Gourmet Mushrooms

Posted November 17th, 2010 in Food 2 Comments »

Mushroom has always been one of my favorite food.  Enoki, Shimeji, Maitake….  I just love them all!  Love the flavor, texture and the fact that they are very healthy : low in calories (almost zero) and also helps reducing the cholesterol level in your body.

In Japan I used to enjoy variety of mushrooms, including cheap ones such as shiitake, shimeji, enoki, and the expensive one such as matsutake mushroom.  Mushrooms go with any cooking method, either you are grilling, stir-frying, deep-frying, stewing, or steaming, mushrooms always turn out delicious.

I’ve been eating mushrooms quite often lately and I thought I’d post a list of major mushrooms eaten across the world 🙂

Shiitake:

Known as “king of mushroom”.  They have brown slightly convex fleshy caps with tan gills. Rich and hearty flavor with a meaty texture, and distinctive aroma.

Oyster Mushroom:

The flavor is delicate and subtle, and the flesh is succulent.  They rapidly absorb other flavors during cooking.  Best to be cooked quickly.

Golden Oyster Mushroom:

Bright yellow to golden clusters.  It has a strong nutty flavor, and is best when thoroughly cooked (though some color will be lost).

Enoki Mushroom:

They have a mild yet delightful flavor with a pleasantly crunchy texture.  Traditionally, they are lightly cooked, and served in soups or in stir-fries.

King Oyster Mushroom:

It is the best tasting and textured of oyster mushrooms species.  It has a thick, meaty white stem and a small cap.  When cooked, it has typical mushroom umami flavors with a textures similar to that of abalone.

Black Fungus:

Also known as Wook Ear or Tree Ear, as a result of its appearance.  It is an edible jelly fungus, which has a gelatinous, almost rubbery and crunchy texture.  It can be added to salads, soups, or stir-fries.

Hon-Shimeji:

Also known as Beech Mushrooms, they grow in clusters and produce tender beige caps.  Firm textured and having a delicate, mildly sweet nutty flavor, they can be incorporated into a wide range of recipes from soups, sauces to stir-fries.

Matsutake Mushroom:

Matsutake mushrooms are said to be the king of all because of the great aroma and flavor. Matsutake grow in red pine forests in the autumn, and theyare specialautumn delicacy in Japan. Fresh matsutake harvested in Japan are very pricey, so imported matsutake are commonly purchased.

(I wrote about Matsutake mushroom here)

Maitake Mushroom:

Maitake is an edible and medicinal mushroom grows in the northern part of the Temperate Zone in the Northern Hemisphere found in Japan, China, Europe and North America.  One of the mushrooms often eaten in Japan, stir-fried, in soup or steamboat.  Wild Maitake has a good taste, a crisp texture, and an excellent aroma. It is considered the first-rank edible mushroom.

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(^-^)  Check out the recipes using mushrooms →

Salmon Zosui / Japanese Style Hamburg Steak / Yaki Udon /

Tofu Broth / Nabe / Tomato Curry

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Interesting sites related to mushrooms →

mushroominfo.com

www.allaboutmushrooms.com

www.maitake.com

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