Traveling Chili » Mushrooms http://travelingchili.com/articles The extraordinary journey that foods made around the world Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:29:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Glass Noodles Stir-fried with Mushrooms http://travelingchili.com/articles/glass-noodles-stir-fried-with-mushrooms/ http://travelingchili.com/articles/glass-noodles-stir-fried-with-mushrooms/#comments Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:09:21 +0000 michael http://travelingchili.com/articles/?p=551 Glass noodle stir-fries are a frequent feature of the curry stall. They are almost always vegetarian dishes with no meat. This recipe makes use of both shiitake and cloud ear mushrooms.

Glass Noodles Stir-fried with Mushrooms

Glass Noodles Stir-fried with Mushrooms

To make this dish completely vegetarian, just leave out the fish sauce. I usually do anyway, since the soy sauce makes it salty enough for my taste.

Ingredients

Shiitake mushrooms 5
Cloud ear mushrooms ½ c Cut in bit-sized pieces
Glass noodles ½ c See preparation tip
Celery 1 or 2 stalks
White sugar ½ tsp
Fish sauce 2 tsp
White soy sauce 2 tsp
Chicken stock ¼ c
Vegetable oil 4 tsp

Preparation Method

  • If using dried mushrooms, soak in warm water to soften. Trim off any hard stems and slice.
  • Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the glass noodles, stock and both types of mushrooms. Stir well to combine.
  • Season with the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Stir to combine and then add the celery. Allow everything to cook through and then transfer to a serving platter.
]]> http://travelingchili.com/articles/glass-noodles-stir-fried-with-mushrooms/feed/ 0 Mushrooms http://travelingchili.com/articles/mushrooms/ http://travelingchili.com/articles/mushrooms/#comments Thu, 13 May 2010 12:05:57 +0000 michael http://travelingchili.com/articles/?p=295 Mushrooms – hed – are a common ingredient in quite a number of Thai dishes, and quite a few different varieties of the fungus are used. Perhaps the most commonly used are cloud ear mushrooms, which appear in a number of stir-fries. Also called wood ears or tree ears, the Thai name for them is hed hoo noo, which means "mouse ear mushroom". The Thai name is a good description of these thin wrinkly brown fungi. Like all mushrooms, cloud ears have an earthy taste, although it is not very strong in this variety. Even if you don’t consider yourself a mushroom lover, you’ll probably like the taste of cloud ears. They provide a unique color and texture to dishes such as stir-fried glass noodles, as well as ginger stir-fries. Cloud ears are always found in abundance in the fresh markets, usually at the same stalls selling ginger.

In thin curries, you will see the straw mushroom (hed fang), which are small and range from almost completely spherical to a more elongated egg shape. Straw mushrooms are rather delicate and don’t travel well, and so are almost impossible to find outside of Thailand. In soups, you can try using canned but its better to use a similar fresh mushroom such as oyster mushrooms.

Shiitake Mushrooms
Shiitake Mushrooms

Lastly, shiitake mushrooms (hed hawm) are also used in some dishes, especially recipes derived from Chinese origins. Shiitake mushrooms are almost always purchased dried. They must be soaked in hot water or simmered for a few minutes to soften before using. Shiitake mushrooms have a strong woody taste and a texture unlike just about any other kind of mushroom. Their meaty texture probably explains why shiitake mushrooms are especially popular in vegetarian dishes during the annual vegetarian festival.

]]> http://travelingchili.com/articles/mushrooms/feed/ 0