Straw Mushrooms

These mushrooms get their name from where they grow: on rice straw. They’re rarely found fresh outside of Asia. Harvested when the mushroom is still immature, they sometimes still have a solid oval shape, like a grape. When their outer veil is cut, a mushroom is revealed inside, waiting to break through, with the classic cap-and-stem shape of a mushroom. Canned straw mushrooms, while no flavor match for fresh, actually have an appealing texture. Straw mushrooms are great bite-size garnishes for soups such as the Thai Hot and Sour Soup, tom tum goong. The entire mushroom is edible. Thai: het fahng; Malay: cendawan; Vietnamese: nấm rơm