Soups Turkish
Turkish mushroom soup with milk (no cream)
A smooth, cream-free mushroom soup thickened with a butter-and-flour roux and milk, then finished Turkish style with egg yolk and lemon.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
In Turkish restaurants mushroom soup is rarely made with cream. The body comes from flour cooked in butter and from milk, and the soup is finished with terbiye, a liaison of egg yolk and lemon that adds gloss and a gentle tang.
It is lighter than cream of mushroom soup and uses things most kitchens already have.
Ingredients
Tick them off as you go.
For the soup
For the liaison
To serve
Method
Tap a step when it's done; in cook mode the next one is highlighted.
-
Wipe and finely chop the mushrooms. Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a pot over a high heat and cook the mushrooms for 6–7 minutes until their liquid has gone; keep a spoonful aside for garnish.
-
Lower the heat to medium, add the rest of the butter and the onion and soften for 3 minutes. Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes until it smells toasty but has not coloured.
-
Whisk in the hot water a little at a time so no lumps form. Once it boils, add the milk and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring now and then. Season with salt and pepper.
-
For the liaison, whisk the egg yolk with the lemon juice. Slowly whisk two ladles of hot soup into it, then pour it back into the pot while stirring.
-
Heat for a minute or two more without letting it boil, then take it off the heat. Serve topped with the reserved mushrooms and parsley, or dried mint sizzled in butter.
Enjoy!
The mushroom in this recipe
Mushroom swaps
- Chestnut / cremini mushroom Agaricus bisporusReleases less water and tastes stronger.
Tips
- Add the milk at room temperature, not straight from the fridge.
- Never pour the egg and lemon straight into boiling soup; temper it with hot soup first.
- For a silkier soup, blend half of it before adding the liaison.
Storage
Keeps in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat gently and don't let it boil, or the egg liaison may split. We don't recommend freezing.
Cream or milk?
Cream of mushroom soup is richer and heavier; this milk version is lighter and freshened with lemon. In both, the mushrooms are browned on their own first, otherwise they turn the soup grey.
For the richer version see our cream of mushroom soup.
Frequently asked questions
How do you thicken mushroom soup without cream?
With flour cooked in butter and with milk. The flour is toasted until it loses its raw smell, then loosened gradually with hot water; the egg liaison adds a little more body.
Why does mushroom soup with milk curdle?
Cold milk, boiling the soup after the egg goes in, or pouring lemon straight into boiling soup can all split it. Warm milk and a tempered liaison prevent it.
What is terbiye?
A Turkish liaison of egg yolk and lemon juice. It is warmed with a little hot soup, stirred into the pot, and the soup is not boiled again.
Can I skip the egg and lemon?
Yes. Add a little more milk instead; the soup will be a touch thinner and without the lemony note.
Which mushrooms should I use?
White or chestnut button mushrooms. Chestnut mushrooms darken the colour slightly but taste stronger.
How long does it take?
About 35 minutes including prep: 6–7 minutes for the mushrooms, 2 minutes for the flour and 10 minutes simmering with the milk.
Can I reheat it the next day?
Yes, within 2 days. Reheat gently without boiling.
How do you make chicken and mushroom soup?
Make the same recipe with chicken stock instead of half of the water; after frying the mushrooms, add a cup of poached, shredded chicken breast and carry on with the flour and milk. The chicken is already cooked, so the timing stays the same; just use less salt if the stock is seasoned.
How do you make vegetable and mushroom soup?
Before the mushrooms go in, sweat a small diced carrot, a potato and half a courgette in the pan for 5 minutes. After adding the water and milk, simmer for 10 more minutes until the vegetables are tender; blend it smooth if you like.
What are the steps for making mushroom soup?
There are four: fry the mushrooms on a high heat until their liquid evaporates, cook the flour in butter until it smells toasty, whisk in the water and milk a little at a time, then simmer gently for 10 minutes and add the liaison. Never pour milk or the liaison straight into boiling soup, or it may split.
How do you make mushroom soup with yoghurt?
Use yoghurt in place of milk in the terbiye: whisk it with an egg yolk and a spoonful of flour, temper it with some hot soup, then stir it into the soup off the heat. Poured straight into boiling soup, yoghurt splits.
Comparable recipe: Yemek.com — Sütlü Mantar Çorbası Tarifi
If you liked this
All recipes
Soups
Cream of mushroom soup
A silky, deeply savoury mushroom soup made with well-browned button mushrooms, ready in 35 minutes.
35 min
Button mushroom
Soups
Red lentil soup with mushrooms
Smooth Turkish red lentil soup topped with butter-fried mushrooms and chilli butter, ready in 50 minutes.
50 min
Button mushroom
Soups
Shiitake ramen
Homemade ramen with a deeply savoury broth of dried shiitake and kombu, finished with miso, crisp fresh shiitake and soy-marinated eggs.
1 hr 20 min
Shiitake
Kitchen guides
Before you cook: clean, store, dry
How to clean mushroomsPractical ways to clean everything from button mushrooms to morels without waterlogging them or ruining their texture.
How to store mushroomsHow to keep fresh, cooked, frozen and dried mushrooms at their best — and how to tell when they’ve gone bad.
How to dry mushroomsA step-by-step guide to drying mushrooms at home in the oven, in a dehydrator or on a string — and how to store and rehydrate them.