After picking up some powdered matcha, kuri dorayaki<\/em> (chestnut-filled pancakes) and Tamaki haigamai<\/em> rice, I came across these cute little button-like shimeji<\/strong><\/em> in the produce section.<\/p>\n I must admit I was a little wary because the mushrooms <\/strong>were packed in plastic and they were imported from Japan<\/strong> but I just couldn\u2019t resist the mushroom cartoon <\/a>(see below) beckoning to me, \u201cBuy me, buy me!\u201d<\/p>\n Isn’t it so cuuute?<\/em><\/p>\n In the end, I succumbed,\u00a0burdenened\u00a0with\u00a0guilt\u00a0that I had substantially upped my\u00a0carbon footprint and food miles, and\u00a0bought two kinds of mushrooms: buna-shimeji,<\/strong> <\/em>also known as the brown beech or brown clamshell mushroom, and bunapi-shimeji<\/strong>,<\/em> white beech or white clamshell.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n When I got home, I typed the Web site address http:\/\/www.hokto-kinoko.co.jp<\/a> into my internet browser to find out more about the company that produces and exports the shimeiji. With each sentence I read, I breathed a little easier. They use environment-friendly Polypropylene film for their packaging and 100 percent organic <\/strong>culture media<\/strong><\/a>—<\/strong>corncob meal (pulverized cobs of non-genetically-modified corn) and rice bran.<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Edible mushrooms <\/strong>native to East Asia, shimeji is rich in umami<\/strong><\/a>, i.e. the fifth taste. Buna-shimeji has a somewhat bitter taste which develops into a nutty flavor when cooked. The cooked mushroom has a pleasant, firm, slightly crunchy texture and is excellent in stir-fries,\u00a0and sauteed\u00a0with\u00a0seafood.\u00a0Or toss it into soups, stews and\u00a0sauces. On its own, shimeji tastes lovely topped with a dab of butter and slow-roasted in the oven.<\/p>\n As I had a ready supply of pea shoots in my fridge, I made a pea shoot and buna-shimeji stir-fry.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Wok-Fried Mushrooms and Pea Shoots<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Pea shoots, sometimes called pea vines are available at farmers markets and Asian markets (under the name dou miao<\/em>), they should include a top pair of small leaves (the tip), delicate tendrils attached to the young stem, and a few larger leaves or blossoms. Select bright green, undamaged shoots.<\/p>\n Time: 10 minutes<\/p>\n Makes: 4 servings as part of a multicourse family-style meal<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 1 pound pea shoots, rinsed and drained well<\/p>\n 7 ounces buna-shimeji or bunapi-shimeji mushrooms<\/p>\n 2 tablespoons vegetable oil<\/p>\n 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon)<\/p>\n 1\/4 cup chicken stock or water<\/p>\n 2 teaspoons soy sauce or fish sauce<\/p>\n Sesame oil for drizzling (optional)<\/p>\n Trim the pea shoots and remove any tough stems. Break up the cluster of\u00a0mushrooms to release the individual mushroomettes.<\/p>\n Preheat a large wok or skillet over medium heat. Swirl in the oil and heat until it becomes runny and starts to shimmer. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 15 to 30 seconds.<\/p>\n Raise the heat to high, throw in the pea shoots and toss to coat evenly with the oil and garlic for\u00a0until the leaves are just wilted,\u00a01 to 1\u00a01\/2\u00a0minutes. Add the mushrooms, stock and soy sauce and toss until the liquid has reduced to a few tablespoons and the shoots are tender and bright green, another 1 to 2 minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve immediately with freshly steamed rice.<\/p>\n Pat\u2019s Notes: Pea shoots are often confused with pea sprouts, the whole baby pea plant. However, shoots and sprouts can be used interchangeably. Just vary the cooking time.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As grandma always says, please share!<\/p>\n One cannot complain about living on the gorgeous Monterey Peninsula along the California coast just blocks from the water. Yes, I have a view of the bay from\u00a0my kitchen\u2019s picture window but please allow me this one gripe — moving from Seattle has deprived me…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,37],"tags":[193,194,775,195,196,197],"class_list":["post-300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-japanese","category-vegetarian","tag-buna-shimeji","tag-bunapi-shimeji","tag-japanese","tag-japanese-mushrooms","tag-mushrooms","tag-shimeji"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"buna-shimeiji\"](\"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/picklesandtea\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2009\/05\/buna-shimeiji.gif\" "\\"buna-shimeiji\\"")
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