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Japanese Mushroom Ohitashi

Japanese Mushroom Ohitashi

Chef Honma of En Japanese Brasserie features a dish on his seasonal obanzai menu that evokes the traditional home cooking of Kyoto. This simple dish infuses a trio of cultivated mushrooms with complex flavor and a nice umami kick from the dashi. The recipe includes step-by-step instructions on preparing the dish using maitake, shiitake, and shimeji mushrooms, along with Japanese seasonings and herbs for a delightful presentation.

Chef Honma of En Japanese Brasserie features this dish on his seasonal obanzai menu, which evokes the traditional home cooking of Kyoto. This dish is simple to prepare but infuses a trio of cultivated mushrooms with complex flavor as well as a nice umami kick from the dashi. Here's what you need:

Here's the recipe for a delicate and flavorful Mushroom Salad with Dashi, Mirin, and Soy Sauce, showcasing a variety of mushrooms and traditional Japanese ingredients:

Ingredients:

  • Maitake mushrooms, separated
  • Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
  • Shimeji mushrooms, separated
  • 2 cups Kombu-Katsuobushi Dashi
  • 1 tablespoon sake
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • A pinch of Japanese sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons usukuchi soy sauce
  • Mitsuba, chopped including stems
  • Kiku (Chrysanthemum flower) petals, optional

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the Dashi Mixture: In a saucepot, bring 2 cups of dashi to a boil. Add the sake, mirin, salt, and usukuchi soy sauce. Adjust the flavor to achieve a balance where the light soy sauce taste is rounded by the sweetness of mirin, but the dashi flavor predominates. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

  2. Blanch the Mushrooms: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch the maitake, shiitake, and shimeji mushrooms for about 30 seconds. Strain and allow to cool.

  3. Blanch the Mitsuba: Quickly blanch the mitsuba until it turns bright green, which should take only a few seconds. Strain and cool.

  4. Infuse the Ingredients: Once the dashi mixture has cooled, add the mushrooms, mitsuba, and kiku petals (if using). Let the ingredients infuse in the refrigerator for an hour.

  5. Serve: Arrange the mushrooms, mitsuba, and kiku petals in a small dish, forming a pleasing mound without compressing the ingredients. Spoon a little of the dashi mixture around the salad and serve.