How to Cut Shiitake Mushrooms

Shiitake mushrooms are a type of popular edible mushroom originating in East Asia and often cultivated in Japan and China. “Shii” is a word referring to an evergreen tree that the mushrooms often grow on and around; “take” means “mushroom” in Japanese. These saprotrophic fungi have a slim, light brown cap and a very fibrous stem that is tough and inedible.

Shiitake mushrooms might be slightly harder to find at a grocery store in the US than cremini mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, or button mushrooms, but their umami-rich flavor is well worth seeking out. Shiitake mushrooms are high in eritadenine, a compound that can contribute to reducing high blood cholesterol. They also contain potassium (a slightly lower quantity than in button or portobello mushrooms), which helps regulate blood pressure.

There are endless ways to cook shiitake mushrooms: You can use them in Asian stir fry or French sauté, and overall their meaty texture makes for a good vegan meat replacement. You can even enjoy dried shiitake mushrooms with seasoning as a healthy snack.

To cut fresh shiitake mushrooms, first rinse them under running water or wipe the dark brown mushroom caps with a damp paper towel. Next, remove the stems either by twisting them off or—since their fibrous texture can be tough—cutting them off with a sharp paring knife. The inedible stems aren’t necessarily trash; save them for use in making broth or to flavor risotto. Once you have the stems removed, simply place the caps flat on a cutting board, and slice them with a kitchen knife.

Try using fresh-cut shiitake mushrooms in:

1. 1. Sukiyaki: Add shiitake mushrooms to sukiyaki, a Japanese one-pot dish of beef, tofu, and vegetables in a sauce of stock, soy sauce, sugar, and other seasonings.
2. 2. Mushroom galette: A mushroom galette is a rustic French tart composed of free-form pastry dough topped with a savory mushroom and cheese filling. Try making one with shiitake mushrooms for an extra-savory treat.
3. 3. Miso soup: For perfect miso soup, try using dried shiitake mushrooms to make vegetarian dashi (broth), then add sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms along with miso, tofu, and scallions.
4. 4. Mandu: These Korean dumplings can be stuffed with shiitake mushrooms, tofu, pork, shrimp, and other veggie fillings.
5. 5. Cream of mushroom soup: Make cream of mushroom soup with a mix of mushrooms such as cremini, portobello, and shiitake.
6. 6. Cauliflower soup: Top cauliflower soup with vegan shiitake bacon. To make shiitake bacon, roast sliced shiitake mushroom caps with sesame or olive oil at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until dark brown, about forty-five minutes to an hour. The mushrooms will crisp up as they dry. Try them with Gordon Ramsay’s creamy cauliflower soup recipe.

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