth!

 Mushroom broth is certainly not new to the culinary world, but it is gained a lot more attention in the last couple years as more foodies are foraging for mushrooms, and vegan cooks are turning to mushrooms instead of meat for that rich umami taste and meaty texture.

To be truthful, I'm one of those crazy rare plant-based lovers who is not a fan of mushrooms.

Well, the taste I don't mind, but the texture and aroma can make me cringe.

I know... I know! I'm working on this!

Afterall, they are key in Dr. Fuhrman's recommendation of eating the G-BOMBS every day! In case you're not familiar with this acronym, it stands for Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds.

Not being a huge fan though, I wasn't super excited about making a mushroom broth. I've actually had the dried mushrooms in my pantry for many weeks, maybe even a couple of months, just waiting to be used.

Well, today was the day, and boy was I surprised!!!

The flavor was outstanding!

It wasn't a total shocker since I know that mushrooms, especially dried mushrooms, are one of the most abundant sources of umami!

And anyone who really knows me knows that I love umami-richness more than I love sweets!

Yet, when I used this mushroom broth to make my Plant-Strong Irish Stew, it still took my breath away!

This is exciting because now it'll be easy for me get more of the benefits from mushrooms in my diet without the texture.

Plus, I'm thrilled that it's such a quick and easy (aka KISS!) recipe because I think I'll start making this every week to use in my cooking!

Almost-Instant Mushroom Broth

By Chef Katie Mae

Makes 1 quart | Ready in 20 minutes | Stores 1 week in fridge

INGREDIENTS

• 5 cups water
• 2 cups dried mushrooms
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

DIRECTIONS

1. Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot.
2. Lock the lid in place, and close the steam valve. Turn the setting to manual and set the time to 10 minutes.
3. Let the cooker come to pressure and cook. When the timer goes off, carefully turn the pressure valve release the pressure manually.
4. Pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer to catch the mushrooms and transfer the broth into a food-grade storage container. The broth is ready to use, or it can be cooled and store for later. The rehydrated mushrooms will still have a good flavor, so you can save those to add to another dish like a soup or casserole.

CHEF'S NOTES

If it tastes flat, add a little lemon juice or rice or apple cider vinegar. For more depth of flavor and variety, play with adding more herbs or spices.

To do this on the stove top, add the ingredients to a pot, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 30 minutes.

Another option to rehydrate the mushrooms and create a broth is to soak the mushrooms in room temperature water for 2 hours. This is a gentler method that will create a milder broth, but the actual mushrooms will retain more of their flavor. Use this method if it’s important that the reconstituted mushrooms be rich in flavor more so than the broth.