Clam and mushroom soup

After watching Little Forest yesterday, I never want to eat out again.  It’s an absolutely beautiful movie (in 4 acts, one for each season) from Japan that was about food and place in life and how you treat yourself when no one is around.

Tonight, I treated myself to a soup inspired by the movie. I am proud of this soup. Savory, fresh, and pretty.

Ingredients (for 2 bowls of soup)

• 1/2 pound steamer clams
• 3 dried shiitake, rehydrated in 2 cups of water
• 3 scallions, sliced small
• 2 cups dashi broth (bonito and dried kelp)
• splash (~1/2 T) soy sauce
• 1 small baby bok choy, quartered
• 3 garlic shoots, cut into ~1.5 inch pieces
• salt to taste (err under until after the clams)
• rice on the side

Preparation

1. Rehydrate mushrooms for a few hours in 2 cups of room temperature water. Set aside 1 cup for the broth and save the other for something else.
2. Make 2 cups of dashi. Steep dried kelp in water on the stove until it starts to boil, then take out the kelp.  Add bonito flakes, boil for a couple minutes, and steep off-boil for a few more.  Strain the broth.
3. Back on the stove, combine the 2 cups of dashi, 1 cup of mushroom water, a splash of soy sauce, and a pinch of salt.  As you bring it to a boil, add green onion and sliced mushrooms.
4. I had garlic shoots and bok choy at home, so I added that too, but whatever you like (or not). The garlic shoots were really nice though, but are seasonal.
5. After the veg has cooked at a low boil for a moment or two, add the clams.  Boil until they open (2ish minutes), and then you’re done.
6. Check if it needs a little more salt, and enjoy!