Matsutake mushroom rivals truffle
August 9, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MY love for the matsutake mushroom knows no bounds. While the attention devoted to truffles is certainly deserved by the media and gourmands, I believe that an appreciation for matsutake mushrooms is the true mark of a sophisticated palate.
Truffles, as delicious as they are, have all the subtlety of a freight train and can stand up to all sorts of fats and flavors; the matsutake, in contrast, is often best served simply and unadorned. Steamed gently or simmered lightly, a matsutake by itself is nearly impossible to top.
The matsutake, or song rong as it is called in Chinese, translates directly into "pine mushroom" as most matsutakes are found underneath pine trees, most famously the red pines of Japan.
And while Japan is famous for the exorbitant prices of their matsutakes (sometimes reaching over US$500 a kilo), the vast majority of song rong are now harvested in the hills and mountains of southwestern China's Yunnan Province, much to my advantage.
Like truffles, matsutakes have proven nearly impossible to domesticate. All of the world's supply is still harvested by hand in the wild, as famously recorded in the opening scenes of the new Chinese documentary masterpiece, "A Bite of China."
I would and have recommended everyone I know to see this film but few scenes in the movie moved me more than watching the mother-and-daughter team traverse kilometers of countryside with tiny rakes in hand, and baskets on their hips.
The actual flavor of a song rong is hard to describe. It has been simultaneously called "spicy, piney and meaty." While I think that this particular phrase is a poor measure of the ambrosial qualities of really good matsutake poached in broth, it really may be the only way to verbalize the elusive flavors. I know it sounds trite to say, but some things in life, you have to try for yourself.
And as is the par for many of the more special ingredients featured in this column, the matsutake mushroom has all manner of proverbial benefits to the body. As expected from the suggestive shape and the piercing aroma, eating song rong is supposed to put the "bounce" back in your step. In fact, for a brief period in Japanese history, women weren't even allowed to say the name matsutake in public.
While cooking with matsutakes has normally been the province of the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese, there are an increasingly large number of Western chefs coming around to the beauty of the world's most expensive mushroom (truffles are fungus, but not mushrooms).
The texture, crispy yet yielding, combined with the flavor are an alluring combination suited to all varieties of cold and hot dishes. The only secrets to success being a light hand with the seasoning and, as always, letting the product speak for itself.
Song rong, while prevalent in Yunnan, aren't the easiest ingredients to score in Shanghai. Here at the restaurant we get ours flown in directly by QQMushroom.com. In addition to fantastic matsutakes, they also supply all manners of other good Yunnan shroomage.
Recipe:
Warm fluke crudo with matsutake mushrooms
Ingredients:
5 slices of sushi-grade fluke or flounder
2 matsutake mushrooms thin sliced
1 large shallot, thin sliced
20g garlic scape, cut into 4cm segments
5ml dark soy sauce
2 sprigs thyme
20ml olive oil
1/4 lemon, juiced
5g chives
Salt and pepper
Steps:
1. Toss fluke in 10ml olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Torch with a flame until slightly cooked.
3. In a separate pan, sear matsutake mushrooms over medium-high heat until colored on both sides, about 4 minutes total.
4. In the same pan, add shallots and garlic scape, sautee another 2 minutes.
5. Add a splash of water, soy sauce, thyme, lemon juice and olive oil, reduce by half.
6. Add chives and season to taste.
7. Spoon warm sauce over fish and garnish with mushroom slices and roasted garlic scapes.
Truffles, as delicious as they are, have all the subtlety of a freight train and can stand up to all sorts of fats and flavors; the matsutake, in contrast, is often best served simply and unadorned. Steamed gently or simmered lightly, a matsutake by itself is nearly impossible to top.
The matsutake, or song rong as it is called in Chinese, translates directly into "pine mushroom" as most matsutakes are found underneath pine trees, most famously the red pines of Japan.
And while Japan is famous for the exorbitant prices of their matsutakes (sometimes reaching over US$500 a kilo), the vast majority of song rong are now harvested in the hills and mountains of southwestern China's Yunnan Province, much to my advantage.
Like truffles, matsutakes have proven nearly impossible to domesticate. All of the world's supply is still harvested by hand in the wild, as famously recorded in the opening scenes of the new Chinese documentary masterpiece, "A Bite of China."
I would and have recommended everyone I know to see this film but few scenes in the movie moved me more than watching the mother-and-daughter team traverse kilometers of countryside with tiny rakes in hand, and baskets on their hips.
The actual flavor of a song rong is hard to describe. It has been simultaneously called "spicy, piney and meaty." While I think that this particular phrase is a poor measure of the ambrosial qualities of really good matsutake poached in broth, it really may be the only way to verbalize the elusive flavors. I know it sounds trite to say, but some things in life, you have to try for yourself.
And as is the par for many of the more special ingredients featured in this column, the matsutake mushroom has all manner of proverbial benefits to the body. As expected from the suggestive shape and the piercing aroma, eating song rong is supposed to put the "bounce" back in your step. In fact, for a brief period in Japanese history, women weren't even allowed to say the name matsutake in public.
While cooking with matsutakes has normally been the province of the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese, there are an increasingly large number of Western chefs coming around to the beauty of the world's most expensive mushroom (truffles are fungus, but not mushrooms).
The texture, crispy yet yielding, combined with the flavor are an alluring combination suited to all varieties of cold and hot dishes. The only secrets to success being a light hand with the seasoning and, as always, letting the product speak for itself.
Song rong, while prevalent in Yunnan, aren't the easiest ingredients to score in Shanghai. Here at the restaurant we get ours flown in directly by QQMushroom.com. In addition to fantastic matsutakes, they also supply all manners of other good Yunnan shroomage.
Recipe:
Warm fluke crudo with matsutake mushrooms
Ingredients:
5 slices of sushi-grade fluke or flounder
2 matsutake mushrooms thin sliced
1 large shallot, thin sliced
20g garlic scape, cut into 4cm segments
5ml dark soy sauce
2 sprigs thyme
20ml olive oil
1/4 lemon, juiced
5g chives
Salt and pepper
Steps:
1. Toss fluke in 10ml olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Torch with a flame until slightly cooked.
3. In a separate pan, sear matsutake mushrooms over medium-high heat until colored on both sides, about 4 minutes total.
4. In the same pan, add shallots and garlic scape, sautee another 2 minutes.
5. Add a splash of water, soy sauce, thyme, lemon juice and olive oil, reduce by half.
6. Add chives and season to taste.
7. Spoon warm sauce over fish and garnish with mushroom slices and roasted garlic scapes.
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