Shiitake is the most popular cultivated in the East. In addition to its medicinal uses, shiitake has gained wide recognition in gastronomy. The multifaceted taste that reveals itself when preparing shiitake will not leave Europeans indifferent. There are a huge variety of recipes for shiitake, or rather its preparation, despite the fact that our brother is less familiar with this mushroom than, for example, champignon or oyster mushroom.

Shiitake mushrooms, the recipes for which are given below, are rich in beneficial nutrients, making them an excellent product for vegetarian cuisine. Their consistency resembles excellent meat. In Japan, shiitake is traditionally used to make miso soup. In Thailand, they love steamed shiitakes.

How to cook shiitake? You can add shiitake to salads, sauces, or simply fry. You rarely see mushrooms here, but you can find dried shiitakes in stores. They can be easily restored by first soaking them in water for several hours. However, it should be remembered that these mushrooms can cause an allergic reaction, so it is recommended to introduce them into the diet, starting with small quantities (daily intake 200 grams of mushrooms, 20 grams of dried mushrooms).

Shiitake recipes - mushrooms - recipes by ingredients - yum.ru

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Rice with shiitake mushrooms / recipes with photos

A lot is now being written about the beneficial properties of shiitake mushrooms: they enrich our body with vitamins, improve immunity, and even help in preventing cancer. I am not a doctor or a scientist, and, of course, I personally cannot verify all this. But I admit that even if shiitakes were not so healthy, I would still eat them with great pleasure! Having tried them once, I simply fell in love with their pleasant taste and aroma.

To prepare 3 servings of rice with shiitake mushrooms you will need the following: Ingredients:

1 pack of dried chopped shiitake (20 g)

1 cup rice

2 medium carrots

2 small onions

salt (or soy sauce) and pepper* - to taste

*I prefer using soy sauce instead of salt. This makes the taste more intense. And instead of black pepper I use chili pepper. I usually don’t add any other spices or seasonings so as not to “overwhelm” the taste of the mushrooms themselves.

Cooking time: 1 hour for soaking mushrooms, 30 minutes for cooking.

Complexity: low.

Soak the mushrooms (according to the instructions on the package) for 45-60 minutes in cold water.

We drain the water (but save it for later cooking), and chop the mushrooms additionally if necessary. Be sure to separate the stems and throw them away! They are very hard and not suitable for food.

One day I got greedy and used mushroom stems and caps for the dish. As a result, I then had to choose them from the finished dish, since they are very fibrous and simply unpleasant to chew.

Cut the carrots into strips and the onion into half rings.

Fry them with vegetable oil in a frying pan for 5 minutes.

We wash the rice.

Add mushrooms and rice, mix and add 3 cups of water remaining after soaking. Although, if you accidentally poured out this water, you can use regular water.

Cover tightly with a lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Halfway through cooking, don’t forget to add soy sauce and pepper.

I use a pinch of chili pepper.

After all the liquid has been absorbed into the rice, turn off the heat and leave the dish to rest under the lid for another 15-20 minutes.

Bon appetit!

Shiitake:: culinary encyclopedia. mushrooms:: shiitake mushrooms, all the most interesting things about them. how to cook shiitake correctly. Shiitaki in cooking. shiitake recipes.

Today, probably everyone has heard the word “shiitake,” even those who are not into oriental cuisines. These mushrooms are increasingly appearing in supermarkets, and if you are not an avid mushroom picker, then getting hold of shiitake mushrooms is easier for you than boletus or mushrooms. Many have already tried shiitake out of curiosity and were disappointed - the mushroom is like a mushroom, and we grow better. Indeed, outwardly, shiitakes do not excite admiration - small dark brown mushrooms on a dense stem with a rounded cap turned inward. And the taste is nothing supernatural. Why do Japanese gourmets love them so much? It turns out that everything is not just like that.

Shiitake, or black Chinese mushrooms as Europeans call them, are the first mushrooms that humans began to grow, and not just collect. Whether this was necessary for survival in harsh conditions or whether everything was started just for the sake of regular supplies of delicious mushrooms for the imperial table is now difficult to say, but it is known for sure that the technology for growing shiitake was developed already in the 10th century AD. In China and Japan, these mushrooms were grown on the logs of castanopsis - the shii tree (from which, in fact, the name “shiitake” came), maintaining the necessary humidity and temperature.

Chinese healers, having studied the effects of these mushrooms on humans, came to the conclusion that they help with respiratory diseases, cleanse the liver, stimulate blood circulation, slow down aging, eliminate weakness and fatigue, and generally increase vital energy qi.

Shiitake mushrooms are, of course, useful, but no more so than all other mushrooms. There is no point in attributing miraculous properties to shiitakes bought in the supermarket. And here’s why: in fact, there are several cultures of these mushrooms, and only special “medicinal” shiitakes that are as close as possible to wild ones are used for the needs of pharmacology and cosmetology. They have a pronounced bitter taste and look rather unappetizing - thin, long legs, almost transparent caps. In Japan they are called "donko shiitake". Those dense and appetizing shiitakes that are grown and sold everywhere today were bred by American breeders at the end of the 20th century. Naturally, the selection was aimed at taste and yield; there was no talk of preserving beneficial properties. But as often happens, the fame of medicinal shiitakes automatically transferred to their relatives, which is successfully exploited by unscrupulous sellers, saying that their shiitakes “cure everything.”

Of course, with regular consumption of shiitake in large quantities, we can talk about strengthening the immune system, increasing potency, purifying the blood and preventing the growth of tumors, because the delicacy forms of shiitake also contain useful substances (polysaccharide letninan, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamin D), but they Most of them are destroyed even with short heating. Therefore, pizza with shiitake, which sometimes appear on our table, are simply tasty and satisfying dishes, but in no case are they medicine.

Let us no longer focus on the dubious beneficial properties of shiitake, because these are very tasty and aromatic mushrooms, if you know how to handle them, of course. You can use them to prepare many delicacies of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai and other Asian cuisines, or you can do it simpler and replace them with other mushrooms that you usually use in your kitchen. Start your shiitake experience with fresh mushrooms. The most delicious are those that have a pattern of cracks in the hat in the form of flowers or snowflakes.

In Japanese cuisine, shiitake is often used to make broths and is added to miso soup. In Thailand, shiitake is steamed or fried. In Chinese cuisine, these mushrooms are used to prepare the ancient dish Buddha's delight, a favorite delicacy of Buddhist monks, which there is no way to repeat in Russia, since in addition to shiitake it will require bamboo sprouts, lily buds, gingko nuts and more. a dozen exotic ingredients.

To get maximum benefits, you can eat shiitake raw, but this is not to everyone's taste. An easy way to prepare fresh shiitake is to quickly fry it in oil with salt and garlic and serve with rice, steamed or fresh vegetables. If you stew shiitake in sour cream, as in traditional Russian recipes for boletus mushrooms, you will get a completely complete dish with a slightly unusual, but pleasant taste.

You can also boil the shiitake in a small amount of water just a few minutes after boiling. Don't forget to add salt, garlic and dill will come in handy. After 2-3 minutes of simmering over low heat, turn off the heat and leave the mushrooms to steep under the lid. Fresh shiitakes should not be cooked for long, otherwise you will end up with a rubbery substance without taste or aroma. You can make a delicious and aromatic soup using broth.

If the shiitakes are dried, they should first be soaked. The rough, tough legs are usually discarded, although they can be eaten if desired. You can simply leave dried shiitakes in water overnight, or you can prepare a gorgeous marinade that will transform the mushrooms beyond recognition. To do this, mix sesame oil with soy sauce, add crushed garlic, lemon juice, pepper and your other favorite spices. You can stew mushrooms in the same marinade, or you can serve it as a sauce for the finished dish.

Recipes with shiitake

Ingredients:

500 g fresh shiitake,

2 tbsp. salt,

2 tbsp. mustard seeds,

5-7 whole cloves,

4-5 dill umbrellas,

1 bay leaf,

4 tbsp white wine vinegar.

Preparation:

Unscrew the stems of the mushrooms and rinse the caps thoroughly. Boil 2 liters of water in a saucepan and cook the caps for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the marinade in another saucepan - boil a liter of water and add all the other ingredients. Place the boiled mushrooms into the boiling marinade and cook there for 5 minutes. Sterilize a jar (1.5 liters), place the mushrooms in it, fill it with marinade, and roll up the lid. If you do not plan long-term storage, you can put the mushrooms with the marinade in a plastic container. The mushrooms are ready in 3 days, or better yet, in a week.

You can boil shiitake legs in the broth and make soup with it.

Shiitake chips

Cut large fresh shiitakes into slices, salt and sprinkle with your favorite spices. Heat the oil for deep frying and prepare a simple batter. Dip each plate into batter and fry until golden brown. Dry the finished chips on a paper towel.

Ingredients:

10-12 dried shiitakes,

2 cups short grain rice,

3 carrots,

1 onion,

3 tbsp. vegetable oil,

salt and spices (cumin, barberry, turmeric, coriander, savory, sage, marjoram) - to taste.

Preparation:

Rinse the mushrooms and soak in cool water (3 cups) for 2-3 hours. Pour the water into a wok or thick-walled pan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, cut the carrots into thin slices, the onion into half rings and the soaked mushrooms into slices. In the same sequence, place in boiling water and bring to a boil again. Add oil, salt, spices, stir and cover with a lid. Cook on high heat for 3 minutes, then on low for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and leave for another 10 minutes, then stir and serve.

Ingredients:

250 g fresh shiitake,

100 g peanuts,

50 g butter,

1 clove of garlic,

salt, pepper, thyme, parsley - to taste.

Preparation:

Roast the peanuts until brownish and remove the husks. Cut the mushrooms into thin slices, add finely chopped garlic and fry in butter for several minutes. Add salt, spices, peanuts, mix thoroughly and leave on low heat for 1-2 minutes. Shiitake with peanuts can be served as a separate dish or with a side dish of rice and herbs.

Olga Borodina

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Wonderful marinated shiitake! I followed the recipe exactly, cooked it in the evening, and put the jar in the refrigerator in the morning. We took a sample on the 4th day - just a delicacy! Previously, we sometimes bought such mushrooms produced in the Baltics (I don’t remember exactly the factory). I cooked it myself for the first time - the whole family was absolutely delighted. everything in moderation - salt and vinegar, and nothing interrupts the aroma and taste of these wonderful mushrooms! Many thanks to the author of the recipe and those who posted it. There are only two of them on the Internet! verified. and this one is, in my opinion, the most correct. in the second recipe there is an illogical combination - 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp salt... thank you!

Reply Aquarius2012-01-08 23:44:03

Stewed shiitake mushrooms - recipes - cuisine - arguments and facts

Ingredients

• Shiitake mushrooms – 500 g
• Red onion – 2 pcs.
• Vegetable oil – 50 g
• Yolk – 1 pc.
• Sour cream 15% – 150 g
• Salt and ground black pepper - to taste.
• Fresh parsley and dill - to taste.

Cooking method

Step 1

Fresh mushrooms are doused with boiling water, cut into cubes and placed in a pan. Onions cut into half rings are fried in butter, mixed with mushrooms, a few tablespoons of water are added, sprinkled with black pepper and simmered for 30-35 minutes.

Step 2

Season with sour cream mixed with grated cheese, egg yolk and finely chopped herbs. You can limit yourself to sour cream, stewing the mushrooms in it for another 5-7 minutes.

Step 3

This dish can be prepared with meat: (breasts 300-400 g) cut into small pieces, and fry with onions, mix with mushrooms and cook further according to the recipe.

Shiitake, or black mushroom, has been purposefully grown by the Chinese on trees called Castanopsis long-pointed for over a thousand years.

It is known that during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), these mushrooms were used not only as food, but also as medicine. It was believed that shiitake helps with inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, heals the liver, cleanses the blood, relieves weakness, increases potency and vital energy qi, and generally prolongs youth.

Modern research continues to add to this list of beneficial properties of shiitake.

Thus, it turned out that eating dried mushrooms for just a week reduces cholesterol levels by 15%. Shiitake is able to inactivate the hepatitis B virus.

In 1969, Tokyo researchers isolated the polysaccharide lentinan from shiitake, which is now widely used in the treatment of immune system disorders and cancer.

Shiitake mushrooms - recipes

• Shiitake mushrooms
• Green beans
• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil

• Hot paprika
• Cabbage
• Celery
• Soybean sprouts
• Marinated corn cobs

• Chili flakes
• Olive oil
• Cilantro

Shiitake - beneficial properties, use and preparation - calorie content, what are the benefits and harms of the shiitake product, - [email protected]

Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)

Shiitake are arboreal mushrooms that grow on the shii tree. They have an exquisite taste and healing properties. The color of the mushroom varies from yellow-brown to dark brown.

Shiitake is considered a delicacy; they are valued for their specific pleasant taste and aroma, which resembles something between the taste of mushrooms and champignons.

Shiitake is widely used in cooking, medicine, and cosmetology. These days they are one of the most popular mushrooms in Asian cuisines.

Other names

Shitake, shi-itake, shiitake, black mushroom.

Interesting Facts

The use of shiitake is considered the main reason for the velvety skin and amazing complexion of Japanese geishas.

One of the popular names for shiitake is ginseng mushroom (because it has some of the healing properties of ginseng).

History and distribution

In the wild, shiitake is distributed in the Far East, China, Japan and other countries of Southeast Asia.

According to archaeological finds, in China, the homeland of shiitake, these mushrooms were used as food at the beginning of our era. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Chinese emperors took shiitake decoction to prolong youth and protect themselves from disease.

Healing properties

According to numerous studies, eating shiitake lowers blood cholesterol levels. In diabetics, Japanese mushroom reduces sugar levels and improves insulin production.

Use

Shiitake is widely used in Chinese, Korean and Japanese cuisines. Shiitake dishes can be found in expensive restaurants and sushi bars.

For consumption, mushroom caps are usually used, since the stems are much tougher. They are used to make soups, sauces, and potassium-rich yogurt. Shiitake extract is added to drinks, cakes and candies.

When frying shiitake mushrooms, you need to follow simple rules: cut off the caps, tear the stems lengthwise (in order to preserve the smell of the mushrooms, which changes during cooking and becomes meaty), then add light vegetable oil to a frying pan preheated over high heat. Add the mushrooms and stir frequently while frying until the water has evaporated. Onions, seasonings, walnuts, and almonds are added to the mushrooms to taste.

Shiitake is prized for the fact that it infuses the flavors of other foods without overpowering them.

Fried shiitake mushrooms are served with fish, rice, chicken, vegetables or pasta. The meaty flavor of shiitake goes well with goulash. When preparing goulash, mushrooms must be added 30 minutes before cooking, not earlier, otherwise they will become tough.

Attention! Shiitake can cause an allergic reaction, so they should be eaten in small portions. Pregnant women are not recommended to eat these mushrooms, since their effect on the fetus has not yet been studied.

The maximum daily intake of shiitake mushrooms is 16-20 g of dried mushrooms or 160-200 g of fresh ones.

How long to cook shiitake

The king of medicinal mushrooms, shiitake, needs to be boiled for 3-4 minutes in a small amount of water (for 1 kg of mushrooms you need only 200 ml of water).

Calorie content and value of shiitake

Shiitake calories - 331 kcal.

Nutritional value of shiitake: proteins - 19.3 g, fats - 0 g, carbohydrates - 63.4 g.

In Japan, China and Korea, dishes without shiitake can be counted on one hand. Easterners simply adore this mushroom, not only for its taste, but also for its healing properties. There it is called the elixir of youth, beauty, health and longevity. Why is this mushroom so useful?

What is shiitake

It is known that shiitake is an edible agaric mushroom that grows on a tree. The cap reaches a diameter of up to 30 centimeters, and its color is light or dark brown. There is a cream-colored fringe along the edge, and the top of the mushroom is covered with scales. If you look under the cap, you can see white fibers in which a lot of useful elements have accumulated. The cylindrical leg is white, turning brown when broken, with a fibrous surface.

The name alone already speaks about the method of growth. Shii means broad-leaved tree in Japanese, and take means mushroom. Other names for this plant are also known: black forest mushroom, Chinese or Japanese mushrooms, and its Latin name is edible lentinula. Under natural conditions, shiitake grows in the east: Japan, Korea, China and some areas of Southeast Asia.

Such mushrooms are also cultivated in Russia: in the Far East and in the Primorsky Territory. There are only two types of artificial production:

• outdoors - an extensive method of growing;
• in a greenhouse - an intensive method.

Growing shiitake mushrooms using the extensive method takes from 6 to 12 months. To begin with, small depressions are made on pieces of wood into which shiitake mycelium or an entire culture of it is placed. Then the logs are kept in the shade for some time, at a certain temperature and humidity. Fruiting of mushrooms on logs lasts from 3 to 5 years, and the yield from 1 cubic meter. m of wood is about 250 kg.

The intensive method involves cultivating shiitake on a mixture of sawdust with wheat or rice bran, in special propylene containers. First, the substrate is sterilized, pasteurized in hot water, dried, and only after that the mycelium is planted in the soil. On one block, mushrooms will grow from 30 to 60 days, and the yield for the entire fruiting period will be 15-20%.

Shiitake - benefits and harm

Shiitake dishes are not only low-calorie (nutritional value of 1 kg - 300-500 kcal), but also healthy. For example, there is as much calcium as in fish meat. In addition, they contain a lot of phosphorus, iodine, potassium, zinc, complex carbohydrates and B vitamins. The accumulation of substances is concentrated on the cap, because only there spores form. The stalk has 2 times less micro- and macroelements. Therefore, nutritionists advise cutting off the lower part and cooking as many caps as possible.

It is worth knowing that the benefits and harms of shiitake are a very controversial topic. As it turns out, even they are imperfect. Hardly soluble mushroom protein is practically not absorbed by our body. Plus, chitin fiber contributes to poor digestion. It interferes with the production of gastric juice and passes through the body in transit. For these reasons, doctors do not recommend giving shiitake to children under 3 years of age, and adults can consume no more than 300 g of mushrooms per day.

Medicinal properties

The Japanese call shiitake the elixir of longevity; dishes made from it were often served at the imperial table. And in Russia, the benefits of an overseas guest were recognized several decades ago. There is even a whole science - fungotherapy, which studies the medicinal qualities of mushrooms. It has been proven that the medicinal properties of shiitake lie in its rich vitamin composition:

• Polysaccharides, leucine, lysine normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and promote weight loss.
• Ergosterol was found in dried mushrooms, which, when absorbed, turns into vitamin D.
• Amino acids lower sugar levels, bad cholesterol, and improve blood circulation. This makes the mushroom an indispensable product for diabetes and hypertension.
• According to Chinese research, the presence of this mushroom in the diet will increase resistance to stress and help cope with exhaustion and weakness.
• Lingans with lingins - virus-like particles that make up shiitake, help the body resist herpes and hepatitis viruses.
• With complex therapy, shiitake is used to treat the upper respiratory tract, influenza, smallpox, polio and even HIV.
• Eating 16 grams of dry mushrooms per day will increase immunity and prevent the development of heart diseases: atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease.
• Chitin and cellulose help cleanse the blood of chemical, toxic, and radioactive substances.

There is unconfirmed evidence that the mushroom is good for treating stomach ulcers, gout, hemorrhoids, liver pathologies, prostatitis, and impotence. Some companies specializing in medicinal cosmetics for women produce anti-aging products based on Japanese mushrooms: creams, cosmetic masks, lotions. Lentinan, added to the composition of this cosmetics, stops premature aging of the skin.

Tincture

If you want to have beautiful velvety skin, like in the photo of Japanese geishas, ​​you don’t have to buy expensive creams. Shiitake tincture prepared at home will cope with the tasks. Skin lotion is made according to a simple recipe:

1. Dried mushrooms are mixed with alcohol in a ratio of 2 to 1.
2. Close the container with a lid and then leave for 7-10 days.
3. Apply the prepared solution to a cotton pad and wipe the face, except for the eye area and nasolabial folds.
4. The procedure is repeated regularly: morning and evening.

For oncology

Extracts and extracts from shiitake began to be used in the prevention and rehabilitation of cancer patients. Science has found that these medicinal mushrooms have strong antitumor properties, but this does not mean that you should stop the main treatment and refuse operations. Shiitake mushroom in oncology only reduces the spread of cancer cells, slightly reduces the size of the tumor, enhances the effects of chemotherapy procedures, restores the blood formula, and relieves pain.

Shiitake mushrooms - how to cook

Chinese mushrooms are used not only by doctors; they are often included in dishes. Cooking shiitake is not a complicated process at all. They taste like a cross between a porcini mushroom and champignons. When fresh, they can be used in salad recipes or light appetizers. This mushroom will emphasize, embellish and enrich the taste of any savory sauce. In Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisine, rich miso soups are prepared from shiitake.

Which have recently appeared in our cookbooks and on the Internet, deserve attention due to their high nutritional value and the content of a huge amount of nutrients. In addition to their nutritional qualities, they also have healing properties, which have long been appreciated by specialists in oriental medicine.

Shiitake mushrooms, recipes for which have now become available to everyone, provide our body with nutrients such as protein, fiber, vegetable fat, B1 vitamins, vitamins D and PP, and microelements.

Many housewives wonder what shiitake mushrooms are, how to cook this exotic and what they eat it with. Until recently, almost no one in the CIS countries had even heard of this delicious mushroom. Namely, these recipes, which gradually began to reach us, were a real decoration of the table of the Chinese imperial palace.

These mushrooms are very tasty when salted. To prepare them, mushrooms are boiled in a 5% salt solution, which is prepared from 50 g of salt and 1 liter of water. They need to be cooked, stirring frequently, until the shiitakes sink to the very bottom of the pan. Typically this process takes no more than 20 minutes. The mushroom broth should become completely transparent.

Shiitake mushrooms, the preparation of which is quite simple, perfectly complement the taste of cloves (3 pcs.), dill (5 g), bay leaves (2 pcs.), black pepper (3 peas), cherry leaves (5 pcs.). All these ingredients are evenly placed in pre-prepared glass jars. Boiled shiitakes are placed in a colander. Chilled mushrooms are placed in jars. Add mushroom broth. It should be approximately 25% of the volume of mushrooms. The jars are covered with lids and placed in the refrigerator. Such mushrooms are ready in a month. They should not be stored for a long time, as they may become acidic.

Shiitake mushrooms, the recipes for which are very diverse and unusual, can be prepared in the form of delicious chips. To do this, large, fresh mushrooms are cut into thin slices and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Each slice is dipped in batter and fried in hot vegetable oil until an appetizing crust is obtained. The batter is prepared from 1 egg, a small amount of flour and 100 ml of water.

These mushrooms are great for making soups. For them, you can use shiitake in any form, but dry ones need to be soaked for several hours before cooking.

Shiitake is very tasty as a filling for pies and other dough products. So, you can make wonderful pasties stuffed with these mushrooms. For this dish you will need 250 g of mushrooms (preferably fresh), 0.5 kg of wheat flour, 250 g of hard cheese, 50 g of butter, vegetable oil for frying pasties. You also need water (a glass) and salt (0.5 teaspoon). The dough is kneaded as for ordinary chebureks. The mushrooms are chopped, the cheese is grated. Butter is added to the filling. Small chebureks are formed from the dough and cheese and mushroom filling. They are fried in hot vegetable oil.

Shiitake mushrooms, the recipes of which can be listed for quite a long time, are excellent for regular and so beloved frying. For this dish you need 0.5 kg of fresh mushrooms, 2 onions, vegetable oil, ground black pepper, salt. You can fry both pre-boiled mushrooms and fresh ones. Fried fresh mushrooms are more tasty and aromatic. In any case, the prepared mushrooms are fried in oil until fully cooked, however, boiled mushrooms are added to the fried onions, and fresh ones are first fried a little, after which chopped onions are added to them and everything is brought to full readiness. Some gourmets add a little ground nutmeg to this dish.

Recently, among delicacy mushrooms, one can increasingly hear about shiitake.

Their homeland is Southeast Asian countries, where they grow on dead hardwood. IN China and Japan Shiitake is considered the “king” of mushrooms due to its high taste and healing properties.

The mushroom got its name from the Japanese name of the tree on which it grows - “shia”, and “take” in Japanese is a mushroom.

It is edible, meaty, and tastes like meadow champignon and porcini mushroom. Can be grown at home.

Useful properties of shiitake

In terms of healing properties, this mushroom is in first place. It contains minerals and vitamins that are so necessary for the body: iron, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamins B and C, magnesium.

Shiitake is used for treatment and prevention diseases such as cancer, diabetes, liver disease, stomach ulcers, vascular and heart diseases.

Among the beneficial properties of shiitake are:

• Strengthening the immune system. Polysaccharides found in mushrooms stimulate the production of interferon protein, which prevents bacteria and viruses from multiplying.
• Reducing cholesterol levels. Thanks to the amino acids and fiber contained in mushrooms, the processing of cholesterol and its removal from the body is accelerated. The risk of blood clots also decreases.
• Excretion from the body toxins and chemicals.
• Normalization of prostate function in men.
• Slowing down the development of oncological and benign formations.
• Help in the fight against viral, bacterial and fungal diseases.
• Reduces blood sugar levels, which helps treat diabetes.
• Anti-aging properties.
• Treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.
• Normalization of metabolism in organism.
• Weight loss, obesity treatment.

So, shiitake can be used for almost any disease. The mushroom is suitable both as a main medicine and as an additional one. Particularly useful for use for preventive purposes.

Growing Shiitake

You can grow these unique mushrooms at home.

To do this you need:

1. Prepare a substrate consisting of hardwood sawdust.
2. Place the substrate in a bag and pour boiling water over it. Repeat after 12 hours.
3. Mix the substrate with mycelium at the rate of 250 grams of mycelium per 5 kilograms of substrate. Place the resulting mixture in plastic bags and close with a cotton-gauze stopper.
4. Leave for one and a half to two months until germination at a temperature of 18-24 degrees.

Transfer packages to cool and damp place, free from polyethylene. Lighting is needed about eight hours a day. In 3-6 months the harvest will appear.

How to cook shiitake - recipes

Shiitake has a rich, meaty flavor. They are used to prepare sauces, gravies, soups, meat dishes, and side dishes. Can be a complete meat substitute.

There are several secrets of proper cooking these mushrooms:

Before cooking, wash and be sure to dry the mushrooms to maintain firmness. Soak dried shiitakes for 2-3 hours. When cooking, use different spices, which will help reveal the rich taste and aroma of mushrooms. When purchasing, choose mushrooms that are firm and without brown spots.

There are a lot of recipes for cooking shiitake dishes. They can be stewed, fried, added to soup, boiled or steamed.

Here are some delicious recipes:

Fried shiitakes in sour cream

To prepare you will need:

• Fresh shiitake – 500 grams
• Sour cream – 200-300 grams
• Vegetable oil – 50 grams
• Butter – 50 grams
• Onions – 1-2 pieces
• Garlic – 3-4 cloves
• Pepper
• Greenery
• Spices

Cut the mushroom caps and stems along the grain.

Mix vegetable and butter in a frying pan and heat. At first fry until half cooked mushroom stems, then add caps. Stir occasionally.

Ten minutes before readiness, add finely chopped onion, after five minutes add chopped garlic, salt, spices, pepper, sour cream. Simmer over low heat 5 more minutes. Turn it off and let it brew for a bit. Serve to the table, first sprinkled with herbs.

Shiitake mushroom soup

• Water – 3 liters
• Chicken meat – 0.5 kg
• Dried shiitake mushrooms – 30 grams
• Onion – 1 piece
• Potatoes – 3-4 pieces
• Pearl barley – 50-60 grams
• Pepper
• Greenery

A few hours before cooking, soak the mushrooms.

Prepare chicken broth, remove any foam that has formed. In 10-15 minutes After boiling, add the whole onion. At the end of cooking it must be removed.

Pour the soup into bowls and serve, sprinkled with herbs.

How to cook dried shiitake?

If the mushrooms are dried, it is important to soak them. To do this, pour warm water over the shiitake and leave overnight, or at least for 3-4 hours. After this, the mushrooms can be used to prepare any dish.

Another option is to marinate the shiitake using soy sauce, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and spices. After 5-6 hours, stew the mushrooms in the same marinade.

Today, probably everyone has heard the word “shiitake,” even those who are not into oriental cuisines. These mushrooms are increasingly appearing in supermarkets, and if you are not an avid mushroom picker, then getting hold of shiitake mushrooms is easier for you than boletus or porcini mushrooms. Many have already tried shiitake out of curiosity and were disappointed - the mushroom is like a mushroom, and we grow better. Indeed, outwardly, shiitakes do not excite admiration - small dark brown mushrooms on a dense stem with a rounded cap turned inward. And the taste is nothing supernatural. Why do Japanese gourmets love them so much? It turns out that everything is not just like that.

Shiitake, or black Chinese mushrooms as Europeans call them, are the first mushrooms that humans began to grow, and not just collect. Whether this was necessary for survival in harsh conditions or whether everything was started just for the sake of regular supplies of delicious mushrooms for the imperial table is now difficult to say, but it is known for sure that the technology for growing shiitake was developed already in the 10th century AD. In China and Japan, these mushrooms were grown on the logs of castanopsis - the shii tree (from which, in fact, the name “shiitake” came), maintaining the necessary humidity and temperature.

Chinese healers, having studied the effects of these mushrooms on humans, came to the conclusion that they help with respiratory diseases, cleanse the liver, stimulate blood circulation, slow down aging, eliminate weakness and fatigue, and generally increase vital energy qi.

Shiitake mushrooms are, of course, useful, but no more so than all other mushrooms. There is no point in attributing miraculous properties to shiitakes bought in the supermarket. And here’s why: in fact, there are several cultures of these mushrooms, and only special “medicinal” shiitakes that are as close as possible to wild ones are used for the needs of pharmacology and cosmetology. They have a pronounced bitter taste and look rather unappetizing - thin long legs, almost transparent caps. In Japan they are called "donko shiitake". Those dense and appetizing shiitakes that are grown and sold everywhere today were bred by American breeders at the end of the 20th century. Naturally, the selection was aimed at taste and yield; there was no talk of preserving beneficial properties. But as often happens, the fame of medicinal shiitakes automatically transferred to their relatives, which is successfully exploited by unscrupulous sellers, saying that their shiitakes “cure everything.”

Of course, with regular consumption of shiitake in large quantities, we can talk about strengthening the immune system, increasing potency, purifying the blood and preventing the growth of tumors, because the delicacy forms of shiitake also contain useful substances (polysaccharide letninan, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamin D), but they Most of them are destroyed even with short heating. Therefore, noodles or pizza with shiitake, which sometimes appear on our table, are simply tasty and satisfying dishes, but by no means a medicine.

Let us no longer focus on the dubious beneficial properties of shiitake, because these are very tasty and aromatic mushrooms, if you know how to handle them, of course. You can use them to prepare many delicacies of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai and other Asian cuisines, or you can do it simpler and replace them with champignons or other mushrooms that you usually use in your kitchen. Start your shiitake experience with fresh mushrooms. The most delicious are those that have a pattern of cracks in the hat in the form of flowers or snowflakes.

In Japanese cuisine, shiitake is often used to make broths and is added to miso soup. In Thailand, shiitake is steamed or fried. In Chinese cuisine, these mushrooms are used to prepare the ancient dish Buddha's delight, a favorite delicacy of Buddhist monks, which there is no way to repeat in Russia, since in addition to shiitake it will require bamboo sprouts, lily buds, gingko nuts and more. a dozen exotic ingredients.

To get maximum benefits, you can eat shiitake raw, but this is not to everyone's taste. The easiest way to prepare fresh shiitake is to quickly fry it in oil with salt and garlic and serve it with rice, stewed or fresh vegetables. If you stew shiitake in sour cream, as in traditional Russian recipes for boletus mushrooms, you will get a completely complete dish with a slightly unusual, but pleasant taste.

You can also boil the shiitake in a small amount of water just a few minutes after boiling. Don't forget to add salt; garlic and dill seeds will come in handy. After 2-3 minutes of simmering over low heat, turn off the heat and leave the mushrooms to steep under the lid. Cooking fresh shiitakes should not be long, otherwise you will end up with a rubbery substance without taste or aroma. You can make a delicious and aromatic soup using broth.

If the shiitakes are dried, they should first be soaked. The rough, tough legs are usually discarded, although they can be eaten if desired. You can simply leave dried shiitakes in water overnight, or you can prepare a gorgeous marinade that will transform the mushrooms beyond recognition. To do this, mix sesame oil with soy sauce, add crushed garlic, lemon juice, pepper and your other favorite spices. You can stew mushrooms in the same marinade, or you can serve it as a sauce for the finished dish.

Recipes with shiitake

Ingredients:
500 g fresh shiitake,
2 tbsp. salt,
2 tbsp. mustard seeds,
5-7 whole cloves,
4-5 dill umbrellas,
1 bay leaf,
4 tbsp white wine vinegar.

Preparation:
Unscrew the stems of the mushrooms and rinse the caps thoroughly. Boil 2 liters of water in a saucepan and cook the caps for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the marinade in another saucepan - boil a liter of water and add all the other ingredients. Place the boiled mushrooms into the boiling marinade and cook there for 5 minutes. Sterilize a jar (1.5 liters), transfer the mushrooms into it, fill it with marinade, and roll up the lid. If you do not plan long-term storage, you can put the mushrooms with the marinade in a plastic container. The mushrooms are ready in 3 days, or better yet, in a week.

You can boil shiitake legs in the broth and make soup with it.

Shiitake chips
Cut large fresh shiitakes into slices, salt and sprinkle with your favorite spices. Heat the oil for deep frying and prepare a simple batter. Dip each plate into batter and fry until golden brown. Dry the finished chips on a paper towel.

Ingredients:
10-12 dried shiitakes,
2 cups short grain rice,
3 carrots,
1 onion,
3 tbsp. vegetable oil,
salt and spices (cumin, barberry, turmeric, coriander, savory, sage, marjoram) - to taste.

Preparation:
Rinse the mushrooms and soak in cool water (3 cups) for 2-3 hours. Pour the water into a wok or thick-walled pan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, cut the carrots into thin slices, the onion into half rings and the soaked mushrooms into slices. In the same sequence, place in boiling water and bring to a boil again. Add oil, salt, spices, stir and cover with a lid. Cook on high heat for 3 minutes, then on low for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and leave for another 10 minutes, then stir and serve.

Ingredients:
250 g fresh shiitake,
100 g peanuts,
50 g butter,
1 clove of garlic,
salt, pepper, thyme, parsley - to taste.

Preparation:
Roast the peanuts until brownish and remove the husks. Cut the mushrooms into thin slices, add finely chopped garlic and fry in butter for several minutes. Add salt, spices, peanuts, mix thoroughly and leave on low heat for 1-2 minutes. Shiitake with peanuts can be served as a separate dish or with a side dish of rice and herbs.

Olga Borodina