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January 24, 2013Dried Shiitake Mushroom Tips: How to Buy, Soak, and Prep
When I’m out of dried shiitake mushrooms, it’s practicallya kitchen emergency. I use them all the time in East Asian cooking to amp up umami goodness, whether it's in a stir-fry, soup, dumpling filling, or a tofu dish. InVietnamese, they’re called nam dong cokho or nam huong kho by southernand northern Viet speakers, respectively. The mushrooms in dried form are mostoften used in my house so we drop the “kho” (dried) when we refer to them. Shiitakemushrooms are typically added during the cooking process. I’ve never eaten them raw. (Have you?)
I decided to write about dried shiitake mushrooms becausepeople ask for tips on how to buy them and prep them. Frankly, the ones sold atmainstream supermarkets are sad, thin capped and mildly flavored. They’re alsoexpensive. Feel free to add your pointers to mine below:
Where to buy driedshiitake mushroom
When you can, head to an Asian market or Chinese herbalshop. You’ll get the best selection and price. If there are special deals,chances are they’re displayed as end caps. But you’ll find a bigger variety inthe aisle where dried vegetables and beans are shelved.
Study your options and consider buying a decent amount.After all, dried shiitake mushroom keep for a very long time (probably yearsbut I use mine up fast). I usually purchase a one-pound package of goodshiitakes for $15 to $20. Note that premium boxes of mushrooms make great gifts. Giftyourself or an avid cook.
Beware of cheap deals on packages with beautiful big onesdisplayed on top. More often than not, a bunch of scrawny mushrooms of lesserquality are hidden underneath voluptuous ones. (Guess I’m still somewhat bitterby that bait-and-switch package of shiitakes from years ago.)
What to look for in agood shiitake & how store
Select whole mushrooms, notpresliced ones, which can be of questionable quality. Plus, it’s harder togauge how much of the presliced dried mushroom is needed to equal a full cap. Mostrecipes call for a full-cap count of shiitake mushroom, not weight. Finally, youcan’t control the size of your prepped mushroom. Convenience is not always agood thing.
Before buying, consider the mushroom cap thickness and checkfor fissures (see above). Thick mushrooms with deep white fissures on the caps tend to havethe most flavor. They may be labeled hana,or “flower” mushroom, a term Japanese packagers use to signal the highest grade.Second-grade mushrooms are also thick but have fewer fissures. The downside tothe thick-capped mushroom is that they take longer to rehydrate. You have toplan ahead, or take shortcut measures like the ones below.
Once home, I open the package and dump the dried shiitakemushrooms (along with the silica pack, if included) into a plastic container. Ikeep the container in the cupboard within easy reach because I use them often. Othercooks prefer to freeze their dried shiitakes. I suppose it depends on humiditywhere you live. Where do you stand?
How to prep driedshiitake mushrooms
Dried shiitakes require soaking before you can use them. Oneof the things I recently started doing is removingthe stem beforehand. I snap them off with my fingers or hack them off witha cleaver. The stems can be used for stock later on. Just toss them back intoyour container.
The best method that I’ve found is a long soak in lots of water for 8 hours or overnight. Put themushroom in a bowl, add water, and tumble the shiitake around to wet them. Thenturn them so the absorbent gills point down. The water temperature doesn’tmatter. Follow this long soak method and the rehydrated mushrooms will be deeplyflavored, amazingly firm and velvety when cut. A long soak works wonders on cheapie dried shiitakes too!
Pressed for time? Hackor cut the mushroom cap in half and/or use hot water. The hot water rushesthings and the flavor isn’t as elegant as a long soak. But, you get what youneed fast.
Regardless of soaking method, before using your plumped up mushrooms,rinse out any particles of sand or dirt trapped under the gills, and give eacha gentle squeeze to expel excess water. Reconstituted shiitake mushrooms can berefrigerated in a zip-top bag or airtight container for several days.
Save the shiitakesoaking liquid?
The mushroom soaking liquid is particularly good if you needto boost umami in vegetarian dishes, like the roasted kabocha squash dumplings. Just today, I combined the soaking liquid with canned chicken broth toadd extra flavor to a pot of chicken and shiitake mushroom rice. I tend to notuse a bunch of the soaking liquid as is because it can overwhelm otheringredients and turn a dish into a damp forest floor. I’ve never stored thesoaking liquid but I suppose you could do that for a future use.
Subbing freshshiitake for dried ones & vice versa
I’ll do this when voluptuous, thick-capped fresh shiitakeare available. The fresh ones at Chinese markets are super affordable but knowthat they often come from China. Knock on wood I’ve not had problems withthose. But then, the dried shiitakes that I buy are from China.
Occasionally excellent domestically cultivated freshshiitakes are sold at my local market. That’s when I strike. Otherwise, I walkright past the fresh shiitakes. Their creamy brown, thin caps don’t appeal.They’re just wimpy. If a recipe calls for fresh ones, like the udon with clams and shiitake (a Japanese take on Italian pasta with clams) or Korean shrimp dumplings, I'd sub rehydrated dried mushroom for the fresh adding a little extra moisture (soaking liquid or water) as needed to mimic the fresh mushroom texture and impact on the dish.
Shiitake mushroom are workhorses in many Asian kitchens.Invest in a supply of excellent ones and you won’t regret it.
Related posts: recipes that use dried and fresh shiitake
Chicken, tofu, and shiitake lettuce cupsSteamed chicken and shiitake mushroom buns (bao)Izakaya udon with clams and shiitake Viet Chicken and bamboo shoot noodle soup (bun mang ga)Korean shrimp dumplings (mandu)Posted in Asian Ingredients, Cooking Tips & Tools | Permalink | |
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Comments Dried Shiitake Mushroom Tips: How to Buy, Soak, and Prep
When I’m out of dried shiitake mushrooms, it’s practicallya kitchen emergency. I use them all the time in East Asian cooking to amp up umami goodness, whether it's in a stir-fry, soup, dumpling filling, or a tofu dish. InVietnamese, they’re called nam dong cokho or nam huong kho by southernand northern Viet speakers, respectively. The mushrooms in dried form are mostoften used in my house so we drop the “kho” (dried) when we refer to them. Shiitakemushrooms are typically added during the cooking process. I’ve never eaten them raw. (Have you?)
I decided to write about dried shiitake mushrooms becausepeople ask for tips on how to buy them and prep them. Frankly, the ones sold atmainstream supermarkets are sad, thin capped and mildly flavored. They’re alsoexpensive. Feel free to add your pointers to mine below:
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