Russia · Soups · Vegetarian

Mushroom Soup

Name: Mushroom Soup
Prep time: 36 min
Cook time: 84 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Russian
Ingredients: 50 g dried porcini mushrooms; 150 g pearl barley; 3-4 pieces medium potatoes; 1 piece carrot; 1 piece onion; 1 stalk celery; 50 g butter; 2.5 L water or vegetable broth; salt and black pepper to taste; fresh dill and parsley for serving; sour cream for serving

A hearty Russian-style mushroom soup with dried porcini and pearl barley. The mushroom broth is intensely aromatic, the barley makes it satisfyingly thick — comfort food at its finest.

120 min 200 kcal 6 serves Advanced🌿Vegetarian🇷🇺Russia★★★★★4.7· 7 reviews

Ingredients

ServingsMetric

50 gdried porcini mushrooms
150 gpearl barley
3 piecesmedium potatoes
1 piececarrot
1 pieceonion
1 stalkcelery
50 gbutter
2.5 Lwater or vegetable broth
salt and black pepper to taste
fresh dill and parsley for serving
sour cream for serving

Note from Sergei

Sergei Martynov

“The secret to a truly magnificent mushroom soup lies in using dried porcini mushrooms alongside fresh ones — the dried porcini deliver an earthy, almost truffle-like intensity that fresh mushrooms alone can never achieve. I soak the dried porcini in hot water for 30 minutes, then use that precious soaking liquid as the base of my soup stock; it's essentially concentrated forest in liquid form. Don't blend the soup completely smooth — I leave about a third of it chunky for textural interest. A splash of cognac or dry sherry stirred in at the end adds a warm, sophisticated depth that elevates this from grandma's mushroom soup to something worthy of a fine dining menu.”

Strain the porcini soaking liquid through a coffee filter or fine cheesecloth — dried mushrooms often contain sand and grit that will ruin the silky texture of your soup.

Method

Soak dried mushrooms in warm water for 2-3 hours, then cook in the same water until soft. Cut cooked mushrooms into small pieces. Strain the mushroom broth through a fine sieve to remove any grit. Rinse pearl barley thoroughly and soak for several hours or overnight.
Bring water or broth to a boil. Add soaked barley and cook on low heat until half-done, about 30-40 minutes. Peel and dice potatoes. Finely chop carrot and onion. Slice celery.
Melt butter in a pan, add onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté until golden.
Add cooked mushrooms and mushroom broth to the barley. Add sautéed vegetables and potatoes. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped herbs a few minutes before done. Serve with sour cream if desired.

FAQ

The best flavor comes from a combination: fresh cremini or shiitake for body, plus a handful (15–20 g) of dried porcini or chanterelles for depth. Dried mushrooms are concentrated umami; their soaking liquid (strained through cheesecloth) is liquid gold — add it to the broth. Frozen mushrooms work but release a lot of water: cook them straight from frozen over high heat without a lid so the moisture evaporates. Button mushrooms alone have weak flavor — always boost them with dried varieties.

Share this recipe ★★★★★4.7

Rate this

Rate this recipe

Keep browsing

More dishes from the Russian archive — picked by overlap with what you're cooking now.

Appetizers and Sandwiches · Russia

Pancakes with Caviar

Soups · Russia

Solyanka

Fish and Seafood Dishes · Russia

Sturgeon in Cream Sauce

Join the conversation

Comments (1)

Sergei Martynov✍ Author
29d ago
Start with cold water for mushroom soup. Adding dried porcini mushrooms to cold water and bringing it up slowly extracts far more flavor than dumping ingredients into a rolling boil. The difference in depth is significant.