Miso mushroom barley soup – an updated classic

Miso mushroom barley soup is a thick, rich, and creamy vegetarian soup with a terrific depth of flavour. Made with mushrooms, onions, barley and red miso, it’s sure to become a firm favourite.

I have a long history with mushroom barley soup.

As a child, we spent a lot of holidays in the Lake District, and I have strong memories of eating thick mushroom barley soup there. I seem to remember that this soup – called krupnik in Yiddish – came in a tin, which is odd because my Mum cooked almost everything from scratch.

The krupnik soup was thick, creamy and delicious – perfect after a day of fresh air and exercise in the hills.

DIY mushroom barley soup

Later, as a student, I accidentally learned to make to make Jewish-style mushroom barley soup for myself. After getting fed up of cholent week-in and week-out, I experimented with some other slow-cooked dishes for Shabbat. One week I simply put onions, mushrooms and barley into the pot with plenty of vegetable stock, and left it overnight to do its thing.

The following day I was rewarded with a thick, rich, and delicious soup, exactly as I remembered from childhood! With its deep savoury flavour and filling texture, this delicious mushroom and barley soup became a regular fixture on our Shabbat lunch table.

Modern updates – miso

The big change I have made to this recipe in recent times is the addition of miso.

Miso is a Japanese food made by fermenting cooked soy beans with salt, using a particular strain of the Aspergillus fungus – the same family of microbe that is used to make soy sauce. Miso provides a rich, salty, yeasty, savoury flavour and even a small amount can add depth and deliciousness to a dish.

It partners really well with the earthy flavour of mushrooms and really takes this mushroom barley soup to the next level.

Miso is a ‘living food’ – it contains live microorganisms, much like live yogurt. Eating miso is a good way to add beneficial microbes (sometimes called probiotics) to your diet. For this reason, I like to add the miso right at the end of cooking, and once the soup is off the boil. This way, hopefully some of the fungi might survive the journey to your tummy!

However, even if you reheat your soup to boiling hot later, the delicious flavour of the miso will not be affected. You just won’t get the probiotic benefits.

Is Miso kosher?

There seems to be some debate over whether or not miso actually requires kosher approval or certification. However, if you want to be on the safe side, there are several different types available that carry a reliable hechsher.

Clearspring produces a range of different miso that can be found in health food stores and supermarkets, as well as on their website. Many of them have OU certification but you should check each type individually. Sanchi white miso currently has KLBD approval, although their other varieties are not considered kosher.

What are the different types of miso?

There are numerous different types of miso available. The most common ones are:

• Mugi miso, which is made with barley as well as soya. It has a reddish brown colour and a rich flavour.
• Genmai miso, made with soya beans and brown rice, which gives it a deep, nutty flavour.
• Hatcho miso, a pure soya bean miso that can be aged for up to three years. It has a dark colour and an intense flavour.
• Shiro miso – sweet white miso is made with lots of rice as well as soybeans, and has a unique mild taste that is often used in dressings and sauces as well as pastries and desserts.

You may also see different types of miso referred to by their ‘colours’ – typically white, yellow, red and brown. As a general rule, flavour intensity increases with darkness of colour, so a yellow miso is milder than a red or brown miso.

I generally only keep red miso ‘in stock’ in my fridge. I find the flavour is ‘just right’! Not too mild, and not too strong.

It’s useful to have on hand for adding to soups, sauces and other savoury dishes. I sometimes also simply stir a teaspoonful into a mug of hot water for a quick and tasty drink!

Ingredients in miso mushroom barley soup

As I’ve outlined above, the ingredients list to make this rich and warming soup is quite short. The magic happens during slow cooking of the mushrooms and barley, and the final flourish when you add the miso!

To make a batch of the best mushroom barley soup yourself, you will need:

• Mushrooms – it is a mushroom soup after all! You can use white or chestnut mushrooms, or a mixture, whichever you prefer.
• Onions
• Olive oil
• Pearl barley – you can use pot barley if you prefer, but you may need to pre-soak it. Check the package to make sure.
• Red or brown miso
• Bay leaf
• Seasoning to taste

There are also two optional ingredients – dried mushrooms, and baby onions.

Fresh and dried mushrooms

I’ve made this soup using only fresh mushrooms, and it is delicious. However if you want to make it extra special, it’s worth adding a few dried mushrooms as well.

Porcini (ceps) are the best, but any dried mushrooms will do. You don’t even need to worry about soaking them as they’re going to be cooked in the soup for several hours!

Mushroom barley soup – know your onions

This mushroom barley soup recipe calls for finely sliced onions, which impart a lovely sweet and savoury flavour. However, you can also add a few tiny whole pearl onions or little shallots. These will become gorgeous soft orbs of sweet deliciousness after their long slow cooking in the soup. If you use them, try to get one or two into each bowl when serving.

Why you’ll love miso mushroom barley soup

If you’re already a fan of Jewish mushroom barley soup, I’m sure you’ll adore this updated version! It has all the comforting flavour and texture of a classic mushroom barley soup, but with added depth and deliciousness.

This soup is also completely vegan and free from artificial anything. Many ‘deli-style’ recipes call for a meat-based stock or bouillon powder to flavour the broth, but this miso mushroom barley soup uses only wholesome ingredients like dried porcini mushrooms and miso paste to give it a real savoury flavour.

Finally, this miso mushroom barley soup is pure comfort! Like a hug in a bowl, it’s a gorgeously filling, warming soup that’s a meal in inself!

What to serve with miso mushroom barley soup

Personally, I would consider a a bowl of this thick, rich, delicious soup to be a meal without much accompaniment. However, if you want to serve it alongside other dishes, go for it!

I think some buttered bread or toast always goes well with soup.

Soup and a sandwich, or soup and a salad, are also classic combinations. I’d go for toasted cheese or humous in the former, and something leafy and crunchy in the latter. The barley makes the soup quite filling so you don’t want anything too heavy or rich alongside.

A savoury scone is also a lovely accompaniment.

If you’re serving this tasty soup as a starter, remember to offer it in small portions. The barley is quite hearty and you do want people to have room left for their main course.

Happy history

I hope you’ll develop a long history with this delicious soup, and still be eating it (in some variation at least!) in another 25 years – just like I am!

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📖 Recipe

More fabulous miso recipes

Now you’ve bought miso to make this delicious soup, you’re probably looking for other ways to use it! Here are some terrific recipes from other bloggers that make this most of this tasty ingredients.

• Roast miso aubergine, from Tinned Tomatoes
• Pasta in miso brown butter sauce, from Easy Cheesy Vegetarian
• Ginger miso cauliflower steaks, from Veggie Desserts
• Aduki bean dip with miso, from Tin and Thyme
• Maple miso tahini sauce, from Kavey Eats

More delicious recipes using barley

Barley is a delicious, healthy and filling grain. You can use it in soups, like this one, or in salads like this roasted vegetable and barley salad with creamy tahini dressing.

You can also make a change to your usual risotto by substituting barley for the rice, like in this tasty (and easy!) baked barley risotto with butternut squash.

Barley also works well in savoury casseroles and baked dishes like this gorgeous cheesy barley bake with spinach and mushrooms.

I’m linking this recipe to #CookBlogShare, run by Sisley & Chloe, hosted by Melissa at melissatraub.com.