1. Put a large soup pot on the stove over medium-high heat.

2. Halve mushrooms, and put into the hot pan with oil. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mushrooms should be shrunken and starting to brown.

3. Quarter the carrots and peel and halve the onion. Add them to the pot with the mushrooms, along with the rosemary, salt, and pepper.

4. Cover vegetables with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour.

5. After an hour, turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon or fine mesh strainer to scoop out all the cooked veggies from the broth. Scoop down to the bottom to get the peppercorns and as much of the rosemary as possible. Discard all the veggies (they're given up their flavor-we just want the broth!).

6. Use a microplane to shred the ginger and garlic into the broth (alternately, chop them very very finely with a knife). To cook the garlic and ginger, bring the broth back to a boil, and turn off as soon as it boils. Add soy sauce, and taste. Add more if needed. The broth is done at this point, but is equally delicious with the addition of turmeric, crushed red pepper, toasted sesame oil, and/or scallions.

7. Divide into mugs and sip, or let cool completely and store in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat broth in the microwave for sipping, or use leftovers to make a pot of Asian-inspired soup.