MUSHROOM MANIA
MUSHROOMS ARE VERSATILE AND TASTY AND LEND THEMSELVES TO BOTH WESTERN AND INDIAN STYLES OF COOKING
Whilst mushrooms were viewed with trepidation until a few years ago as an exotic ingredient used primarily in Western and Chinese cooking, today they are available in local markets and very much a part of everyday cooking. The Indian housewife has learnt to incorporate them into daily vegetable mains as well as kebabs, pizzas and much more...
ALL ABOUT MUSHROOMS
The first misconception when it comes to mushrooms is that we consider or club it with vegetables. When actually a mushroom is a species of fungi. Veggies and fruits are edible plants that contain chlorophyll so they can participate in photosynthesis as we all learnt in biology classes in school.
Mushrooms actually
‘ steal’ the carbs they need from plants as they cannot perform this function on their own.
There are apparently 1,40,000 species of mushrooms on earth, although only about 14,000 are known to us. Out of these only about 10 per cent are edible! Humans learnt through trial and error which ones weren’t edible.
In fact there is an inscription at a cemetery in France that goes something like this: “All mushrooms are edible — some only once!”
However unless you are foraging in a forest, one wouldn’t be exposed to the wild varieties. As supermarket or city grocers normally stock button mushrooms which are safe to eat.
Whatever your choice of mushroom, be it shiitake, button, oyster there are oodles of health benefits.
HEALTH BENEFITS
“You can’t buy good health but you can buy good mushrooms” says celebrity nutritionist Kashish Alimchandani.
For starters mushrooms are extremely low in calories i. e. 30 kcal per 100 gram, have high amounts of proteins as well as other vitamins and minerals such as iron, copper, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, selenium, folic acid, B vitamins, calcium, ascorbic acid and vitamin E and A to boost immunity. They are extremely high in antioxidants and phytochemicals and contain large amounts of dietary fibers as well.
“Mushrooms aid in digestive problems, are great energy boosters, aids metabolism, supports nervous and cardiovascular health, decreases risk of cancer, protects against liver damage, reduces side effects of drugs, lowers blood sugar levels, are good for women with menstruation related issues and have various nerve restorative properties,” says Alimchandani.
Mushrooms conventionally grew under the soil in the wild.
“We suggest you avoid wet, spongy or shrivelled large mushrooms. The moist and sponginess of large ones lowers their quality. One should always select smaller mushrooms as they are fresh, firm and dry,” says chef Amitesh Singh Virdi, who is the executive chef at Punjab Grill.
SELECTION AND STORAGE
Use mushrooms as soon as possible as they are perishable in nature.
Store in the fridge for not more than two days.
Keep away from strong smelling fruits and vegetables.
Make sure you take them out of plastic as they need to breathe or they will shrivel up.
Store mushrooms in a cool and dry place. Wash the dried ones under cold running water to clear off dirt and grit. Once the mushroom is soft and wet, it is difficult to remove dirt.
Some recipes require soaking of mushrooms prior to cooking. In most cases you can spice or dice them and stir fry as per the recipe.