All About Mushrooms - Little Bites Of Joy

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I’m insanely in love with mushrooms. And here’s why you might want to be too.

Mushrooms are incredibly versatile and can be used in so many ways. They’re also nutritional powerhouses, offering a lot of benefits. They’re delicious, can be made in so many ways, and have been around for ages, dating back to the hunter gatherer times. Learn all about these glorious fungi below!

Mushroom Nutrition

Mushrooms contain many minerals including selenium copper, potassium, and zinc, which is necessary for immune health. They also contain B vitamins and mushrooms exposed to UV Light also contain vitamin D, which is important for immune and bone health. Medicinal mushrooms have also been shown to improve cancer treatment and survival of the patient. They have been shown to have an anti-viral capacity, help with inflammation, anti cancer properties and anti-diabetic properties. Read more here!

Cooking Mushrooms

I especially love cooking mushrooms in stews, soups, and burgers because they mimic a meaty, umami flavor as well as a meaty texture. They can be soft, chewy, and earthy, or with a good bite.

While I’ve eaten raw mushrooms before (only portobellos, which I love to serve stuffed with guacamole), however they’re technically not supposed to be eaten raw due to the potential nature of them causing harm. If unsure, I would always cook your them.

Types of mushrooms

Button
Chanterelles
Chicken of the woods (or Maitake)
Oysters
King Oysters
Porcini
Cremini (or Italian brown mushrooms)
Portobello
Lobster mushrooms
Morel
White mushrooms
As well as wild mushrooms
Medicinals these are meant not to be cooked but used medicinally: reishi, chaga, etc.)

To Wash or Not To Wash

This is the question. I find many people wash their mushrooms because not only are they grown in soil, they often carry that soil with them in the container. However, I learned from a mushroom farmer that the soil is actually sterile. In the chef community, it’s perceived that washing them helps them absorb liquid and are instead rubbed of any debris with a dry paper towel. I know it’s a change of perspective, but I’ve been doing it for years and it works!

Since mushrooms absorb any liquid they touch when raw, you can use that to your advantage and marinate them in a flavorful liquid like soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, balsamic and garlic, and so on. Follow cooking instructions below.

Types of Cooking Methods

Braise, broil, roast, over salads, in soups, stews, sandwiches, pilafs, risottos, pasta dishes, with eggs, as a basis for soup broth or dashi, stir fries, with noodles, dehydrated, sautéed, as the base for veggie burgers, as a plant-based replacement for meat in red bolognese sauce, and so much more. In fact, there’s very little you cannot do with them I find.

Mushroom Recipes and Techniques

Here are some of my favorite mushroom recipes. I hope you enjoy them!

Shitakes, fresh or dried

Dried, soak in boiling water 10-15 minutes to reconstitute. You can also pulverize dry mushrooms to use as a powder to add umami flavoring to dishes.
Try sautéing fresh shiitakes with a bit of sesame oil and garlic.
In miso soup with ginger, garlic, noodles or tofu.
Try them in a stir fry with cabbage, carrots, garlic, ginger, soy sauce.

Oyster Mushrooms

I love pan searing them in a little oil with salt and pepper, adding a small pan on top to add weight. These are very fluffy and could use a bit of pressing down. Pan searing makes them just a little chewy.
You can also sear them, dunk in barbecue sauce and give them a quick grill too.
You can sauté them with some olive oil, garlic, peppers and onions. They retain their shape better this way and turn a little bit more glossy since there is more liquid released from the veggies. Equally good.

Portobellos (also baby Bellas)

I really enjoy marinating them in olive oil, garlic and some balsamic and roasting them. I often add tomatoes and garlic on top.
Add slices of sauteed portobello to miso noodle soup.
Grill them and add to salads, quesadillas, etc.
Amazing with pesto, spinach, tomatoes, Italian dishes.
Wonderful stuffed too.

King Trumpets (or king oyster)

These can be sliced thick and cooked in vegan butter and garlic or olive oil, just like scallops. Make a cross cut over the top for a fancier look.
Sliced lengthwise, these can be marinated in soy sauce or coconut aminos and some liquid smoke, dehydrated to create a bacon alternative. Recipe coming soon!