Vegan Chicken Soup
This vegan chicken soup is a traditional Romanian sour soup made plant-based, with oyster mushrooms in place of chicken and a creamy soy finish. It simmers in about an hour for a comforting bowl on cold days.
Ingredients
- 500 g oyster mushrooms cut into thin strips
- 4 carrots peeled
- 2 parsnips peeled
- 1 celeriac peeled
- 1 onion peeled
- 1 red bell pepper cut in half and deseeded
- 1 tsp peppercorns whole
- sea salt to taste
For making the soup sour:
- 2 natural soy yogurts unsweetened; I used Joya
- 500 ml soy milk natural, unsweetened; I used Joya
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- apple cider vinegar to taste
Instructions
- Put all the peeled veggies and the peppercorns in a large pot, fill the pot with water and bring to a boil. Partially cover the pot with a lid and let them boil for 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Take out all the veggies and place them in a bowl. Strain the soup so that only a clear liquid remains, then pour that clear soup back into the pot.
- Cut the oyster mushrooms into strips.
- You can use all the boiled veggies for a richer soup, or just some. I used only 2 carrots and the red bell pepper, and made a salad with the rest using a mayo dressing.
- Chop the veggies into small cubes and return them to the pot. Add the oyster mushrooms and let everything boil over medium heat for 15 more minutes.
- Season with salt, to taste.
- In a blender, add the remaining ingredients (soy yogurts, soy milk, flour, garlic and apple cider vinegar). Process them for 1-2 minutes.
- Using a ladle, slowly pour the hot soup into the blender bowl. Don't blend — just stir the liquids together with a spoon. Continue until you've added about 500ml of hot soup to the milky, room-temperature liquid.
- Pour the liquid back into the pot and stir with a spoon.
- Serve this vegan chicken soup with fresh, chopped parsley on top.
Notes
Use only natural, unsweetened plant milk and yogurt — a sweetened plant milk would clash with the savory, sour broth. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat gently without boiling, so the creamy soy base doesn't curdle.