Shiitake mushrooms sautéed
in butter and soy sauce

While a variety of kinoko (mushrooms) are available throughout the year in Japan, there's no better season than fall to enjoy and celebrate them.
For the most autumnal food, I'm sure most Japanese would name the matsutake mushroom . It's not unusual for matsutake, a true delicacy with its amazing aroma, to play an important role as a seasonal gift or as the highlight in luxurious meals at traditional Japanese restaurants.

Matsutake comes with a high price tag, too, though; a handful of fine, natively grown matsutake sold at a supermarket in Japan can cost over a hundred dollars. Thus, if you're invited to a dinner with matsutake, don't forget to enjoy every bite of it; otherwise your host might cry!
Meanwhile, when I think of a typical, everyday kind of mushroom in the Japanese household, shiitake springs up first in my mind. If matsutake is the "king" of mushrooms there, shiitake is the "best friend" in the Japanese kitchen.
Along with other common and wallet-friendly types such as shimeji and enoki, shiitake mushrooms regularly appear in various meals, including miso-soup, dumplings, and rice dishes.

There are quite a few simple and popular ways to enjoy grilled shiitake, such as with ponzu (soy sauce with lemon juice) or with grated daikon with soy sauce. Today I want to introduce a simple and delicious appetizer that uses butter and soy sauce. This is an easy-to-fix and well loved item in Japanese homes and izakaya (Japanese pubs).
You will be pleasantly surprised by the pairing of soy sauce and butter; it's a common seasoning combination in Japanese cooking that, you can even find packaged snacks, from potato chips to ramen noodles, with bataa-shoyu (butter and soy sauce) flavor.
Fresh shiitake mushrooms are tender and soften quickly on heating. Therefore, be careful not to overcook, or the rich flavor will be lost. When selecting, try to pick ones that are nicely firm and round. Avoid caps that are too thin, too flabby, or too dark.
While this recipe certainly requires fresh shiitake to enjoy its meatiness in full, dried shiitake is commonly used in the Japanese kitchen as well. All you have to do is to soak them in cold water for a while before cooking.

If you live in a region in which shiitake is not readily available, you may try this recipe with your own regional mushrooms. So far, I've tried it with the more common mushrooms here in the U.S., such as portabella mushrooms and white mushrooms, and both prove to be pleasantly tasty.

Now you're ready to enjoy the foresty taste of autumn and make your home into a popular Japanese izakaya!

Written by Ayako Akeura
A TranNet member and freelance writer/translator based in New York City

♦ INGREDIENTS
(Appetizer / 2-3 servings)

T   = tablespoon

8-10  Fresh shiitake mushrooms
2  T  Soy sauce
3  T  Butter
2  T  Sake or cooking wine
1  T  Finely chopped scallions or parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

♦ How to make Shiitake mushrooms sautéed in butter and soy sauce

1.  Wipe shiitake mushrooms clean with a moist cotton cloth or paper towel and trim the stems. If using big mushrooms, cut in half or into fourths. Rinse, dry with paper-towel, and chop scallions or parsley into fine pieces.
2.  Heat butter in frying pan on low heat until melted.
3.  Place the mushrooms in the pan and sauté both sides over moderate to high heat, until they become tender and have absorbed the butter.
4.  Add saké (or white wine) over the pan and let evaporated.
5.  Evenly distribute soy sauce over the mushrooms, stir lightly, and sprinkle with chopped scallion or parsley. Serve hot.

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