Shiitake mushrooms (shiitake). How to cook fresh, dried, frozen

1. We prepare the mushrooms: dry ones - soak, fresh caps - cut, stems - cut along the fibers.
2. Heat a deep frying pan, add vegetable oil and butter, add shiitake mushroom stems, fry until half cooked and add chopped shiitake caps.
3. Fry, remembering to stir periodically, a few minutes before readiness, add finely chopped onion and fry it a little along with the mushrooms. And only at the end of cooking add sour cream and garlic with spices, salt to taste.
4. Simmer under the lid for 3-4 minutes, turn off the heat and let it brew a little more.
5. Serve with any side dish, first sprinkled with fresh herbs to your taste.

Enjoy your meal!

Shiitake mushroom history

Chinese emperors took a decoction of shiitake mushrooms to preserve youth and protect themselves from disease. Shiitake mushrooms are called imperial mushrooms.

In Europe, shiitakes are known as Chinese black mushrooms and are mainly used dried, which can be easily reconstituted by putting them in water. The water in which shiitake mushrooms have been reconstituted can be used to prepare soups, broths or sauces. The stems of shiitake mushrooms are almost never used in cooking because they are too hard. In Europe, even yogurt rich in potassium is made from these mushrooms.

Shiitake mushrooms are native to China and Japan; these mushrooms have been grown here for over a thousand years. Some documents confirm that wild shiitake mushrooms were used as food two centuries BC.

How to store shiitake mushrooms

It is recommended to store fresh shiitake mushrooms in the refrigerator in paper bags, since without access to air the mushrooms quickly deteriorate.

Vegetarians who lack vitamin D and proteins should include dishes made from shiitake mushrooms in their diet.

Modern gourmets want not just to eat deliciously, but to eat tasty and beneficial for their body. As you know, many delicious dishes contain large amounts of harmful substances. So beloved by almost everyone, shish kebab and barbecue contain carcinogens - substances that can cause cancer, French fries, just as baking contributes to an increase in blood sugar, meat eaters are afraid of accelerated aging, vegetarians - a weakening of the immune system and the body as a whole.

Use in cosmetology

Shiitake extract is included in many cosmetic products. Lentinan regenerates epithelial cells and helps:

1. Fight acne and inflammation.
2. Reduce pigmentation.
3. Fight wrinkles.
4. Slow down aging.
5. Dry oily skin.
6. Narrow pores.

In Japan, it is believed that the soft, velvety skin of geishas became so thanks to the use of the mushroom.

Shiitake mushroom medicinal properties

How to maintain balance in food, how to eat both tasty and healthy for yourself? We advise you to pay attention to shiitake mushrooms, which have medicinal properties, such as: help reduce blood sugar and cholesterol, which contain substances that prevent the formation of cancer cells in our body, which can slow down the aging process and maintain youthful and elastic skin, significantly increase male potency. And all these are shiitake mushrooms, the beneficial and medicinal properties of which have long been known in Asian countries, and the recipes for preparing dry, frozen, and fresh shiitake mushrooms are so diverse that they can satisfy the tastes of the most demanding gourmets.

Shiitake mushrooms are suitable for making soup, salad, main course; their extract is added to desserts and drinks to make them more nutritious. The nutritional properties of mushrooms are high and at the same time they are able to be saturated with the tastes of other products, without completely drowning out their natural taste.

Where do they grow?

Shiitake cultivation began in the Ancient East. In nature, it is found in forests:

• Japan;
• Korea;
• China.

In Russia, shiitake can be found in the Primorsky Territory and the Far East.

In recent decades, the mushroom has been grown in many countries:

• USA;
• Canada;
• France;
• England;
• Holland;
• Russia.

Japan is still considered the leader in industrial production.

To choose a Shiitake mushroom, it is better to pay attention to Japanese or Chinese manufacturers. In the USA and Europe, a modified product is cultivated that grows faster, but has a low content of vitamins and minerals.

In addition to shiitake, Reishi and Meitake mushrooms grow in these regions. They have similar properties and complement each other well in treatment and prevention:

• central nervous system disorders;
• inflammation and swelling;
• heart disease;
• viral and fungal diseases;
• hypertension;
• problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

Pharmacies sell capsules produced by Solgar with an extract of all three types of mushrooms.

Shiitake mushrooms: benefits and harms

Shiitake mushrooms benefits: Shiitake mushrooms are considered an excellent immune stimulant. In other words, they help strengthen the immune system, build a reliable antiviral barrier and increase resistance to infectious diseases. Erytadenine, which is part of mushrooms, reduces cholesterol and glucose levels in the blood, stimulates the production of insulin by the pancreas. The benefits of shiitake mushrooms have also been proven for hearts. Shiitake mushroom allows you to normalize blood pressure, get rid of angina attacks, prevent the development of atherosclerosis, and also speed up the recovery of the body after a heart attack. Mushrooms have a positive effect on the digestive system. They activate the process of breaking down fats and removing toxins.

Shiitake mushrooms are harmful: You cannot be poisoned by shiitake mushrooms grown in proper natural or artificial conditions. But they, like any other mushrooms, contain a large amount of chitin (a substance that is not digested in the gastrointestinal tract), so despite all the beneficial properties of shiitake mushrooms, their excessive or improper use can provoke poisoning or an allergic reaction.

What shiitake mushrooms look like, photo

Shiitake mushrooms contraindications

Just like almost all food products, shiitake mushrooms have their own contraindications for consumption. Avoid eating shiitake mushrooms:

1. Pregnant and lactating women,
2. For people who are prone to allergies,
3. People who have bronchial asthma,
4. Children under 14 years of age, as they can cause digestive disorders.

Shiitake mushrooms cooking methods: fry, boil, dry

If you are preparing a dish whose ingredients have a delicate consistency, you should separate the caps from the legs and use only the caps that remain tender after heat treatment; the legs are fibrous and somewhat tougher and can spoil the perception of the dish.

How and how long to fry shiitake mushrooms

When frying shiitake mushrooms, cut the caps and tear the stems lengthwise into small pieces. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a heated frying pan, add mushrooms; there is no need to cover the frying pan with a lid. Fry the shiitake for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula, until all the juice has evaporated. At the end of frying, we saturate them with the taste of seasonings and onions. Be prepared that the mushrooms will change their taste to a meaty, oily one; this is their feature, not your fault.

The larger the mushroom, the tastier it is; the smaller, the more tender - take this feature into account when preparing dishes; if you want a rich taste, take large mushrooms; if you want to add tenderness to the dish, choose small ones.

How and how much to cook shiitake mushrooms

Place the shiitake mushrooms in a colander and pour hot boiling water over them to remove any dirt from the mushrooms. Then place them in a preheated pan with boiling salted water for 7-10 minutes, cook over medium heat. At the same time, we adhere to the proportions - 1 liter of water/300 g. dried shiitake mushrooms. Then drain the mushrooms in a colander to drain the water. It is important to boil the shiitake and not overcook it!

How to cook dried shiitake mushrooms

When using dry (dried) shiitake mushrooms, soak them for at least 45 minutes and they will fully restore their properties. Water after soaking shiitake can be used to prepare soups and sauces, after straining it through cheesecloth.

Shiitake mushrooms can cause allergies; they must be introduced into food in small portions, the daily intake should not exceed 200 grams. fresh / 20 gr. dry, be prudent and do not compromise your health for the sake of your stomach.

Fkusnofacts

Shiitake is originally a wild mushroom. In natural forests they grow on trees (maple, alder, oak) in China and Japan. Shiitake is especially fond of the chestnut (shii) tree - hence the name. Because of the unique pattern on the cap, it is also called “flower shiitake.”

Currently, shiitake is produced on an industrial scale, taking advantage of the mushroom's adaptability to artificial soil and light conditions. Fresh shiitakes are usually grown on special farms in Russia. But dried mushrooms are sold in portioned bags, which are brought from China or Japan. There are even technologies for growing shiitake in summer cottages.

Dried shiitakes should be soaked in water before cooking: it is important that the degree of drying and the size of the mushrooms may vary, so the soaking time can reach several hours. It’s easy to determine whether a shiitake is ready for cooking: if the mushroom is soft but elastic and can be easily cut with a knife, it means it can be cooked.

Fresh raw shiitakes have a characteristic odor

wood and a peculiar, slightly sour taste. The smell of shiitake may differ depending on the technology of its cultivation; if the smell is very strong, it can be removed by soaking the mushrooms in several waters and cooking with spices. Dried mushrooms have a stronger odor, which dissipates when cooked. In cooking, mushroom caps are often used because the stems are a bit tough. If you want to cook the legs, chop them smaller and put them in the pan 10 minutes before you start cooking the caps.

Shiitake is a miracle mushroom!

Beneficial features

Shiitake has been known since ancient times. The mushroom began to be widely used in Chinese medicine starting in the 14th century. And the first mentions of this product date back to 199 BC. e. Thanks to its universal medicinal properties, it has earned the title of “king of mushrooms” in China and Japan. Shiitake is used both in folk medicine and as part of various medications aimed at treating infectious, cardiovascular diseases, malignant neoplasms and many others.

The substance responsible for the universal medicinal properties of shiitake is lentinan.

(a polysaccharide that today is included in almost all drugs used to treat malignant tumors).

Price

dried shiitake mushrooms - 273 rub. for 150 grams (Moscow average as of June 2022), the price of fresh shiitake is 1800 rubles/1 kilogram.

Eating shiitake has contraindications

. For allergy sufferers, shiitake mushroom can cause allergies in the form of skin rashes. Shiitake and preparations based on it should not be consumed by people with kidney disease, salt metabolism disorders, patients with bronchial asthma, pregnant women and children under twelve years of age.

“You won’t surprise anyone with the Japanese black shiitake mushroom in Khabarovsk. Everyone has heard about its healing properties and delicate taste,” I thought so until I started talking with two women while waiting for my commuter bus. It turned out that I was mistaken.

- Shiitake? - one asked. - I do not know, I have not tried it. Yes, they have no taste or smell.

Another began to object to her and surprised me even more:

- I buy it, boil it, put it in bags and put it in the freezer. Then, when I want, I can quickly fry some potatoes or make some pies. Well, of course, they can’t compete with porcini or aspen mushrooms.

— Broth for soup? — I clarified, surprised at such a strange method.

- What are you talking about, is it possible to eat mushroom broth?! After all, it is poisonous.

I felt sorry that the valuable product was handled so ineptly, and I told how I prepared these mushrooms in my kitchen, fortunately there were still about twenty minutes before the bus arrived. And then it was my interlocutors’ turn to be surprised.

The main thing that surprised them: shiitake and other tree mushrooms (champignons, oyster mushrooms) do not need to be boiled before cooking, as we are used to doing with their wild relatives. In addition, the technology for growing these mushrooms is such that it eliminates “chemistry” - the mycelium develops on wood stumps, shavings, straw, and for successful growth the mushrooms only need moist air.

Shiitake, like champignons, should not be washed before cooking; simply wipe with a damp cloth. Next, I usually cut off the “spine” of the stem and cut the cap crosswise into thin slices along with the rest of the stem. And maybe in a frying pan.

It’s as easy as shelling pears – fry with carrots and onions. Be sure to season with garlic (all mushrooms are friends with it), coriander, ground pepper, cumin and, if you practice this, a few granules of “Chinese salt”. Garnish with boiled rice or any pasta. Delicious!

Shiitake in sour cream is even tastier. There's an extra carrot here. The rest is the same, plus at the end of cooking, put a jar of sour cream on the frying pan and simmer a little.

Shiitake in sour cream can be used as a sauce for pasta, rice, buckwheat, or you can put it on a layer of pizza dough, sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake in the oven - you will swallow your tongue.

On holidays, I make a casserole like French julienne with these mushrooms. Nothing complicated, but the result will amaze your guests. You will need: boiled chicken breast, shiitake, onions, sour cream, flour, cheese and spices.

The boiled breast must be removed from the bone and finely chopped. Simmer the shiitake in a frying pan with onions and spices. Prepare sour cream sauce: fry flour in a dry frying pan, grind with sour cream and heat. Mix the prepared ingredients. Place in a frying pan, top with grated cheese and bake in the oven until golden brown.

I add shiitake to stews, stew with eggplant and chicken, and make pies with them. And in all dishes, their taste and aroma are very similar to the taste and aroma of porcini mushrooms, familiar to everyone from childhood. But the fried potatoes with them are really not very good. Maybe because roast with mushrooms is a traditional Russian dish, and shiitakes are “immigrants” from the East?

Correspondent of the newspaper "Khabarovsk Pensioner", presenter of the author's strip "Our House" in the newspaper "Khabarovsk Express" and regular author of the newspaper for summer residents "Solnyshko". Three times, in 2011, 2012 and 2013, she became the winner of the All-Russian journalist competition for the best media coverage of social and pension issues. I am convinced that in order for life to finally “become good in Rus',” we all need to learn to obey the laws, and not fight them.

Perhaps, shiitake is one of those mushrooms that must be prepared with special care so that the dish turns out not only tasty, but also with maximum beneficial properties.

A prerequisite for proper preparation of these mushrooms is a small amount of water, at the rate of only 200 ml per 1 kilogram of mushrooms.

It is recommended to boil shiitake mushrooms for 3 – 4 minutes.

If the shiitakes are fresh, then after clearing them of debris, it is better not to wash them, but to lightly wipe them with a damp cloth. After this, it is necessary to separate the legs, since due to their density, the legs may not be used for preparing some dishes.

If you are preparing a dish of dry shiitakes, you must first soak them in warm water. Soaking time can range from 3 to 8 hours. After this, it is recommended to lightly squeeze the mushrooms and you can start cooking. And don’t rush to throw away the water in which the mushrooms were soaked; you can cook mushroom soup with it, or add it when stewing.

It is recommended to boil shiitake mushrooms for 3 – 4 minutes.

So, having decided on the answer to the question: “How long to cook shiitake?” you will be able to prepare dishes from the most exotic products, and your household will appreciate your culinary abilities.

Many housewives have not heard anything about tree mushrooms and do not know what a rich palette of flavors any shiitake recipe can create. Relatives and friends, who until now have not known the variety of dishes with tree mushrooms, continue to miss out on the pleasure, deprived of the opportunity to enjoy soups, gravies and snacks with shiitake.

Due to the fact that mushrooms contain a complete set of vitamins and can be subjected to any heat treatment, they are gaining significant positions in the home menu of different circles of Russian consumers. Good fried, boiled, baked in the oven, grilled, they are worth trying out recipes containing shiitake mushrooms and learning the nuances of their creation without delay!

Shiitake mushroom recipes

Recipes for cooking shiitake mushrooms are very diverse, but now we will prepare soup with shiitake mushrooms in simple and accessible ways even for novice cooks:

Shiitake mushroom soup

Ingredients used:

1. Shiitake mushrooms – 0.5 kg;
2. Potatoes – 300 gr.;
3. Carrots – 1 pc.;
4. Heavy cream – 150 gr.;
5. Water – 2 liters;
6. Butter – 30 gr.;
7. Bay leaf – 2 pcs.;
8. Garlic – 1 clove;
9. Spices for soup, salt.

Step-by-step preparation:

1. Before starting to prepare this healthy soup, take one medium carrot and rinse it well with water, peel it (remove the skin on top) and cut it into small slices.
2. Heat the frying pan after adding butter; Place the chopped carrots in the frying pan. Fry it until golden brown.
3. Then add finely chopped one clove of garlic. It is important that our garlic does not fry too much, but just warm it up.
4. Shiitake mushrooms tend to have a slightly bitter taste, which we need to get rid of. Therefore, we take a deep saucepan and pour cold water into it, put the defrosted shiitakes in it and put it on the stove over moderate heat.
5. When the water boils, remove the pan from the stove. Pour out the water and rinse the mushrooms under cold water.
6. Next, put the mushrooms in cold water, add a little cloves and two bay leaves, for taste.
7. Place the pan over moderate heat and bring it to a boil. Cook the mushrooms for about 8-12 minutes.
8. While the shiitake mushrooms are boiling, we will peel the potatoes and then cut them into small cubes.
9. When the mushrooms are cooked in a saucepan, we add chopped potatoes with spices to taste.
10. Add salt as per your taste. Cook for another 8-12 minutes.
11. After 12 minutes, add the previously fried carrots and garlic to the pan.
12. After which we will bring our mushroom soup to a full boil again.
13. Also heat the cream separately (fat content -20%) and add it to our soup and bring to a boil again, but do not boil, otherwise our cream may curdle from the boiling water.

We recommend cooking the shiitake mushroom soup a few hours before serving to experience the true taste of these shiitake mushrooms.

Enjoy your meal!

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Korean shiitake mushroom salad, video recipe

Is it possible to grow at home

Shiitake can also be grown outside its natural habitat. The climate of the southern regions and central Russia is suitable for this. Several farms, for example, are located in the Moscow region, Voronezh and Saratov.

Outdoor cultivation

Growing mushrooms on site, using wood or stumps, is called extensive. This method produces a larger yield per tree segment, but is limited to spring, summer and early fall.

To get a shiitake harvest, you need to perform several sequential steps to prepare and plant spores:

1. For shiitake, pieces of oak, alder or beech are suitable. The tree should be about a meter long and 20 cm in diameter.
2. You can take freshly sawn wood, or pre-condition it outdoors in the shade, with air humidity above 60%. It is important that several segments do not touch each other during this period.
3. After aging, grooves are cut out on the trunk at a distance of 20 cm from each other, 1.5 cm deep and about 2 cm in diameter.
4. Spores are placed in the cells and sealed with cork or wax. This will prevent mold or bacteria from entering.
5. The place should be ventilated but shaded. The logs are additionally covered with branches so as not to block air circulation.
6. To start the process of mycelium germination, an air temperature of 13 C and high humidity, at least 80%, are required.
7. The seeded log will be overgrown with mycelium within 6-12 months.
8. After this time, the logs are immersed in cold water for a day.
9. The prepared tree is installed vertically or at an angle in the shade after the average daily temperature is above 20 C and the first harvest is expected within 10-11 days.

The harvest from such planting is harvested twice per season for 3-5 years.

In order for the mushrooms to survive the winter and be able to produce a harvest the next year, they are placed in a basement or subfloor and covered tightly with straw.

In the greenhouse

In greenhouse conditions, the mycelium produces a harvest every 2-3 weeks from 2 to 4 months a year. To grow shiitake, you need to prepare a substrate and equip a ventilated greenhouse:

1. Hardwood sawdust is mixed with bran or straw of any grain crops in a ratio of 4:1.
2. To prevent the formation of mold and bacteria, the mixture is pasteurized in hot water for 12 hours.
3. Adding chalk or gypsum to the mixture weighing about 3% of the rest of the substrate will have a positive effect on the formation of the fungus.
4. The pasteurized material is dried to a humidity of 70-80%.
5. The sawdust is placed in a plastic bag, the mycelium is placed in the center of the substrate and the bag is loosely tied.
6. The hole is sealed with a stopper.
7. Within 1-2 months the block is overgrown with mycelium.
8. The polyethylene is removed, and the mycelium is placed in cold water for a day, then transferred to a greenhouse.
9. The optimal air temperature for mushrooms is 25 C and air humidity 85%.

It is important to ventilate the greenhouse every day for 2-3 hours. Under such conditions, the first harvest will appear in 2 weeks.