What Are Shimeji Mushrooms?

Can you eat the base of shimeji mushroom?

Shimeji mushrooms are a variety of Asian mushrooms with a crunchy texture and nutty, savory flavor. They're also known as beech mushrooms, due to the fact that in the wild, they grow on fallen beech trees.

Both cap and stalk are edible. Buna-shimeji are crisp in texture and can hold up to being cooked at high temperatures or slow roasted at a low temperature.

Where Do Shimeji Mushrooms Grow?

Shimeji mushrooms grow natively in forests throughout East Asia and some parts of Northern Europe. Wild shimeji mushrooms often grow in clusters on top of decaying beech trees, which is how some shimeji species received their common names.

Some varieties of shimeji mushrooms are cultivated in specific growing conditions throughout North America and Europe.

In which recipes shimeji mushrooms is used? 

From soups, stews, noodles, salads, and rice bowls, Shimeji mushrooms are widely used in Japanese cuisine. 

The mushrooms can be stir-fried, roasted, steamed, sauteed, and pickled. Like many mushrooms, it's hard to overcook them and still retain some of that firmnessStart cooking shimeji in cold water and slowly bring it up to a gentle boil. Yes, that's the hack to extract the vegan “seafood” like flavor from shimeji as a base for this vegan shimeji mushroom miso soup!

Do I need to wash shimeji mushroom?

It's a good idea to gently rinse them, but you don't need to be too vigorous. Commercially cultivated shimeji mushrooms are generally kept very clean when growing.

Is it better to boil or fry mushrooms?

The Best Way To Cook Mushrooms Is Boiling Them. 

What is the healthiest way to cook mushrooms?

The researchers concluded that the best way to cook mushrooms while still preserving their nutritional properties is to grill or microwave them, as the fried and boiled mushrooms showed significantly less antioxidant activity.

Vegan Shimeji Mushroom Miso Soup is a perfect way to appreciate the umami-rich taste of shimeji mushrooms in savory Japanese miso soup. In fact, shimeji miso soup is one of a popular miso soups in Japan especially in the Fall. It’s impressive how much umami from the shimeji steeps into the miso soup without using any vegan dashi or broth.