Macrobiotic Mushroom Barley Soup

Total Time: 24 hrs 45 mins Preparation Time: 24 hrs Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 8 button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup barley, best soaked in water overnight
• 6 cups water
• 1 inch piece kombu
• 3 slices gingerroot (thin slices)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats or 3 tablespoons brown rice flour
• 2 1/2 tablespoons barley miso (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
• fresh watercress (to garnish) or parsley (to garnish)

Recipe

• 1 place mushrooms, barley, water, kombu, and ginger in a pot. bring to a boil and simmer 40 minutes or until barley is softened. with a handheld food processor, whiz the rolled oates into almost a flour.
• 2 heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute the onions. add the flour and saute with onions, coating them well. take 1/2 cup of soup from the pot and slowly stir it into onion-flour mixture, avoiding lumping. add to soup mixture.
• 3 dilute miso in a cup with some of the soup. add this liquid to the soup and let simmer 5 minutes. right at the end, squeeze the lemon juice, if desired, into the soup. garnish and serve.
• 4 feel free to build on this soup with corn kernels, diced celery, and roasted red pepper toward the end.