Shiitake Mushroom Guide: 4 Ways to Cook Shiitake Mushrooms

Shiitake mushrooms (Lentinus edodes) are Asian forest mushrooms that grow on rotting wood logs. Native to East Asia and cultivated in Japan and China for centuries, the Japanese name “shiitake” comes from “shii,” one of the hardwood trees that the mushrooms grow on, and “take,” or mushroom. Shiitakes are the third most cultivated mushroom worldwide, just behind the white button mushroom and oyster mushroom. Shiitake mushrooms have a dark brown top, a white stem, an earthy flavor, and a meaty texture.

Traditionally, shiitake mushrooms are naturally found on fallen deadwood logs. Over the past few decades, alternative techniques for cultivating shiitake mushrooms have emerged, using waste products such as corncobs and sunflower seed hulls as growing media. In addition to the farmed shiitakes you’ll find at the grocery store, shiitakes and other members of the Lentinus genus (including some native to the United States) can be foraged as wild mushrooms.

Shiitake mushrooms are popular globally and have multiple culinary uses and health benefits. Cooks can stir-fry, sauté, and puree fresh and dried shiitake mushrooms in various dishes. Shiitake mushrooms are a good source of dietary fiber, copper, selenium, manganese, potassium, protein, iron, and B vitamins, such as pantothenic acid and riboflavin. They also have the compound eritadenine and the beta-glucan lentinan, which can help lower cholesterol, and polysaccharides, an immune system booster.

You can eat raw shiitake mushrooms, but the umami flavor and meaty texture are more pronounced when cooked. Consider the following ways to cook fresh shiitake mushrooms:

1. 1. Stir-fry: Shiitake mushrooms are popular in stir-fry dishes, so try combining shiitake mushrooms with other veggies and soy sauce to make a healthy dinner with rice.
2. 2. Sauté: Sauté shiitake mushrooms in butter and olive oil to create decadent dishes like risotto or fettuccine alfredo.
3. 3. Braise: Shiitake mushrooms can cook for long periods without losing texture, so you can simmer them in a stew, use them to make mushroom bolognese, or create a delicious soup, such as cream of mushroom soup.
4. 4. Dry: You can purchase fresh shiitake mushrooms or dried mushrooms, which have an even more intense umami flavor than fresh shiitake mushrooms. To rehydrate dried shiitake mushrooms, soak them in hot water. Dried shiitake mushrooms can be a rich base for soup or vegetable stock because you can use the soaking water—dried shiitake mushrooms are a common base for Japanese dashi stock.

Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Niki Nakayama, Gabriela Cámara, Chef Thomas Keller, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, Gordon Ramsay, Alice Waters, and more.