The market · Mushrooms · East Asia

Shiitake mushrooms

A mushroom grown on hardwood logs across East Asia — meaty fresh, and far deeper dried.

earthy · smoky · savoury

What to do with it

Classics built on it
KoreanJapchaeGlass noodles of sweet potato starch, tossed with beef, mushrooms and vegetables — each cooked separately — in soy, sugar and sesame oil.No one here has made it yet

Kinds

Fresh
For stir-fries, hotpots and grilling.
Dried
Thick, cracked caps are prized; the base of vegetarian dashi.

Goes with

soy saucegarlicgingerdashi

Knowing it

Where to buy
Dried from Chinese, Japanese and Korean grocers — often much cheaper there.
Worth knowing
Soak dried shiitake slowly in cold water, for hours; keep the liquid for stock.

Kitchens that keep it in

JapanJapaneseA cooking of restraint and season, built on dashi — and on letting one ingredient taste as much of itself as it can.10 classics · 2 cooked here

More mushrooms

MushroomsBlack trufflesearthy, musky, cocoa-likeNot cooked here yetlast weeksMushroomsChanterellesapricot, peppery1 classicMushroomsDried shiitakessmoky, deeply savoury, meatysavoury8 classicsMushroomsMaitake mushroomswoodsy, peppery, crisp-edged when searedsavouryNot cooked here yet