Simmered Shiitake Mushrooms

Japanese simmered shiitake mushrooms is a great dish to learn. These mushrooms are often used when making maki sushi (sushi rolls), or chirashi sushi (scattered sushi).

If you love cooking ramen or udon at home, these mushrooms make for a great topping for your noodles as well.

What goes into simmered shiitake mushrooms?

You will need shiitake mushrooms, dashi (Japanese stock), soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.

You can use fresh shiitake mushrooms or dried shiitake mushrooms. If you use dried ones, you will need to soak the mushrooms in cold water overnight to rehydrate and return them into a soft and spongy state. Either way, be sure to cut away the stems before cooking.

For dashi, I prefer using homemade dashi. But if you wish, you can use instant bonito granules too by mixing together 300 ml water with 1 teaspoon of instant dashi.

How to cook this mushroom dish?

First, use a sharp knife to cut away shiitake stems. If you use fresh shiitake mushrooms, you may want to use a damp cloth to gently clean the caps from dirt. It is best if you don’t wash fresh mushrooms under running water.

Next, combine dashi, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce in a spot. Add shiitake mushrooms, and bring to a boil. Simmer until sauce is almost gone. The mushrooms should have a glossy coating from the sauce.

Thinly slice the mushrooms. You can serve this as a side dish with steamed white rice, as a filling for maki sushi or chirashi sushi, and as topping for ramen/udon.