Shiitake mushrooms Stir Fried with Vegetables

I have always loved my mushrooms. So a few days ago when I saw an email from my juniors – the founders of an IIM- Ahmedabad incubated venture called WIMWI Foods –  in the alumni group, I was instantly interested. WIMWI Foods has launched the Shiitake mushrooms in India under the brand name Le Gourmetz. They sell on Amazon.in and in retail stores like Godrej Natures Basket, Hypercity and a few more.

I got in touch with one of the founders – Srishti Shaw  and a few passionate discussions later, she wanted me to sample her product and sent a packet over. Thanks a lot Srishti for taking the trouble!

Shiitake mushrooms, which are Japanese in origin, are widely cultivated now and are the most consumed mushrooms after button mushrooms . However they are not yet that popular in India and I think WIMWI foods are going to change this. Wishing them all the luck for their venture!!

Shiitake mushrooms are soft, spongy and have a woody flavor and it is difficult to compare the texture or the flavor with any other food. For me the texture comes closest to meat. Apparently they contain no cholesterol and are high in fibre and have lot of other medicinal properties – however I love them purely for their earthy flavors.

In most dishes I have had in India, Shiitake mushrooms are like the side actors, a few pieces added to the noodles or the Chinese gravy. I wanted to cook a dish with the mushrooms being the star of the dish and hence I decided to cook this Shiitake mushroom stir fry and added lesser vegetables than the mushrooms.

When opened, the Le Gourmetz packet looked dry but after hydrating the mushrooms, they tasted so good that it was hard to tell that they were dried mushrooms which had been hydrated. The stir fry was yummy and I have decided I am going to cook this more often.

Here is my recipe for Shiitake mushrooms Stir Fried with Vegetables.

Ingredients

35 gms dried Shiitake mushrooms

1 inch ginger, finely chopped

5-6 cloves garlic,finely chopped

Red chilli flakes – 1/2 tsp

Ground Pepper – 1/2 tsp

1/2 red and yellow bell pepper thinly sliced

Handful of spinach leaves,thinly sliced

2-3 spring onions

Soya sauce – 2 tsp

Red chilli sauce – 1 tsp

Tomato Ketchup – 1 tsp

Cornflour – 1 tsp

pinch of sugar

Salt

2 tablespoons oil

Method

1. I cooked the dried Shiitake mushrooms according to instructions on the packet. Wash and then boil the 35 gm pack in water for 15 mins. Drain the water and let it cool. Remove the stems if any and then cut into thin long slices.You will get around 350 gms of mushrooms from the 35 gm packet.
2. In a non stick pan, heat 2 tsp oil. I used olive oil but if you have sesame oil you can use that
3. When oil is hot, add the ginger and garlic, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes and saute for 2-3 mins
4. Add the mushrooms, bell peppers, whites of spring onions chopped into thin longish slices and the spinach leaves.
5. Add the mushrooms and saute well for 3 mins on a high flame.
6. In a small bowl, add soya sauce, cornflour, 2-3 tsp water, red chilli sauce, tomato ketchup and a pinch of salt to make a nice mixture.
7. Add this to the pan and mix well and cook for another 2-3 mins on a high flame. Adjust the salt according to taste. You wont have to add much salt as soya sauce is salty.
8. Garnish with sring onion greens and serve as a side dish with fried rice or noodles.

Tagged with: appetizers, chinese, dried shittake mushrooms, easy to make, mushrooms, quick, shiitake, starters, Stir fry