Shiitake mushrooms are famous for their meaty texture and earthy flavour. They’re a vegan diet staple and great for anyone looking to add more vegetables to their diet. These versatile mushrooms are easy to grow at home and can be incorporated into recipes like shiitake mushroom soup and shiitake mushroom risotto.

You can cook shiitake mushrooms in just 10 minutes with only three ingredients. These chewy, juicy mushrooms are great for adding to any stir-fry dish, popping on top of avocado toast, or adding to buddha bowls.

We’re sharing our advice on how to cook shiitake mushrooms and some of the most popular recipes to show just how versatile these mushrooms are.

The Best Way to Cook Shiitake Mushrooms

Shiitake mushrooms are known for their smoky undertones and rich textures, making them one of the most popular edible mushrooms. Native to East Asia, shiitake mushrooms are ideal for cooking with sesame oil or soy sauce. It’s one of our go-to ways to prepare shiitake mushrooms for pasta dishes.

Here is our step-by-step guide on preparing shiitake mushrooms for cooking:

• Rinse your shiitake mushrooms under cold water, lightly patting them dry with a paper towel.
  
  
• Remove the stems and add them to a freezer-safe bag to save for making vegetable stock later.
  
  
• Cut the mushroom caps into strips, depending on your size preference.
  
  
• Consider drying your shiitake mushrooms, this is the best way to keep the mushrooms you don't require immediately for later use, it also maximises their umami flavour.  

Our favourite way to maximize the flavour of shiitake mushrooms is to cook them with sesame oil or soy sauce. The mushrooms will soak up the flavour, adding a little extra kick to recipes. If you’re using soy sauce, you can add a little olive oil to help coat your mushrooms. You can swap out olive oil for sesame oil if you want to give your shiitake mushrooms a toasty texture.

It takes just 10 minutes to cook shiitake mushrooms, including prep time. Sauté your mushrooms for 3 minutes or until soft in a non-stick skillet.

How to Grow Shiitake Mushrooms

Our ‘Ready Growing Shiitake Mushroom Growing Kit is the easiest way to grow shiitake mushrooms at home. They make the perfect gift for a nature lover or amateur cook with a love for incorporating mushrooms into every recipe.

Our growing kits are designed with beginners in mind with easy-to-follow instructions. You’ll receive a pre-spawned shiitake log, meaning your mushrooms are already growing when they arrive.

Ideas for Shiitake Mushroom Recipes

Shiitake mushrooms are perfect for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Here are some of our favourite dishes to give you inspiration for shiitake mushroom recipes:

• Avocado toast
      
• Mushroom omelette
           
• Creamy mushroom rigatoni pasta
  
  
• Vegetable soups
           
• Stir fry noodles and vegetables
           
• Ramen with mushrooms and vegetables
  
  
• Vegan mashed potatoes
      
• Vegan-friendly pizza
           
• Quesadillas
               
• Shiitake mushroom risotto.
  
  
• Shiitake and Samphire     
   

Where can I find shitake mushroom and chicken recipes?

Visit the Merryhill Mushroom blog for recipes on how to cook shiitake mushrooms, including advice on how to use our shitake mushroom growing kit.

Start Cooking with Shiitake Mushrooms with Our At-Home Growing Kit

Growing fresh shiitake mushrooms will add more flavour and texture to your dishes than store-bought mushrooms. Our ready growing mushroom kits give you a head start as the mushrooms are already growing, ensuring a healthy crop and giving you your first mushrooms, ready to cook in just a few days.

How do dry shiitake mushrooms?

Firstly clean of your mushrooms for any debris, you will want to trim back any of the stems containing any remaining substrate from the compost.

The best way to dehydrate mushrooms would be with the use of a dehydrator, set low around 55-60'c and letting it run until the mushrooms feel leathery, typically this will take several hours.

If you do not have a dehydrator, you can use an oven set low at 50-60'c and spread the mushrooms onto a baking sheet in a single layer, leave the door open for moisture to escape and check on the mushrooms every half hour, expect perfect dried mushrooms after a couple of hours.

Got a question about shiitake mushrooms? Contact our team today and follow us on Instagram for more mushroom growing tips and tricks.