Elizabeth Andoh

Enokidaké

Slender Creamy White Mushrooms

Appears in
An Ocean of Flavor: The Japanese Way with Fish and Seafood
An Ocean of Flavor

By Elizabeth Andoh

Published 1988

  • About
These delicate fungi have an almost floral aroma and are used by the Japanese in soups and braised dishes. The Japanese never eat them raw, although they cook them only briefly (usually a matter of seconds; at most 2 or 3 minutes).

Enoki, as they are being called in the United States (the také or daké, by the way, means “fungi,” are grown in California nearly year-round. They come packaged in 100-gram (3½ ounce) clumps in sealed cellophane bags. The bottom of the bag is opaque, hiding the unattractive, but entirely normal, moldy growth of the stems. Peek through the cellophane and examine the small knob-like caps at the end of the slender stalks; they should appear dry. If they look damp or slimy, the mushrooms are well past their prime.