Dried Straw Mushrooms

June 10,2024

These culinary mushrooms are all about sugar, sugar, sugar. The Paddy Straw could very well be called the sugar mushroom. Its sweetness is perfect for adding a contrast to bitter, sour, or salty dishes, and the broth cooks down practically into a simple syrup. Did we mention the sugar? The flavor, strangely, is slightly similar to the most delicate white fish you can imagine. It sounds odd, we know, but these culinary mushrooms – ubiquitous in Chinese, Laotian, Filipino, and Vietnamese food – works in so many dishes. It has a fish flavor in that it gives a dish a subtle umami twang the way fish sauce might, but with subtler movements. It’s the cloak and dagger ingredient of the savory pantry. Try adding Paddy Straw mushrooms to hot and sour soup or egg flower soup to encourage a bit more sweetness and balance..
These culinary mushrooms are all about sugar, sugar, sugar. The Paddy Straw could very well be called the sugar mushroom. Its sweetness is perfect for adding a contrast to bitter, sour, or salty dishes, and the broth cooks down practically into a simple syrup. Did we mention the sugar? The flavor, strangely, is slightly similar to the most delicate white fish you can imagine. It sounds odd, we know, but these culinary mushrooms – ubiquitous in Chinese, Laotian, Filipino, and Vietnamese food – works in so many dishes. It has a fish flavor in that it gives a dish a subtle umami twang the way fish sauce might, but with subtler movements. It’s the cloak and dagger ingredient of the savory pantry. Try adding Paddy Straw mushrooms to hot and sour soup or egg flower soup to encourage a bit more sweetness and balance.