I wasn't the biggest fan of mushroom soup until I made this recipe. The shiitakes give it a rich umami flavor and they have a soft but meaty texture. Mushroom broth is something you can use for any soup or pan sauce as well in place of chicken, beef, or vegetable broth. In fact, I pretty much use mushroom broth for every recipe calling for broth/stock. You can buy a big bag of dried mushrooms for cheap at any Asian market. I use Kalona Supernatural heavy cream for this. Most of the cow breeds they use are of the A2 variety, which produce healthier milk. Grass-fed cream from A2 cows contains high levels of pentadecanoic acid or C15, an odd-chain fatty acid shown to have many health benefits. While I don't eat huge amounts of beef, grass-fed dairy is not something I shy away from. The Maple Hill creamery makes a wide variety of dairy products that are entirely from pasture-raised A2 cows, though they unfortunately do not make heavy cream. Black rice is a rice that was served to the royal family in ancient China since it was believed to extend life. We now know this is due to the anthocyanins in black rice responsible for the purple pigment. Other products high in anthocyanins include black lentils, purple potatoes, blue corn, black quinoa, purple barley, and black beans. This soup comes in at about 600 calories. As with all of my soups, I make it in a pressure cooker.

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Creamy Chicken, Shiitake Mushroom, and Black Rice Soup

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup (20g) dried donko shiitake mushrooms
• 2 cups (480g) water
• 1/2 tbsp (7g) avocado oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup (40g) diced yellow onion
• 1/2 cup (30g) diced carrot
• 1 chicken thigh (about 4.25 oz / 120g), cubed raw
• 1/4 cup (50g) dry black rice, rinsed
• 1 tsp all-purpose seasoning (Bragg 24 Herbs & Spices or Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute, for example)
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tbsp (45g) grass-fed heavy cream
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Optional: chopped fresh parsley or chives for garnish

Instructions:

1. Make mushroom broth:
   Add dried shiitakes and 2 cups water to the pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, then quick release. Strain out the mushrooms, set the broth aside, and dice the mushrooms into small pieces.
2. Sauté base ingredients:
   Set the cooker to sauté. Add butter or oil, garlic, and onion. Cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add carrot and cubed chicken thigh, and cook 3–4 minutes until lightly browned.
3. Build the soup:
   Add the diced mushrooms, rinsed black rice, all-purpose seasoning, and bay leaf. Pour in the reserved mushroom broth and scrape the bottom to deglaze.
4. Pressure cook the soup:
   Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Quick release when done.
5. Finish with cream:
   Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit on "keep warm" for 2–3 minutes—do not boil once cream is added.
6. Serve:
   Garnish with parsley or chives if desired and serve hot.