Shiitake
Firstly, the correct pronunciation of shiitake is shee - ta - ke
(ta = tap without the p, ke = Ken without the n).
Some mushrooms have important health-giving properties and are widely used in traditional oriental medicine. The shiitake is probably the most effective and the most widely available. It is a common ingredient in Japanese cooking.
Others, such as matsutake (pronounced mat' ta ke), are very expensive as well as having a very strong taste and a pervasive aroma, so could be considered the Oriental equivalent of a truffle.
Shiitake mushrooms are usually sold dried, either whole or in pieces, so you need to soak them first for about 20 -30 minutes.
They are dark brown in colour, rather rubbery in texture and have a unique taste - some would say an acquired taste! - quite strong, so perhaps best eaten in small pieces as one of a mixture of vegetables in, for example, oden (see below), barazushi or gomokumeshi.
Like tofu, shiitake are high in protein and low in calories, making them especially useful for vegetarians, and contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. They have been shown to have anti-cancer qualities, and help to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, thereby helping in the fight against atherosclerosis and heart disease.
In addition, shiitake can enhance the response of the body’s immune system, helping to combat infections (including influenza) and auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Nimono
This a simple recipe and a good introduction to shiitake.
It is basically a selection of vegetables boiled in typical Japanese stock - dashi, with soy sauce added towards the end of the cooking time, and a drop of mirin (sweet saké) if you prefer it slightly sweeter.
The vegetables, cut into bite-size pieces, are typically potato, carrot, onion, sometimes daikon (long white ‘icicle’ radish or mouli) and pieces of shiitake, which also add to the flavour of the stock.
Boil the vegetables in order of hardness, so that they do not get too soft - start with the daikon if you are including this. There should not be too much liquid; it is not a soup or stew. Some people also add thin slices of beef.
This would be served not as a main meal by itself, but as one of several dishes, for example a fish dish, rice, misoshiru soup and tsukemono (pickled vegetables) or a simple salad.
Oden
This is similar to nimono but has additional ingredients, more liquid and is cooked slowly for a longer time - sometimes several hours. So it is more like a ‘casserole’.
The other ingredients usually include fried bean curd, konnyaku (a jelly-like substance made from a vegetable-based flour), kamoboko (a smooth, firm fish-cake), tako (octopus) and hard-boiled egg. Probably not so easy to make yourself, but worth trying in a restaurant. In Japan there are many ‘oden-ya-san’: small restaurants specialising in oden.
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