They are many types of dried mushrooms. Dried mushrooms are more concentrated in flavor than fresh. When it comes to plant based recipes, dried shiitake mushrooms have the most meaty texture. To use dried mushrooms they needed to be soaked in water to rehydrate them before using. They also can be made into mushroom powder which can be used as an umami flavor enhancer.
Guideline for Yield
1 oz dried is about 5 oz fresh
Ingredients
- dried mushrooms
- ample fresh water to cover
Instructions
- Put mushrooms in a bowl and cover with a few inches water. To keep them submerged, put a small plate on top of them to weigh them down. Soaking time will vary depending on the size, the type of mushroom, and the thickness. Sliced mushrooms can rehydrate within 30 minutes while large whole shiitakes mushrooms, can take several hours and are best when left to soak overnight. Rehydrated mushrooms are ready when they are plump and when cut in half will be of uniform coloring. Even though the hydration process can be speeded up by using hot water, for optimal flavor dried mushrooms should be soaked in cool water rather than rushing the process.
- Once rehydrated, they will be soft and spongy. Remove the mushrooms and squeeze out the excess water. A salad spinner works great to remove any excess water. The stems will be tough. Unless the mushrooms will be chopped in a food processor be sure to remove them.
- The soaking water is full of nutrients and makes a flavorful broth. Dried mushrooms can have dirt on them so during the soaking process there will be sediment that will settle to the bottom of the soaking vessel. Take care to strain and discard the sediment.