In Japanese cooking, mushrooms bring both texture and depth to broths, simmered dishes, rice and noodles.
Dried shiitake play a central role thanks to their umami-rich flavour, while kikurage are known for their crunch. Other preparations, such as nametake, make it easy to serve mushrooms with a bowl of rice or a few side dishes.
When dried, shiitake (椎茸) develop a more concentrated aroma and a particularly deep flavour. Whole mushrooms are well suited to nimono, simmered dishes and rice dishes. Pre-sliced shiitake rehydrate more quickly and are easy to add to miso soup, a stir-fry or a Japanese noodle dish.
Before cooking, soak them in water until they become soft again. Their soaking water can be filtered and added to a dashi broth, sauce or simmered dish, as it contains much of their flavour. If the stem remains firm after soaking, simply remove it before cooking the cap.
Kikurage (木耳), often called black fungus, have a subtle flavour but a crunchy, slightly elastic texture. Whole or sliced, they can be added to soups, stir-fried vegetables and dishes with sauce without easily losing their firmness.
White tremella is more delicate, with a soft yet pleasantly firm texture after rehydration.
Nametake (なめ茸) is a preparation of enoki mushrooms cooked in a seasoned sauce. It is ready to serve over hot rice, with noodles or alongside Japanese tofu.
The choice therefore mainly depends on the desired result: plenty of umami from shiitake, crunch from kikurage or a ready-cooked accompaniment with nametake.
