Recommended recipes for dried shiitake mushrooms, nature’s umami booster.

If you think you eat fresh shiitake mushrooms occasionally, you should know that dried shiitake mushrooms are delicious and have strong umami. Dried shiitake mushrooms are delicious and have a strong umami flavour.

Most fresh shiitake mushrooms in supermarkets are grown in mycorrhizal beds, so their umami and flavour are less intense. But dried shiitake mushrooms have the power to make any dish tastier. Yes, as many people have proved in the video.

The secret of the deliciousness of dried shiitake mushrooms is the synergistic effect of umami.

Compared to shiitake mushrooms grown in mycorrhizal beds with a softer taste and aroma, dried shiitake mushrooms from logs are thicker and have a more robust texture and flavour. However, rather than becoming a ‘mushroom taste’ like porcini, a significant characteristic of dried shiitake mushrooms is that they maximise the umami of other ingredients and enhance the dish’s overall taste.

The umami of dried shiitake mushrooms is rare guanylic acid.

Fresh shiitake mushrooms contain glutamic acid, one of the umami ingredients, but when dried, the cells are destroyed and the guanylic acid increases due to the water-returning process.

Guanylic acid is one of the umami components, but few foods contain guanylic acid. Besides shiitake mushrooms, guanylic acid is also present in seaweed and dried tomatoes, but in smaller quantities than in dried shiitake mushrooms.

Umami is seven times stronger due to a synergistic effect; adding guanylic acid makes it 30 times more potent.

Typical umami substances are glutamic acid from the amino acid family and inosinic acid and glutamic acid from the nucleic acid family. It has been chemically proven that these substances are dramatically more potent when combined than when used alone. This is known as the ‘synergistic effect of umami’.

The strength of the synergistic umami effect of glutamic and inosinic acid depends on the combined ratio. However, the power of the synergistic effect of glutamic and inosinic acid varies depending on the balance. Still, it is more potent when glutamic acid and inosinic acid are combined at a ratio of 1:1, which is approximately seven times stronger than when tasted alone. (*1)

Furthermore, when guanylic acid is added to glutamic and inosinic acid, the synergistic effect is 30 times stronger. （*2)

Dried shiitake mushrooms essential for medicinal cooking – Medicinal effects of dried shiitake mushrooms

Dried shiitake mushrooms are an ingredient that contains many rare umami ingredients. Still, they also have many functional components not found in shiitake mushrooms grown in mycorrhizal beds, and their medicinal effects are also remarkable.

Dried shiitake mushrooms dried in the sun contain plenty of vitamin D and prevent osteoporosis. It also contains substances that improve immunity and prevent arteriosclerosis, so it is expected to avoid obesity, ageing and lifestyle-related diseases effectively.

Three delicious dried shiitake mushroom recipes for vegans

Fresh shiitake mushrooms are cooked once, and that’s it, but dried shiitake mushrooms can be enjoyed twice as much. This is because you can enjoy the broth from the dried shiitake mushrooms when rehydrated and the crunchy shiitake mushrooms that have been rehydrated.

Here are three recommended recipes.

They are very popular with vegans, offering plenty of umami without meat or fish.

Zen Minestrone Soup

Reimagining the Italian staple with the Japanese principles of shojin-ryori in mind, this brothy soup is light and refreshing, yet wholly satisfying thanks to a rich plate of deep flavors, varied textures, vibrant colors, and ample umami.

©SUGIMOTO SHIITAKE

See recipe

Vegetarian Shiitake Keema Curry

Vegetarian keema curry with dried Shiitake and soy meat full of Umami!
Guanylate in dried Shiitake makes the Umami of other ingredients come through strongly and enhances the flavor of spices, resulting in a delicious keema curry with only vegetables.

©SUGIMOTO SHIITAKE

See recipe

Delicious Shiitake Ratatouille

Using dried Shiitake and tomato paste, let’s cook a perfect ratatouille free of artificial seasonings. Guanylate found in dried Shiitake enhances the Umami taste of other ingredients. Sautee and stew vegetables to make this simple ratatouille with a rich natural Umami taste that makes it a fantastic side dish for wine!

See recipe

Want to try dried shiitake mushrooms and dried kombu?

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（※1）https://www.umamiinfo.jp/what/whatisumami/#cont09_area
（※2）Flavor potentiators　https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408398309527364
Other reference sites
https://sugimoto.co/en/how-to/why-does-dried-shiitake-make-food-taste-better/
https://www.kobayashi-foods.co.jp/washoku-no-umami/dried-shiitake-mushrooms-nutrition#2-2
https://sugimoto.co/blog/2023/04/Five-Major-Benefits-of-Dried-Shiitake-Powder/

*This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a diagnostic or therapeutic act. We recommend that you consult your doctor or a qualified health professional regarding specific health questions. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult a doctor before starting any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle programme.