Maitake mushrooms are a type of functional mushroom. This means that they have a variety of health benefits and are typically used for medicinal purposes. They are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and amino acids that make them a nutritional powerhouse. Grifola frondosa, as they are known in Latin, have been used in East Asian medicine for centuries.
Unlike some other functional mushrooms, maitake is edible and has a delicious taste. As a result, they are typically consumed as food. If you want to up your maitake mushroom intake but don’t know where to start, here are five maitake mushroom recipes that will have your mouth watering.
How to Prepare Maitake Mushroom
There are numerous ways to cook maitake mushrooms, but first, you need to prepare them. These mushrooms have a feathery appearance that looks stunning, so handle them carefully if you want to avoid destroying their aesthetic appeal.
Handle maitake mushrooms carefully if you want to avoid destroying their aesthetic appeal.
Preparing maitake mushrooms follows a standard process. As with all mushrooms and vegetables, you will need to rinse them first. Washing dislodges any lingering dirt and is an essential step.
Next, use your hands to tear the mushrooms into manageable chunks. Don’t use a knife if you want them to look as beautiful as nature intended. Start at the stem, break the cluster apart, and then tear it into smaller pieces to achieve the desired size.
How to Cook Maitake Mushrooms
You can cook maitake mushrooms in a multitude of ways, including all the typical ways to cook mushrooms. Techniques include roasting, sauteing, frying, and boiling. You can even make a broth using maitake to create delicious ramen or soup.
Cooking maitake mushrooms is really easy. You only need some very basic cooking skills and equipment to get started. The five recipes below are beginner-friendly and ideal for creating tasty, nutritious dishes.
Best Way to Cook Maitake Mushrooms
Cooking maitake is simple, and you can do it in a variety of ways. This mushroom has an earthy, peppery flavor that is best offset with other salty and savory tastes. Keep this combination in mind when putting together a recipe. That said, it’s best to let the flavor of the maitake mushrooms shine through, so don’t drench them in too much sauce.
In terms of cooking techniques, many people like to sautee or sear maitake in order to soften them and deepen the flavor. However, roasting is also an option. It very much depends on the specific dish at hand.
No matter what you do, it’s advised to cook them alone, protecting the texture. Since mushrooms are moist and spongy, they may absorb too much water and other liquid when cooked with other vegetables. Instead, marinate the mushrooms alone, replace the water within with other flavors, and then cook them alone. At the very least, add them to the dish at the very end.
To avoid breaking them down too much, it’s recommended not to cook the mushrooms for longer than ten minutes on a high heat.
Maitake Mushroom Dishes
Maitake mushrooms are pretty versatile, so there’s a lot you can do with them. Below are five easy maitake recipes to help you get started with this flavor-packed mushroom.
1. Seared Maitake Mushrooms
These seared maitake mushrooms are a way for vegetarians to convert their meat-eating friends. They’re crispy on the outside, only just soft on the inside, and packed with flavors of all the right kind. Serve this mushroom and remoulade combo as a starter or side dish.
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 0H 15MINS
Cook Time: 0H 10MINS
Ready in: 0H 25MINS
Ingredients
- 1 leek, thinly sliced
- ½ shallot, finely diced
- 1 gherkin/pickle, finely diced
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise (regular or vegan)
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp fresh dill
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2x 8oz maitake mushrooms, halved through the stem
- 2 tbsp plus ½ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make a leek rémoulade (cold sauce) by boiling chopped leek in a saucepan of lightly salted water for about four minutes. Drain the leek in a colander and transfer to a bowl of ice water. When cool, drain and dry out on kitchen paper.
- In a bowl, combine the shallot, pickle, mayonnaise, mustard, dill, and 3 tbsp water. Mix into a sauce and thin it out with more water as necessary. Fold in the leek. Season with some salt and pepper, then set aside.
- In another bowl, combine the garlic and 2 tbsp of oil.
- Heat the remaining oil in a sautée or frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt and pepper and cook each one, cut-side down, separately. Press them down to flatten, then fry until crisp and golden. This should take about 3 minutes on each side.
- Reduce the heat and add the garlic oil. Cook for about 1 minute, turning the mushrooms to coat them thoroughly.
- Spoon the leek remoulade onto a serving platter and top with the mushrooms. Serve.
2. Soba and Maitake Mushrooms in Soy Broth
Soba noodles are a more nutritious version of ramen; they contain buckwheat, a great source of fiber. They’re also thick and perfect for slurping. This broth combines the delicious, salty flavor of soy with peppery maitake to make a much better, healthier version of ramen.
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 0H 20MINS
Cooking Time: 0H 20MINS
Ready in: 0H 40MINS
Ingredients
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced into batons
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1x 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oil
- ½ lb maitake mushrooms, torn into pieces
- 8oz soba noodles
- 1 veg stock cube
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Make a quick pickle by adding the carrot batons to a small bowl. Cover with boiling water and stir in the rice vinegar and sugar. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, combine 4 cups of water, the garlic, and the ginger. Simmer the liquid for about 10 minutes, then add the soy sauce and crumble in a vegetable stock cube. Keep it over a low heat.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the maitake mushrooms, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Stir them occasionally and cook for about ten minutes until crisp, then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper.
- Add the soba noodles to the broth and cook until al dente.
- Divide the soba and broth between four bowls. Top with the mushrooms, pickled carrot, radishes, and then carefully place the egg yolk on top without popping it.
- Sprinkle the sesame seeds and sliced scallions over the top, and serve.
3. Maitake with Hoisin Sauce
Make a homemade hoisin sauce to thinly coat crispy maitake mushrooms. This makes a great meat substitute, so add it to “duck” pancakes, bao buns, or stir-fries.
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 0H 10MINS
Cook Time: 0H 10MINS
Ready in: 0H 20MINS
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tsp sesame oil, plus extra for frying
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Hot sauce, to taste
- ½ lb maitake mushrooms, torn into pieces
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Add the soy sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, black pepper, and hot sauce to a blender. Blitz until smooth, then taste and adjust as necessary.
- In a frying pan, heat enough sesame oil to cover the bottom over medium-high heat. Add the maitake mushrooms and fry, stirring occasionally, until golden and crispy.
- When the right texture is achieved, remove from the heat and coat them in the hoisin sauce by stirring.
- Sprinkle with the scallions before serving.
4. Pasta Alfredo with Maitake Mushroom
Creamy fettuccine alfredo is complemented perfectly by maitake mushrooms. This is the ultimate dinner party recipe, balancing flavor, texture, and nutrition perfectly. It’s a bit more indulgent than the other recipes on this list but very worth it.
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 0H 5MINS
Cook Time: 0H 20MINS
Ready in: 0H 25MINS
Ingredients
- ½ lb fettuccine or spaghetti
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 12oz maitake mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp shallot, diced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ¾ cups crème fraîche
- ¼ cup parmesan, grated
- 1 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp thyme
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a medium-large pot of water to the boil over medium-high heat. Lightly salt it, then add the pasta and cook for about 8-10minutes until al dente. Drain and return to the pot.
- Meanwhile, heat a sautée or frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp oil, followed by the mushrooms. Saute until golden-brown, then transfer to kitchen paper and set aside.
- Add another tbsp of oil, then fry the garlic and shallots for about 3 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in the white wine and simmer until it reduces by half. Whisk in the crème fraiche and cook until the sauce thickens, which should take about five minutes.
- Stir in the grated parmesan, so it melts into the sauce, then add the parsley and thyme, reserving some parsley for topping.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the pasta to the pan, removing it from the heat, and toss to coat. Divide between bowls and top with extra parmesan and parsley.
5. Wild Mushroom Soup Made with Maitake
Make a creamy soup for cold days snuggled on the couch, using a variety of mushrooms, including maitake. The more mushrooms you use, the more benefits you infuse into the broth. This recipe calls for dried mushrooms as well as fresh maitake, so make sure to buy the right kind.
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 0H 15MIN
Cook Time: 0H 45MIN
Ready in: 1H 0MIN
Ingredients
- 4oz maitake mushrooms
- 1 oz dried mushrooms (mixed, porcini, etc.)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 shallots, diced
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 celery stalk, sliced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 potato, peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dry white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 rosemary sprig
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add the dried mushrooms to a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Top with plastic wrap and allow to steep and soften.
- Bring the vegetable broth to the boil in a large pot. Add the bay leaf. If you want to strengthen the stock, add the tough parts of the leek; if not, discard these bits.
- Drain the dried mushrooms but reserve the water. Add the mushroom water to the stock – you may want to strain it first to remove grit.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in your largest frying pan and add the onion, shallot, leek, celery, and carrot. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until they start to caramelize.
- Add the maitake mushrooms to the frying pan and cook for five minutes more.
- Pour in the dry white wine and use it to scrape up any charred and burned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Remove the bay leaf and leek from the stock and discard. Then, add the potatoes, thyme, rosemary, and soy sauce.
- Tip the entire contents of the frying pan into the stock and simmer until the potatoes soften. You may want to reserve some maitake mushrooms for topping.
- Use a stick blender to blitz the soup to a creamy consistency. Taste and adjust.
- Ladle into bowls, topping with any reserved maitake mushrooms. Serve.
Bottom Line on Maitake Mushroom Recipes
Maitake mushrooms are not only loaded with flavor but numerous nutritional benefits too. They are a fantastic mushroom for incorporating into your diet, and there are many ways to do it. Cooking maitake mushrooms is quite simple; you can get started with these five recipes.
What’s your favorite way to serve maitake mushrooms? Let us know in the comments below.
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