One of the most popular mushrooms in the world, shiitake have always been as prevalent in Eastern food culture as the closed cup mushrooms are in the West. They are hardy and textured, with almost tiger like markings when they start to dry. They can be bought fresh or semi-dried – young shiitake mushrooms are softer, more delicate in flavour and pale brown, whereas semi-dried shiitake are creamy brown with patches of dark brown with a more traditional shiitake umami flavour. Widely used in Asian cooking, shiitake mushrooms are common in soups (mainly miso), noodle dishes and with oyster sauce. As they are quite sturdy, the need a little more cooking than the average mushroom but they are great in stocks and as a meat substitute due to their strong, distinct flavour.
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