Shiitake mushrooms are easy to cook. The main thing is to choose a fresh, high-quality mushroom. When buying fresh shiitake, give preference to dense ones, in which the caps have a uniform color. There should be no spots or other damage on the surface. Brown spots and slimy structure are the first signs of spoiled food. Shiitake mushrooms are very tasty and are used in various dishes.
What is the best way to eat shiitake mushrooms? The best way to eat shiitake is to fry them and add them to salads, pasta, mashed potatoes or soups. Shiitake mushrooms go well with eggs and sandwiches. Shiitake is also used to make sushi, sauces, and potassium-rich yoghurt.
Shiitake can be used in soups, salads, sauces, soufflés, gravies, main courses, pies. They can be fried, stewed, marinated, boiled, dried, baked. They are cooked on the grill, in ducklings and pots, served as snacks or added to pizza, pies, meat rolls. Shiitake can be combined with seafood, cheese, fish, meat, cereals, vegetables, eggs.
How to Eat Shiitake Mushrooms?
Cut off the stem of the shiitake mushroom as it is very hard to chew. Rinse shiitake’s caps under cold water and let them dry. You can fry, boil, stew, pickle, cook a sauce or simply eat shiitake raw, adding to salads or omelette. Shiitake is high in protein and tastes like meat while remaining vegetarian.
Do shiitake mushrooms need to be cooked? Shiitake mushrooms do not need to be cooked and can be eaten raw after being thoroughly washed and sliced into thin pieces. Raw shiitake is usually added to sushi and salads, but they can also be dried.
Raw shiitake are edible(along with porcini and truffles). Thinly sliced champignons can be added to salad, and decorate other dishes with them. You can cook shiitake like carpaccio, sprinkled with fragrant oil and sprinkled with freshly ground pepper and coarse salt.
Without heat treatment, mushrooms will retain much more nutrients. In this case, it is better to clean them with a dry or damp cloth; you can use a towel, you can rinse under a strong stream of cold water, but not for long so that the mushrooms do not collect moisture. Then dry and cut into strips or cubes half a centimeter thick. Store the cut mushrooms as little as possible in a closed container.
How long should shiitake mushrooms be cooked? Fried shiitake should be cooked for 10 minutes, boiled shiitake — for 7-10 minutes (1 liter of water per 300g of shiitake). During frying, the shiitake will remain juicy and tasty if stirred with a wooden spatula without stopping until the juice evaporates. Add your favorite seasonings and onions.
The best way to cook shiitake mushrooms is to subject them to as little heat treatment as possible to preserve their natural components. Shiitake can be eaten raw and added to salads or as used as a side dish for mashed potatoes and pasta.
When preparing shiitake dishes with a delicate consistency, separate the caps from the stems as only the caps remain tender after any processing. The stems will ruin the delicate dish due to their fiber and stiffness.
Frying SHiitake Mushrooms
How and how long to fry shiitake mushrooms? When frying, shiitake mushrooms, slice the caps and remove the stems. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a preheated pan, put mushrooms, do not cover the pan with a lid. Fry the shiitake for 10 minutes over medium heat, constantly stirring with a wooden spatula until all the juice has evaporated.
At the end of frying, add herbs and spices. Shiitake mushrooms might change their taste to meaty buttery. The larger the mushroom, the tastier it is, the smaller, the more tender. If you want a rich taste, take large mushrooms; if you want to give tenderness to the dish, choose small ones.
Before serving shiitake, let it stand for a while under the lid (but fry the mushrooms without the lid) after turning off the gas. Having put the delicacy on a plate, you can sprinkle it with chopped fresh herbs as this will emphasize its natural aroma and add several interesting flavor notes.
Boiling Shiitake Mushrooms
How and how long to boil shiitake mushrooms? Place the shiitake mushrooms in a colander and pour over hot boiling water to rinse any dirt on the mushrooms. Then place them in a preheated pot of boiling salted water for 7-10 minutes, simmer over medium heat. Put tip the mushrooms into a colander to get rid of water.
Frozen shiitake are first thawed in the refrigerator. You cannot speed up the process with a microwave or hot water, as shiitake will lose its unique taste. After the mushrooms have thawed, they must be lightly squeezed and used according to the recommendations of the selected recipe.
Pickling Shiitake Mushrooms
Marinade for 500 g of shiitake: 1 l of water, 2 tbsp. l. salt, 5—7 clove buds, 4—5 dill umbrellas, 1 bay leaf, 2 tbsp. l. mustard seeds, 4 tbsp. l. white wine vinegar.
If you want to pickle shiitake, before marinating, boil the mushrooms in 2 liters of water for 15 minutes. Prepare a hot marinade, add mushrooms to it, boil them in it for 5 minutes and cool. Place the mushrooms in a container, close it. For long-term storage, roll the marinade-drenched mushrooms into a pasteurized jar.
Cooking Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
How to cook dried shiitake mushrooms? When using dried shiitake mushrooms, soak them in water for at least 45 minutes, and they will fully restore their properties. After soaking, you can use shiitake water to make soups, sauces after draining it through a cheesecloth.
Dried shiitake should be soaked in warm water for 2-3 hours, and preferably overnight. If you do not have enough time, soak the mushrooms in water for at least 45 minutes, lightly sprinkling with sugar, before cooking. Then remove the shiitake and squeeze gently. Slice or chop the tender caps. Do not pour out the water in which the mushrooms have been soaked — you can cook soup or stew vegetables on it.
Shiitake dishes don’t have to belong to Chinese or Japanese cuisine. They make excellent soups, stews, salads and other dishes. What’s more, dried shiitake are good to use to add richness to vegetarian and lean meals.
Shiitake mushrooms can cause allergies, and they must be tried in small portions. The daily intake should not exceed 200 grams.
