Dried shiitake mushrooms are such an important player in Japanese cuisine because they add so much umami. Takehisa’s Donko Dried Shiitake are some of the best because they are grown slowly over the winter, which amplifies their earthy umami, flavor and aroma.
These make delicious dashi, boiled dishes and bases for soup. They’re also really great for Chinese recipes because of their thick texture. Secret tip: they’re perfect to eat after they have been rehydrated - so don’t throw them away! Store in a cool, dry, dark place.
Grown in Kyushu, Japan.
Ingredients: dried shiitake mushroom
Weight: 50 g
The Producer - For over 85 years Takehisa has been a family-owned shiitake company located in Chikugo in Kyushu. Their dried shiitake mushrooms are highly prized. The journey of their shiitake starts in the forests of Kyushu where farmers grow the mushrooms with great care on sawtooth oak logs.
The Donko shiitake mushrooms grow slowly during the winter, which allows them to become thicker, develop better flavor, more umami and superior aroma. A fresh Donko variety shiitake has a nice round and thick umbrella shape and feels heavy for its size. After harvesting they are dried slowly over 20 hours at 60°C. The white cracks on top of the dried mushroom is called the flower and is a sign that the mushroom was grown in a good environment.