Bunashimeji ぶなしめじ

Sorry about the long hiatus!  I took a trip out to Saipan and then spent the past week just catching up on relaxation.  I can't remember the last time I had a week to sit around and do nothing.  I hope everyone else had a good holiday season!

Amanda requested I talk about shimeji mushrooms and here they are.  I personally love shimeji and will throw them in just about any recipe where mushrooms can be added.  They usually come in a big bunch and can be found in brown and white varieties.  Their firm texture make them perfect for stews and stir fries since they won't break up like other varieties of mushrooms tend to.  Shimeji are also low in calories and high in niacin; they're also believed to have anti-tumor agents in them!

How to Prepare
You'll want to cut off the bottom section where the mushroom was growing.  Then break up the mushroom into chunks or individual stems.

Easy Shimeji Recipe

If you've never had sukiyaki before, now's the time to start!  Sukiyaki is big in Japan, especially during the cold winter months.

Sukiyaki


Serves 4

Prep Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 300g shimeji mushrooms (1 package)
  
• 1/3 head Chinese cabbage 白菜
• 2 leeks
  
• 400g beef (ask your butcher to thinly slice the beef like deli meat, or if you're in Japan look for うす切り牛肉.  It should look like the picture)
• Shirataki, one bag drained (shirataki is a type of konnyaku.  It looks like translucent noodles before it's cooked.  It can be found at most Asian markets as しらたき.  If you can't find it, it can be omitted)
  
• 1 block grilled tofu 焼き豆腐, drained (can be found at most Asian markets.  If you can't get pre-grilled tofu, buy firm tofu and grill it yourself).
  
• 4 eggs, beaten
  

Sukiyaki Broth

• 1 package powdered kombu broth 昆布だしの素 (can be found at Asian markets and Whole Foods)
  
• 1 cup hot water
  
• 4 tablespoons sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon mirin
  
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Preparation:
1. In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the sukiyaki broth.  Set aside.
2. Cut bottom off the shimeji mushrooms and cut into small sections.
3. Cut the Chinese cabbage into bite-sized chunks.  Cut bottom and dark green parts off the leeks.  Cut into bite-sized slices.
4. Drain tofu and cut into 1 inch cubes.  Drain the shirataki.
5. In a nabe pot or medium sized heavy pot, add the sukiyaki broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Add the mushrooms, cabbage, leeks, tofu, and shirataki.  Spread everything out evenly in the pot.
6. On top of all that, spread out the slices of beef evenly. 
7. Once the beef begins to change color, add the beaten egg to the sukiyaki.  Cook until the vegetables are to your liking.
8. Finished!

Sukiyaki is a very easy weeknight meal.  Try it out!

Maitake 舞茸

You've probably noticed that the supermarkets have stepped it up in the mushroom department recently.  Fall means shrooms in Japan and the variety here is impressive.  This week we'll talk about maitake, which has weird, gross-sounding names in English like "Sheep's Head."  I don't know what kind of sheep the guy hangs out with that came up with that name but my sheep tend to be less mutated.  Like most mushrooms, maitake is a good source of selenium, B-vitamins and potassium.  It's also been shown in studies to help boost the immune system of cancer patients, so if you think you might have cancer stock up on maitake!

How to Prepare
Cut off the base of the mushroom where it still has some growing medium left on it (yuck).  After that, do whatever you feel like with it!  Chop, dice, shred, boil, steam, grill, the possibilities are endless.

Easy Maitake Recipe

One of my favorite recipe for autumn.  It's easy to modify with whatever you have on hand.

Mushroom Barley Soup


Serves 10 bajillion people (seriously, you'll get 8-10 servings easy from this)

Prep Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 ribs celery with leaves, diced
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small package maitake mushrooms, chopped
• 1 small package enoki mushrooms, bottom 1/3 removed
• 1 small package shiitake mushrooms, destemmed and sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 8-10 cups water
• 2 beef or vegetable bouillon cubes
• 1 cup whole barley

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a stockpot and sauté the onion, celery, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, carrot, garlic, thyme and fresh mushrooms until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Lower the heat and add the flour, stirring every 30 seconds for about 5 minutes or until thick.
3. Add the water and bouillon cubes to the pot, constantly stirring, until vegetables are immersed.
4. Turn the heat to high, and add the barley. Stir well and add salt to taste.
5. Simmer, covered, for about an hour or until the barley is tender and the soup is thickened, stirring often.
6. Add additional chopped parsley, mix thoroughly, and adjust seasonings.
7. Finished!

You can add and subtract just about anything from this recipe.  I often like to skip the carrots and add zucchini when I can findthem on sale.

Daikon 大根

The giant white radish you find in so many dishes here in Japan.  Daikon can sometimes have a strong sulfury taste, particularly when raw, but when cooked most of that taste goes away.  Daikon is rich in vitamins A, C, and E, and supposedly helps cure hangovers.  I don't know if that last part is true, but next time you pull an all-nighter in Osaka eat a cup of shredded daikon in the morning and tell me how it goes.


When buying daikon, choose ones that are firm and on the smaller side.  Sometimes you'll find daikon that are lavender or bright pink in color.  I have no idea what the difference is between those and regular daikon other than their psychedelic tendencies.


How to Prepare
First you'll want to scrub the outside of the daikon to get rid of any dirt that's hanging out.  Chop off the top 2 inches of the daikon as that part is very tough and not worth eating.  Slice the daikon into large section and use a peeler or knife to take off the outer skin of the daikon.  Then soak the daikon in ice water to get it nice and crispy.  You can also just shred the daikon, dice it, etc at this point.

Easy Daikon Recipe
This is my own take on borscht, the Eastern European soup that usually incorporates beets.

Daikon Winter Soup

Serves 4
Prep Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped leeks
  
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  
• about 1/2 of a small daikon, peeled and shredded
  
• 1 cup chopped celery
  
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
  
• 1 cup diced beef
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 small potatoes, diced
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1/4 head of cabbage, shredded
  
• sour cream for garnish
  

Preparation:
1. Heat oil and butter in a saucepan.  Add leek and garlic.  Saute for about 5 minutes.
2. Add vegetables except cabbage, sugar, vinegar, tomatoes, beef and salt.
3. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes.
4. At the same time, add potatoes, water, and boullion to the soup pot.  Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are just tender.
5. Add cabbage and vegetables from the saucepan.
6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20-30 minutes.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Serve garnished with sour cream.
9. Finished!