Fresh mushrooms are delicious, but they only keep for so long in the refrigerator. These packs of dried black mushrooms will keep in your pantry for a very long time. I buy several packs when I travel to a city with a good grocery store, and keep them on hand.
Mushrooms in general are an excellent source of potassium, several B vitamins, vitamin D, and other essential nutrients, and a very affordable means of eating healthy on a budget. A package of dried Shiitake mushrooms (as shown here) costs about $3.00 US. A single package contains enough mushrooms for any of our Shiitake mushroom recipes.
Rehydrating dried black mushrooms
Working with dried Shiitake mushrooms is easy. Check the recipe to see if it calls for a specific volume of water, like Jing’s Fujian Salted Rice (Hokkien Salted Rice).
- Rinse the mushrooms thoroughly in a sieve to remove any sand or dirt. Then place the dried black mushrooms in a mixing bowl and cover with cool, potable water for about 30 minutes to an hour, or until completely soft. Hot water will re-hydrate the mushrooms faster, but cool water preserves the flavor and aroma of the mushrooms.
- If you are going to add the mushrooms to a stir-fry, or batter-dip them (Chinese Deep-fried Shiitake Mushrooms), squeeze the water from the mushrooms.
- Remove the stems from the mushroom caps with a sharp knife and they are ready to use.
The soaking water can be used to cook with, adding more of the mushroom flavor to the dish.
Nutrition data for dried black mushrooms (Shiitake)
According to USDA Food Data Central, a 100 gram sample of dried black mushrooms contains the following:
| Nutrient | Amount | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 296 g | 15% |
| Fat | 1 g | 1% |
| Protein | 9.6 g | 19% |
| Carbohydrate | 75.4 g | 27% |
| Sugars | 2.2 g | 4% |
| Fiber | 11.5 g | 41% |
| Calcium | 11 mg | 1% |
| Iron, Fe | 1.7 mg | 10% |
| Potassium, K | 1534 mg | 33% |
| Magnesium | 132 mg | 31% |
| Phosphorus, P | 294 mg | 24% |
| Sodium | 13 mg | 1% |
| Zinc, Zn | 7.7 mg | 70% |
| Copper, Cu | 5.2 mg | 574% |
| Manganese | 1.2 mg | 51% |
| Selenium, Se | 46.1 mcg | 84% |
| Vitamin C | 3.5 mg | 4% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.3 mg | 25% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 1.3 mg | 98% |
| Niacin (B3) | 14.1 mg | 88% |
| Vitamin B5 (PA) | 21.9 mg | 438% |
| Vitamin B6 | 1 mg | 57% |
| Folate (B9) | 163 mcg | 41% |
| Choline | 201.7 mg | 37% |
| Vitamin D | 3.9 mcg | 20% |
| Vitamin D2 | 3.9 mcg | |
| Vitamin D (IU) | 154 IU | 19% |
Essential Amino Acids
| Name | Amount | % RDI |
|---|---|---|
| Histidine | 159 mg | 23% |
| Isoleucine | 405 mg | 29% |
| Leucine | 679 mg | 25% |
| Lysine | 343 mg | 16% |
| Methionine | 179 mg | 25% |
| Phenylalanine | 486 mg | 56% |
| Threonine | 497 mg | 47% |
| Tryptophan | 31 mg | 11% |
| Valine | 486 mg | 27% |
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