Sweet simmered shiitake (椎茸) are easy to make and very delicious. I make these all the time, primarily for onigiri filling and as a bento item. Sweet simmered shiitake keep well in the fridge, which is a bonus. You will need to use dried shiitake for this recipe.
The Japanese word shiitake (しいたけ) comes from a combination of the words “shii” (a type of Japanese evergreen) and “take” (which simply means “mushroom” in Japanese). Therefore, “shiitake mushroom” is a redundancy. Since most English-speaking people recognize shiitake as a mushroom it really doesn’t matter at this point. Now you know. Class dismissed. Let’s cook!
What you need
- Ingredients
- 20 dried shiitake
- 1 1/2 cups shiitake soaking liquid
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 2 Tbsp shoyu
- 2 Tbsp sugar
What to do
Step 1 – Soak the 20 dried shiitake in enough warm water to cover them. Soak them until they are soft (~30-45 min.).
Step 2 – Remove the mushrooms from the water. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mushroom soaking water for this recipe. Cut the tough, fibrous stems off the mushrooms. (Please save the rest of the soaking water – it is very useful as an addition to stock and very flavorful. I usually cook rice in it.)
Step 3 – Place the mushrooms and cooking ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat to simmer. Place a droplid (おとしぶた) on top once simmering. If you don’t have a droplid you can use a slightly smaller lid than the pot, a small plate, or a circle fashioned of aluminium foil.
Step 4 – Turn the mushrooms every few minutes to ensure the seasonings penetrate completely. Let the cooking liquid reduce until it is almost gone. There should only be a tablespoon or so of thick sauce in the bottom when they are finished. Turn off the heat and let them cool in the pot.
Step 5 – I like to slice the mushrooms once they are cool, but you can leave them whole and slice them up as needed later. Sprinkle with a bit of toasted sesame seeds (ごま) and serve! (For some reason I don’t seem to have white sesame seeds in my kitchen – must remedy that. In the meantime, black sesame seeds, ladies and gentlemen!)
Variations
I like to toss the cooled, sliced mushrooms with toasted sesame seeds and about a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil. This really adds a richness to the flavor profile and enhances the flavor already present in the dish. If you want a spicier version, seed and slice one small red chili pepper and simmer it with the mushrooms.
Please let me know in the comments if you’ve made this dish! I love sharing recipes and variations on recipes with people. This one is especially easy and very much worth trying out :)
いただきます！
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