Mushrooming Ideas...

Lately, there's been surplus of mushrooms at low prices at the local supermarkets (I know, I know, I should get them from fresh market ... rolling eyes ...) for less than 1 € /pkt of 160 g - 250 g of several choices! I was grinning away like Cheshire Cat at the vegetable section instead of fish corner... :-D I love mushrooms... they have not much flavours but it's easy to add them into your favourite cuisine either raw or cooked. Definitely, one of those versatile and healthy food available today.

Since I'm now back home in Southeast Asia, my daily meals are those hard to find Asian ingredients in Europe that are costly as well as not fresh in the Asian supermarkets. You're lucky if you can get a pack of 250 g Beansprouts that's juicy and not mushy on the shelve. Sometimes, the staff don't even bother to remove the watery and brownish packages off the rack. Once, I had to wait 2 weeks for a bunch of Screwpine Leaves/Pandan Leaves (Pandanus) from Paris! What did I got after much anticipated waits? 2 large bunch of of Pandan Leaves and the lost of my enthusiasm to cook Black Glutinous Rice! Added to the mood, the Pandan leaves has no fragrance at all... sigh... Anyway, that's for another blog :-D

Now, back to the shrooms... 

Here's the Brown Enoki and Bunapi Shimeiji from Korea (seems that Koreans are very enterprising producing quality mushrooms.)

Brown Enoki Mushrooms is a.k.a Golden Enoki Mushrooms with chewy texture and richer Enokiness taste compared to the common White Enoki Mushrooms. I like Tempura Enoki when you ordered Tempura meal in Japanese Restaurants. Small bunch Enoki is fanned out - like a fan and deep fried in tempura batter.

Bunapi Shimeiji a.k.a White Beech Mushrooms or as Hon Shimeiji mushrooms-the name typically refers to the Buna Shimeiji or Bunapi Shimeiji strain. The Hon Shimeiji mushrooms can be sautéed using high temperature or slow roasted on low temperature with a small amount of butter or cooking oil. I did Kinoko Batayaki - sautéed mushrooms in butter & sake few days ago... it's simply delicious and it's not mushy at all

It's easy to do Kinoko Batayaki... 

1. Get ready some Hon Shimeiji Mushrooms sake, butter & a frying pan.

2. Heat a frying fan in medium heat. When butter melts, add in the mushrooms. You can add more butter if you like. More butter used the richer the aroma (I thought it's better to eat more butter than margarine lately...)*

3. Add few dashes of sake.

4. Slowly cooked it until softened or to your liking.

5. Serve as side dish or top it on your rice with omelette.

* I didn't add any salt because the butter I used is Salted Butter.

Itadikimasu!!! Enjoy!!!