4 Delicious Ways to Enjoy Shiitake Mushrooms
The brilliant part about certain functional mushrooms, like shiitake, is there are so many ways to enjoy them. And by mixing up your approach with recipes and blends that create complex flavor profiles, you can enjoy the benefits of shiitake multiple times a week - without ever getting tired of them.
The VidaCap team is passionate about mushrooms (if you couldn’t tell), and we’ve experimented with dozens of shiitake recipes in a variety of first course dishes, entrees, and even desserts. The list that follows includes some of the best (and most unique!) ways you can enjoy the benefits of shiitake - choose a recipe for your next cozy night in, or host an elaborate dinner party and enjoy the delectably unique flavor profile of shiitake!
1. Warming Shiitake Mushroom Ramen Soup
Nothing quite soothes the soul like a piping hot bowl of ramen. Add some shiitake to the mix, and you’ve got yourself a truly outstanding combination. Ramen can be made with a variety of ingredients, but a batch with shiitake really helps amplify the earthy and meaty taste of this functional mushroom.
We recommend adding fresh (raw) shiitake mushrooms, although dried can work just as well. Ramen recipes can of course be adapted to fit any dietary requirements - including vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free - but you can use our very own classic recipe as a jumping-off point and modify as needed.
2. Scrumptious Mushroom Pasta with Shiitake
A delicious pasta dish is often the quickest and easiest way to win the heart of dinner guests (or even yourself.) Pasta dishes are easy to modify (including for dietary requirements), and they possess an incredible complexity of flavor profiles with subtle additions or subtractions of ingredients.
One of our preferred recipes is actually a lion’s mane pasta recipe (created by our own VidaCap staff), but instead of using fresh lion’s mane, which can at times be difficult to source, we’ve made it with shiitake - a much easier-to-find ingredient. It doesn’t take away from the outstanding nature of the recipe either – simply follow the exact steps and instructions, and just substitute lion’s mane for shiitake.
3. Refreshing Matcha Mushroom Shiitake Latte
Life isn’t all about food and cooking. Most of you guys are probably coffee lovers, and sometimes a revitalizing hot drink is actually what the soul needs to refresh, recharge, and re-energize.
Shiitake mushrooms are of course mostly used for culinary purposes, but believe it or not they actually share many characteristics with matcha - another unique East Asian ingredient. Traditionally used in ceremonial purposes in Japan, matcha has become widely popular in the Western world, particularly as a base for fancy tea and coffee beverages. Matcha is a powdered tea that contains quite a significant caffeine content, which is why it's become a go-to here in the US (where it's often made in the form of a latte).
We’ve developed our own specialized mushroom matcha latte, where any powdered mushroom can be utilized as an ingredient. Shiitake mushroom powder makes for an inviting option, but if you’re in the mood for something different, lion's mane powder and reishi powder also work amazingly well too.
4. Simple Shiitake Sauté
For a simple shiitake sauté, there’s not even really a recipe needed. All you have to do is heat some oil in a skillet over medium heat, throw in your mushrooms until they’ve cooked (be sure to stir frequently), and mix in your favorite herbs, spices, and chopped alliums (garlic, onion, shallot, etc). A bit of tamari or rice vinegar can also serve as a nice touch.
Experiment with different flavor combinations to create your own recipe, and who knows - you might just concoct a brilliant new dish that you can proudly serve to friends and family. Even sauteed shiitake by itself has a wonderfully warming and rich taste, and it will absorb sauces and seasonings from other ingredients as well, which is part of what makes cooking with shiitake such a fun and simple experience.
What Are You Waiting For? Get in That Kitchen!
Shiitake mushrooms in and of themselves are a truly special ingredient. And while they're phenomenal on their own (cooked lightly in some oil), you can also get creative and add shiitake to just about anything you can think of - from hot drinks and desserts to soups, salads, and pasta dishes.
The nourishment we enjoy on a weekly basis doesn’t need to be boring, and shiitake helps to keep food preparation fun - and it serves as a healthy treat for the taste buds, too! There are so many reasons why shiitake mushrooms are one of our preferred ingredients to cook with, so get yourself some fresh shiitake, get in that kitchen, and let your imagination run wild!
