OTHER MUSHROOM OPTIONS:

Shiitaké Black oak mushroom (Lentinula edodes)

THE CALLIGRAPHY for shii is `oak tree' indicating that shiitaké mushrooms are cultivated from spores on oak logs. Production is quite ancient in Japan; early records suggest the third century AD. Current commercial crops are grown in two ways: under natural forest conditions and in climate-controlled indoor facilities.

Just before cooking, remove any dirt that might be clinging to the fresh mushrooms. Wipe mushrooms with a damp cloth or mushroom brush. After trimming away any gritty material clinging to the stems, twist and remove them (set aside to simmer and enrich stock). Slice the caps, lengthwise, into narrow strips, or into 4 or 6 wedge-like pieces.

Énokidaké Slender, white-capped mushroom (Grifola frondosa)

IF YOU'RE USING cultivated, ivory-coloured, slender-stalked, small-capped

énokidaké, remove them from their plastic bag, rinse the heads under cold running water, and shake them dry. Trim away the spongy (moldy-looking) bottom half. The remaining stalks can be left as is, or cut into short lengths.

Maitaké Hen-of-the-woods mushroom (Flammulina velutipes)

IF YOU'RE USING beige-gray, ruffled maitaké (sometimes called `hen-of-thewoods' though the name in Japanese is written with calligraphy for `dancing' and `fungi'), trim away any moldy parts of the white stems and, with your hands, separate clusters lengthwise into thin strips (as though you were stringing string-cheese). The irregular surface that results from hand-tearing mushrooms will make them more flavourful than knife-sliced ones. Maitaké are extremely flavourful but tend to darken and `stain' the cooking broth that results from cooking them.