Mushroom-Noodle Soup with Poached Egg

This light but very flavorful and satisfying soup combines shiitake mushrooms, rice noodles, Thai chiles, ginger, and garlic in a chicken broth base highlighted with soy sauce and a touch of rice vinegar. I think you could call it quits right there, but a poached egg on top seems like the perfect finish.

Poached eggs are light and fluffy, and if your yolk is runny enough, it will blend into the chicken broth for a rich, creamy finish. That’s a good thing.

Note: If you’re not familiar with poaching eggs, please see Pancetta and Poached Egg Open-Faced Sandwiches. In that recipe, I used lemon juice as the acidic in the poaching water, but for this soup recipe, I used rice vinegar.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• 2 Thai chiles, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (remove thick stem ends) 
• 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp rice vinegar, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 3 oz Thai rice noodle sticks, steeped and drained
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• thinly sliced scallions and coarsely chopped cilantro, for serving

Soup Ingredients

Preparation

1. Heat a pot over medium heat and add the peanut oil. Add the chiles, garlic, and ginger and sauté 1 minute.
2. Add the mushrooms, chicken broth, soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of vinegar and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the mushrooms are tender, 12 minutes.

Chiles, Garlic, and Ginger 

Mushroom Mixture

1. Meanwhile, fill a deep skillet with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a rapid simmer and stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Reduce the water to a low simmer.
2. Crack each egg into a small bowl. One at a time, hold each bowl just above the water and gently tip the egg into it. Turn off the heat immediately and cover the pan. Poach the eggs until the whites are just set and yolks are still runny, 3-4 minutes.
3. Use a slotted spoon to lift each egg from the water, holding paper towels against the bottom of the spoon to help drain the water away from the egg. Transfer to a plate.

Tip the Egg into the Water

Beginning to Poach

Poached Eggs

To serve, divide the steeped, softened noodles between 2 shallow bowls and divide the soup on top. Place 1 egg in each bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Garnish with scallions and cilantro and serve right away.

Mushroom-Noodle Soup with Poached Egg