This bok choy soup is loaded with vegetables and it's absolutely delicious! Made with tender bok choy, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, fresh cilantro, and barley in a flavorful miso broth. Ready to eat in one hour!
In a large pot, saute the diced onion over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Then add the sliced mushrooms and minced garlic and let it cook until the mushrooms start to brown.
While the onions are cooking, cook the barley in a medium sized pot, according to package directions. When it's done cooking, drain any excess water and set it aside.
Add the sliced bok choy, ginger, black pepper, chili pepper flakes, mushroom broth, and water to the pot. Bring the soup to a low simmer and then quickly reduce the heat to medium-low and let it cook (about 5-8 minutes) until the bok choy has softened a little bit. The bok choy should still be bright green and it will be tender and easy to chew, but not mushy.
Take the soup pot off the heat. Use a ladle to remove one cup of the broth from the soup pot and put it into a bowl. Let the liquid cool down for a few minutes and then stir in the miso paste.
Let the soup in the pot cool down a little bit (for about 5 minutes) and then stir in the miso paste broth that you just made, lemon juice, and fresh cilantro.
To serve, put a ½ cup of cooked barley in each soup bowl and then ladle the soup on top of it. Garnish each bowl with sliced green onions.
Notes
Don't add the miso paste to the boiling soup, it will kill the probiotics in the miso. Add it at the end once you've taken the soup off the heat.
Store leftover soup for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.