(serves 2)

200g fresh shitake mushrooms, chopped
a quarter of an onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
250ml chicken stock
200ml low fat milk
1 tablespoon of flour
3 tablespoons of water or milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
a pinch of dried Italian herbs

1. Over medium heat, drizzle some olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Saute the mushrooms, onions and garlic until fragrant and onions turn translucent.
2. Pour about half of the chicken stock in the blender, add in half or all of the mushrooms (depending on whether you like the soup smooth or chunky), and process to the consistency of your preference.
3. Pour the remaining chicken stock into a pot and add in the rest of the mushrooms. Add in the mixed herbs and let it come to a boil.
4. Add in 200ml of milk and simmer.
5. Dissolve the flour completely in 3 tablespoons of water or milk and pour this mixture into the soup and let it come to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.

By substituting heavy or whipping cream with milk and a bit of flour, this healthy and guilt-free mushroom soup can very well pass off as the usual Cream of Mushroom, sans the cream. You will not miss the cream in this recipe as long as you use enough mushrooms to bulk it up. Also, make sure that you dissolve the flour very well in water or milk before adding it into the soup. The mushrooms used in this recipe is fresh shitake but feel free to replace with other fresh mushrooms like white button, or combine with different types of mushrooms such as shimeji and abalone for a varied and robust flavour. If you like a smooth soup, blend all the mushrooms until smooth. If you like your soup to be chunky, just blend half of the mushrooms and leave the other half chunky for more bite. I made my own chicken stock by simmering chicken bones with a few peppercorns, carrots and onions in water, without any salt. If you are using canned stock, packet stock or stock cubes, do note the salt content and taste the soup before adding salt.