Pickled Shiitake Mushrooms

Prep: 15 mins Cook: 30 mins Servings: 15 servings Yield: 1 pint

Soaking & Pickling: 24 hrs 30 mins Total: 25 hrs 15 min | **See the note at the end before starting

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups boiling water

  • 2 cups (2 1/2 ounces or 70 grams) dried shiitake mushrooms

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce

  • 1/2 cup Chinese black vinegar, apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger, about quarter-sized in diameter, peeled and sliced

  • 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds

  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Fill a 4-cup glass measuring cup or medium bowl with boiling water. Add dried shiitake mushrooms to the water. Use a small dish or bowl that fits into the measuring cup to weigh down the mushrooms. Set aside until soft, 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove the mushrooms from the steeping liquid (save the liquid). Snip off the mushroom stems with scissors and discard or save and use in vegetable stock. Cut the mushroom caps into halves or slices.

Pour 1 cup of the steeping liquid into a small saucepan (about 2 quarts), avoiding the grit at the bottom of the measuring cup. Add the mushrooms, soy sauce, vinegar, granulated sugar, fresh ginger, yellow mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and fine salt to the pan.

Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced slightly and the mushrooms are softer, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mushrooms to a clean pint jar. Pour enough liquid (sauce) over the mushrooms to cover them. The brine can be used again to make one more batch of pickled mushrooms.

Cover with a lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

How To Store

The jar of mushrooms can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

Add spice—Make the pickles spicy by adding sliced serrano chile.

Change up the flavor profile—Instead of mustard and coriander seeds, add star anise, cinnamon, fennel seeds, cloves, and Sichuan peppercorns for a five-spice variation.

**A note from Lauren regarding adjustments to the recipe

I used fresh shiitakes so I eliminated the boiling water and soaking at the beginning.

I used rice vinegar and powdered coriander instead of coriander seeds.

To reduce the sodium in this recipe, I used half the amount of soy sauce and replaced the other half with water.

I used just a shake of kosher salt rather than the full teaspoon, just in case the salt was important to the process. There’s so much sodium in this recipe, I might eliminate the salt next time.

The flavor is a delightful, satisfying, wholesome woodsy pickle. Great on turkey sandwiches, added to a bowl of stir fry, in a salad, on a charcuterie board or just a taste on a fork. Shiitake mushrooms are beneficial to our health in so many ways. See what Dr Axe has to say here.