Based on the pickled mushrooms on the menu at Momofuku in New York, these shiitake pack a powerful flavour punch and pair perfectly with tofu and oily fish. Make sure you reserve the pickling liquor to use as an umami-rich dressing for salads, as we do with our Wasabi Salmon Poke.
Makes enough to use in up to 10 bowls
– 50 g (2 oz/2 cups) dried shiitake mushrooms
– 400 ml (13½ fl oz/1⅔ cups) freshly boiled water
Pickling Liquor
– 120 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) soy sauce
– 120 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) rice wine vinegar
– 100 g (3½ oz/½ cup) sugar
– 10 cm (4 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
– 1 star anise
– 5 Szechuan peppercorns
– 2 bay leaves
Place the mushrooms in a large bowl and cover with the boiling water. Leave to rehydrate for 30 minutes.
Combine the pickling liquor ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the rehydrated mushrooms and their soaking liquid and simmer for a further 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat, discard the spices and transfer to a sterilised jar. Once cool, transfer to the fridge where the pickles will keep for up to 1 month.