Since Earth Day is right around the corner, the hippies at the Test Kitchen want to follow up on 2021’s upcycled goodness with a rich and flavorful soup. This is the national dish of Thailand, a hot and sour soup with many different iterations. However, we thought it would be important to swap the main ingredient, shrimp, which are known to be extremely unsustainable protein sources, for a delicious and seafood-y mushroom: Lions Mane. Let us elaborate…
First off, the name Tom Yum is derived from two Thai words: Tom refers to the boiling process, while Yum/Yam means ‘mixed’. This soup is fragrant with all different kinds of spices and herbs such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, and chili peppers. The soup often contains protein like shrimp, chicken, or pork as well as mushrooms like straw mushroom or oyster mushroom.
Shrimp fishing via trawling is a huge ecological problem in oceans across the world, especially in countries where regulations are lax. Bycatch is the term for fish or other marine species that are caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch can include totally wrong species, wrong gender, undersized or juveniles of the target species.
Tropical shrimp trawling has the highest incidental catch of non-target species of bycatch of any other fishing industry. Shrimp trawls catch 2% of the world's catch of fish by weight but produce more than 33% of the world's total bycatch by weight. The bycatch ratios in the United States are anywhere between 3 pounds bycatch to 1 pound shrimp and 15 pounds bycatch to 1 pound shrimp.
This is an incredible amount of wasted marine life and affects all levels of the ecosystem for such a small amount of shrimp. Finfish like red snapper and other crustacean populations like long spine swimming crabs are affected the most by the trawls.
As an alternative to this bleak outlook, mushrooms have been shown to be one of the most sustainable protein sources available. A 2017 study at the University of Michigan revealed that one pound of mushrooms requires only 1.8 gallons of water and generates only 0.7 pounds of CO2 emissions. Compare this to a pound of chicken which requires 468 gallons of water and produces 5.2 pounds of CO2.
Now that we know how bad shrimp is for the world's ecosystem (or at least the way humans catch them) here comes the challenge: how do you substitute shrimp and fish sauce?
A puffy white mushroom known as lion's mane is a known shellfish taste-alike, with the sauteed form imitating the texture and flavor of shellfish, specifically crab or shrimp. By condensing their flavor and texture they make an amazing 2-in-1 as the shrimp and the mushroom in this dish.
Next up, how do you capture the intense umami flavor of the fish sauce without the fish? We need to look at a plant-based ocean powerhouse: kombu seaweed. This is one of the main ingredients in kombu dashi which we will cook into the lion's mane mushrooms to boost their natural seafood flavor.
Pair these mushrooms with a traditional aromatic broth made from homemade vegetable stock, lemongrass, sliced galangal, crushed garlic, and chili de Arbol, and you’re on track for something delicious. Aromatics garnishes like lime juice, cilantro, and chili oil really bring it to the next level even without the seafood.
When you make thoughtful changes like these, the final result can be something that tastes delicious and makes you feel like you’re doing your part to help the ecosystem. Many vegans choose to eat the way they do because it is helpful for the environment. I think for Earth Day we should all try to eat more sustainably!
Plus soup season isn’t over until we say it’s over!
Vegan Tom Yum Soup with Lion’s Mane Mushroom “Shrimp”
This insanely popular Thai soup is savory, sour, and seriously delicious. Making it vegan requires a few thoughtful changes, including swapping shrimp with fresh lions mane mushrooms. Kombu dashi brings some ocean savoriness that you have to taste to believe!
Recipe and Photography by Sam Burgess
Forge To Table Knives
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 3
Ingredients:
4 cups homemade vegetable broth (storebought is ok too)
2, 1-inch pieces of lemongrass, crushed
2-inch piece of galangal, sliced (optional)
1 each clove garlic, crushed
2 each dried chili de arbol
½ large yellow onion, sliced
2-inch piece of kombu
2 each dried shiitake mushrooms
1-½ cups water
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 pound lion’s mane mushrooms, sliced into 1” pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon MSG (optional)
6 tablespoons lime juice (2-4 limes)
Sliced lime, for topping
Chili oil, for topping
Cilantro, chopped, for topping
Directions:
BROTH. In a medium saucepot, combine the vegetable broth, lemongrass, sliced galangal, crushed garlic, chili de Arbol, and sliced onion. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and steep for another 15 minutes.
KOMBU DASHI. Meanwhile, in a small saucepot, place rinsed kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms in 1-½ cups water. Turn on the heat to medium-low and slowly bring to a bare simmer, about 10 minutes. Clean the dashi by skimming the surface of impurities.
FINISH DASHI. Just before the dashi starts boiling, remove kombu from the pot. If you leave the kombu in boiling broth, the dashi will become slimy and bitter. Remove from heat.
MUSHROOM SHRIMP. In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add canola oil. Once the oil starts to shimmer, add the sliced lion's mane mushrooms to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until they shrink significantly and start to turn a golden color, about 5 minutes.
FINISH MUSHROOMS. Add ½ cup of the prepared dashi to the mushrooms and cook until the stock is evaporated, about another 2-3 minutes. Season lightly with kosher salt, and set aside.
FINISH SOUP. Once the stock has steeped, remove lemongrass, galangal, and chili de Arbol. Stir in soy sauce, MSG, lime juice, and remaining dashi, then increase heat to bring to a simmer. Add cooked lions mane mushrooms and remove from heat.
SERVE. Taste and adjust the soup with more soy sauce or lime juice, as needed. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and chili oil. Enjoy!
Chef’s Notes:
Adjust the spice level with more or less chili de Arbol.
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