Soy Simmered Hoshi Shiitake (Dried Shiitake Mushrooms)

Dried shiitake mushrooms (hoshi shiitake 干ししいたけ) are always good to have in the pantry as they have a long shelf life and can be used for many dishes.

To rehydrate the mushrooms place in a large bowl of water and put a drop-lid (otoshibuta) over it to keep the mushrooms submerged. If you don't have a drop-lid you can make a disposable one using aluminum foil.

After the mushrooms are rehydrated they can be left whole to simmer in the soy broth. In this version I sliced them.

Soy simmering broth:
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon mirin
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon sake
dash of salt

Add the rehyrdrated mushrooms to the soy broth and simmer until mushrooms have taken the flavor of the soy broth. If there is not enough broth to cover the mushrooms just double the recipe above.

The soy simmered mushrooms can be served on their own as a side dish, or in this version, as part of a Korean-style donburi (rice bowl).

Shiitake