How to cook lion’s mane mushroom

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Lion’s mane are beautiful and tasty mushrooms that can be found in the woods during the fall and spring seasons. They have an unusual, irregularly shaped, sessile, rounded fruiting body. The legs are absent. The hymenophore is spiky. The long, drooping spines reach 2-5 cm, sometimes slightly yellowing when dry. The flesh and spore powder have a white tint. The mushroom can grow to 1.5 kg, the width of an adult fruiting body is 20 cm.

Japanese and Chinese cooks highly value yamabushitake( lion’s mane in Chinese), quite reasonably believing that its taste is very similar to chicken, seafood. These fruiting bodies contain 32 aromatic substances, which are far superior to those of shiitake.

The mushroom can be dried, pickled, fried, made for the winter, and used for medicinal purposes. But before you cook the mushrooms, you need to know how to prepare them properly.

Useful tips on pre-treatment

Here is a selection of useful tips on pre-treatment:

  1. To get rid of worms, mushrooms should be soaked in salt water.
  2. Let the water drain and remove the damaged places with worms.
  3. Clean the mushrooms. Lion’s mane mushrooms have a thick and fleshy stalk covered with warts and hairs. To remove dirt and other impurities, use a soft brush or paper towel to clean their surface.
  4. Remove the lower parts of the stem. The undersides of the stems can be tough and taste unpleasant. To avoid this, use a knife to cut off the bottom 2-3 cm of the stem.
  5. Slice the mushrooms. Lion’s mane mushrooms have a long and fleshy stem part that can be sliced into pieces of any shape and size. You can also cut the mushrooms into slices or rings, depending on how you intend to use them.
  6. It is advisable to boil the mushrooms to give them the necessary softness before using them further in food.

Let’s look at a few options for cooking Lion’s Mane mushrooms.

Cooking

Properly processed mushrooms should be placed in a deep pan, in which previously dissolve 1-2 tablespoons of salt in 5 liters of water. Boil yamabushitake 10-15 minutes, and then you can cook other, very tasty dishes from the “gnome mushroom”.

Pickling

These mushrooms are quite often prepared in marinated form. Such a dish will pleasantly surprise all guests.

Ingredients for 1 liter of marinade:

  • salt – 1 tbsp;
  • garlic – 2-3 cloves;
  • bay leaf – 2-3 pcs;
  • vinegar 6% – 200 ml;
  • peppercorns – 2-3 pcs;
  • cloves – 2-3 buds.

How to prepare:

  • First you should make a marinade. To do this, you need to mix all the components in a deep container and let the liquid boil.
  • Immerse the pre-washed and peeled mushrooms in the pot.
  • Boil the mushrooms on medium heat for a quarter of an hour.
  • Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon and place in clean jars.
  • Pour the boiling marinade in which boiled fruit bodies.
  • Cover and leave to cool. Store in a cool place.

Freezing

Pre-cleaned mushrooms boil for 10-15 minutes in salted water. Divide the entire volume into small portions that will be convenient to freeze and use once. Place the yamabushitake in plastic bags and place in the freezer. At a later date, simply take them out of the package and use them for their intended purpose.

Roasting

Ingredients:

  • 500 g lion’s mane mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Garlic or onion if desired

Preparation:

  1. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add a small amount of vegetable oil.
  2. Add the sliced lion’s mane mushrooms and stir-fry for about 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic, onion and other seasonings to taste and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the mushrooms are golden.
  4. The finished lion’s mane mushrooms can be served as a side dish to meat or fish, or used as an ingredient in other dishes.

Drying

The technology for drying mushrooms is simple:

  • Prepared mushrooms are laid in a single layer on a baking tray and subjected to heat treatment in several stages.
  • First they are dried at 80-100 ° C for 2-3 hours, then cooled.
  • The procedure is repeated until the mushroom does not crumble when breaking.

It is very important to complete the process and not to let the insufficiently dried fruit bodies get moldy. Dried product can be used for vegetarian dishes and during Lent.

Lion’s Mane mushrooms can be prepared not only as a separate dish, but also used in many recipes where they can be a highlight.

Different dishes

Here are a few ideas on how to use lion’s mane mushrooms in different dishes:

Lion’s mane mushroom soup

Ingredients:

  • 500 g lion’s mane mushrooms
  • 1 l of chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

  1. Chop the onion and carrots into small pieces.
  2. Heat the oil in a pot.
  3. Add onions and carrots and fry over medium heat until they are soft.
  4. Add the lion’s mane mushrooms and fry for another 5-7 minutes.
  5. Add the vegetables and mushrooms to the broth and bring to a boil.
  6. Cook soup over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until mushrooms are soft.
  7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Lion’s Mushroom Soup is ready and can be served.

Salad with lion’s mane mushrooms

Ingredients:

  • 500 g lion’s mane mushrooms
  • 2 cucumbers
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

  1. Slice lion’s mane mushrooms into thin strips.
  2. Slice cucumbers, tomatoes and red onion into cubes.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together the lion’s mane mushrooms, cucumbers, tomatoes and red onion.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix olive oil and lemon juice.
  5. Salt and pepper the sauce to taste.
  6. Pour sauce over salad and gently mix all ingredients.
  7. Lion’s Mushroom Salad is ready and can be served.

All of these lion’s mane mushroom dishes turn out very flavorful and delicious, so feel free to experiment and create your own recipes with these magical mushrooms.

In any case, lion’s mane mushrooms are a great choice for mushroom lovers. Not only do they have a delicious flavor, but they are also high in nutrients such as vitamin D, proteins and amino acids. Also, lion’s mane mushrooms can help improve digestion and boost your mood, which makes them even more attractive for use in cooking.

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