Mushrooms are nutritious, delicious, and a healthy food that is high in protein and low in fat. Regular consumption can help the body better absorb other nutrients, thereby increasing the nutritional efficiency of food. Here are a few delicious mushroom dishes for you:
Blanched Enoki Mushrooms
Ingredients: 400g enoki mushrooms, 3 green peppers, appropriate amount of shredded green onions, salt, soy sauce, oil, and white pepper.
Method: Wash the enoki mushrooms. Remove the stems from the green peppers and cut them into sections. Bring half a pot of water to a boil, turn off the heat, and blanch the enoki mushrooms for 20 seconds. Remove, drain, and plate. Pour a small amount of oil into a pan, heat it, add the green pepper sections and shredded green onions and stir-fry until fragrant, then turn off the heat. Pour the hot oil over the enoki mushrooms, then mix in salt, soy sauce, and white pepper.
Nutrition Tip: Enoki mushrooms are high in lysine and zinc, and eating them regularly can nourish the brain.
Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients: 10 fresh shiitake mushrooms, 100g pork mince, 1 salted duck egg yolk, 15g starch, appropriate amount of salt, sugar, cooking wine, and white pepper.
Method: Mince the pork, then mix with starch, salt, sugar, cooking wine, and white pepper to make the filling. Wash, drain, and remove the stems from the mushrooms. Turn them upside down to form a bowl shape, then spread the filling on top and place the salted duck egg yolk in the center. Steam the mushrooms in a steamer for 8 minutes.
Nutrition Tip: Eating more shiitake mushrooms can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and also inhibit the growth of tumor cells.
Oyster Sauce Straw Mushrooms
Ingredients: 300g straw mushrooms, 10g oyster sauce, 5g starch water, appropriate amount of green onion sections, ginger slices, cooking wine, salt, sugar, and oil.
Method: Wash the straw mushrooms. Bring water to a boil in a pot, add the straw mushrooms, and cook until they shrink, then remove and drain. Heat oil in a wok, add green onion sections and ginger slices until fragrant, then add the straw mushrooms and stir-fry evenly. Add cooking wine, oyster sauce, salt, sugar, and starch water, stir-fry over high heat until the sauce thickens, then plate and serve.
Nutrition Tip: The protein content in straw mushrooms is several times higher than that of most vegetables, making it an excellent source of protein and earning it the name "vegetarian meat".
Chopped Chili Chicken Leg Mushrooms
Ingredients: 300g chicken leg mushrooms, appropriate amount of chopped coriander, chopped chili, green onions, ginger, and oil.
Method: Wash the chicken leg mushrooms. Blanch them in boiling water until cooked, then arrange them in a circle on a plate. Heat oil in a pan, add green onions and ginger until fragrant, then add chopped chili and coriander and stir-fry over low heat until fragrant. Add a little water and cook for 3 minutes, then pour over the arranged chicken leg mushrooms.
Nutrition Tip: Chicken leg mushrooms are shaped like chicken legs and have a texture similar to chicken, earning them the title "rising star of fungi".
Beef with Tea Tree Mushrooms
Ingredients: 250g beef, 100g tea tree mushrooms, 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper, a pinch of salt, black pepper, lemon juice, egg white, starch, ginger slices, and oil.
Method: Shred the beef and marinate with salt, black pepper, lemon juice, egg white, and starch for 30 minutes. Wash and shred the red and green peppers, and soak, then cut the tea tree mushrooms. Heat oil in a wok, add ginger slices and the beef shreds and stir-fry quickly until cooked, then remove and set aside. Heat oil again, add the red and green pepper shreds and stir-fry until fragrant, then add the beef and tea tree mushrooms and stir-fry until evenly mixed.
Nutrition Tip: Tea tree mushrooms are said to have auxiliary therapeutic effects on kidney deficiency with frequent urination, edema, asthma, weak spleen and stomach, diarrhea, and clearing lung heat.
Mushrooms Have "Three Highs" in Nutritional Content
High Protein Content: It is generally believed that only meat and beans contain high levels of animal and plant protein, but mushrooms are also very high in protein, much higher than most vegetables and fruits. Mushrooms are rich in 18 amino acids, including the 8 essential amino acids that the human body cannot synthesize and must obtain from food. In some mushrooms, the amino acid composition ratio is even better than that of beef. Research has found that the nutritional value of mushrooms is second only to milk.
High Vitamin Content: Every 100 grams of fresh mushrooms contains up to 206.28 milligrams of vitamin C, which is 2 to 8 times higher than vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables like guava, grapefruit, and chili. Vitamin C plays an important role in human health, promoting metabolism and improving the body's immunity. It also has a detoxifying effect, helping to expel harmful substances such as lead, arsenic, and benzene, and has good anti-cancer properties. Many mushrooms contain carotene, which can be converted into vitamin A in the body, so mushrooms are also known as a "treasure trove of vitamin A". Most fresh vegetables and fruits do not contain vitamin D, but mushrooms are an exception. They are rich in vitamin D, which can promote calcium absorption and is beneficial for bone health.
High Fiber Content: The fiber content in mushrooms is much higher than that of most vegetables. It can prevent constipation, lower cholesterol levels in the blood, and slow down the absorption of carbohydrates by the body.
There's a Trick to Cooking Mushrooms
When cooking with mushrooms, it's best to cut them small. You should try to cut mushrooms as small as possible because their fiber is difficult to digest and can also prevent digestive juices from entering other foods. However, the extractives, free amino acids, and aromatic substances in mushrooms can increase appetite and promote gastric juice secretion, which is beneficial for better absorption of other foods.
Stewing is both delicious and nutritious. Mushrooms have a special umami flavor that is excellent when cooked with other foods. Among these methods, stewing can not only preserve the umami flavor of mushrooms but also retain their nutritional components. However, there are some exceptions: for example, monkey head mushrooms are best cooked with high heat and a strong flame; shiitake mushrooms are best stir-fried in hot oil with green onions and ginger for about 3 minutes; straw mushrooms should not be stir-fried for too long to prevent the loss of vitamin C. Also, when cleaning fresh mushrooms, don't soak them for too long to prevent the loss of water-soluble nutrients.