Dried Mushroom and Pearl Barley Soup – Step-by-Step Recipe

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Homemade dried mushroom and pearl barley soup turns out very rich, hearty, and aromatic, even without a large number of ingredients. Try making it yourself with our proven recipe!

Prep time: 3 hours.
Servings: 8.

Ingredients

• 100 g dried mushrooms, to taste;
• 120-140 g pearl barley;
• 3 potatoes;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 onion;
• 1 bay leaf;
• salt and ground black pepper to taste;
• vegetable oil for frying;
• fresh herbs for serving.

Step-by-Step Recipe

1. Soak dried mushrooms in cold water for 20-30 minutes, then rinse, cover with fresh water, and leave for another 2 hours.
2. During this time, rinse and soak the pearl barley for 2 hours as well.
3. After soaking, gently squeeze and chop the mushrooms, but do not discard the mushroom water. Roughly chop the vegetables for the soup.
4. Strain the mushroom water in case there's any sand, pour it into a pot, and add about 2 liters of fresh water.
5. Bring the mushroom broth to a boil, skim off any foam if necessary, and add the rinsed pearl barley and mushrooms.
6. Bring everything to a boil again and simmer for 40-50 minutes over low heat.
7. Separately, sauté the onion and carrot until soft, then add the sautéed vegetables to the soup along with the potatoes, bay leaf, salt, and spices.
8. Cook everything together for another 15 minutes and let the finished soup rest for 15 minutes with the lid on. Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs before serving.