The basic recipe is simply dried mushrooms and water, but you can customize it to suit your needs. If you want to use this stock in Asian inspired recipes, add tamari or soy sauce (gluten-free if required), ginger, garlic, and rice vinegar. To replace some or all of the vegetable broth in a soup recipe, leave out the tamari and ginger, and add in fresh or dried herbs to suit your recipe—thyme, sage, and rosemary are herbs I like with mushrooms. For variety, experiment with different vinegars. I particularly like to make this with balsamic vinegar. Note: Leave out the vinegar if you are going to use this stock to cook dried lentils or beans. The acid will harden the skins resulting in tough, under-cooked legumes.
Clean the mushrooms of any debris by brushing them with a vegetable scrubber and rinsing them well before adding to your cooking pot along with any add-ins. Once the mushrooms have been rehydrated, you can discard them or chop them up, (discard the hard stems) and add back into your recipe.
You can use this stock right away, make it a day or two in advance, or freeze it for later use. Store the stock and the rehydrated mushrooms separately.
To your health and happiness,
Beans and Rice