Barbara Tropp

Mushrooms, Fresh and Canned

Appears in
top 1000The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking: Techniques & Recipes
The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking

By Barbara Tropp

Published 1982

  • About
While Chinese dried black mushrooms are without question the most important mushroom in Chinese cooking, there are other varieties of mushrooms that are used by Chinese cooks. Even more valued by me than the several Chinese canned sorts available here are the marvelous mushrooms not native to China but which can be purchased fresh and are wonderful in Chinese-style dishes. What follows is an introduction:

Abalone Mushrooms/Oyster Mushrooms (鲍魚菇 mandarin: bao-yoo-goo; Cantonese: bow-yoo-goo). These pearl gray mushrooms have a mild taste, smooth texture, and a shape reminiscent of an oyster, owing somewhat to the stem that grows from the side. While called oyster mushrooms in English (Pleurotus ostreatus), the Chinese call them “abalone mushrooms.” The canned sort, in my opinion, are hardly worth using. Fortunately, they are increasingly available fresh in both Western and Chinese markets. Included in stir-frys and soups, they are delicious.