My easy Simmered Shiitake Mushrooms (Fukumeni) are cooked and soaked in a seasoned broth to absorb the delicious savory-sweet flavors. Bursting with umami, it’s a simple make-ahead side dish and sushi roll filling that tastes even better the next day.
Some of the most delicious dishes in Japanese cuisine are surprisingly simple to make. That’s definitely true of Simmered Shiitake Mushrooms, the recipe that I’m sharing today. Prepared using the Japanese fukumeni cooking method, it packs a double punch of umami with dried shiitake mushrooms and dashi (Japanese soup stock) as the main ingredients. I’ll show you how easy it is to make!
If you’re craving more shiitake mushroom recipes, try my Japanese Mushroom Rice, Miso Butter Mushrooms in Foil, and Warm Mushroom Salad with Sesame Dressing next!
What is Fukumeni?
Fukumeni (含め煮, also fukume-ni) is a Japanese cooking technique in which we slowly simmer hearty vegetarian ingredients in plenty of lightly seasoned dashi broth and leave it to soak up the savory-sweet flavors as it cools. It tastes even better the next day as it steeps in the fridge in the delicious broth. It’s an ideal method for infusing flavor into both dried and fresh ingredients like vegetables, mushrooms, and (dried and fried) tofu.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- So easy to prepare – Just simmer the rehydrated shiitake for 20 minutes in the 5-ingredient seasoned broth, then let it soak as it cools. It’s that simple!
- Delivers a boost of umami from soaking – I love how much savory-sweet flavor the shiitake mushrooms absorb.
- It tastes even better then next day – The flavor improves the longer the mushrooms soak in the broth. It keeps in the fridge for several days, so I prep it ahead of time to serve during the week.
- It’s a flexible and convenient dish – You can serve it chilled, warm, or at room temperature. It’s a delicious side dish, noodle topping, or filling for thick sushi rolls.
Ingredients for Simmered Shiitake Mushrooms
- Dried shiitake mushrooms
- Dashi (Japanese soup stock)
- Sake
- Mirin
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
Jump to RecipeSubstitutions
- Dashi: I use standard Japanese soup stock that you can make from scratch with my Awase Dashi recipe. For convenience, I often use a Dashi Packet that’s nearly as good! For a vegan/vegetarian alternative, you can use Vegan Dashi or Kombu Dashi instead. I typically don’t use instant dashi powder (or vegan kombu dashi powder) in my recipes, but you could use it in a pinch.
- Sake and mirin: These are two essential pantry items that I highly recommend for Japanese cooking. If you can’t find sake, you can use water. If you can’t find mirin, you can substitute 1 Tbsp water and 1 tsp sugar for every 1 Tbsp mirin. The flavor won’t be the same, but it’s close.
- Soy sauce: Use tamari soy sauce for gluten-free if needed.
How to Make Simmered Shiitake Mushrooms
Preparation
Step 1 – Rehydrate the dried shiitake mushrooms. Soak them in a bowl of water for 30 minutes.
Step 2 – Thinly slice the mushroom caps. Once the shiitake are soft and tender, squeeze out the water. Cut off and discard the stems, then cut the caps into thin slices.
Cooking
Step 3 – Add all the ingredients to a pot. Place the sliced mushrooms, dashi, sake, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce in a saucepan. Stir and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat.
Step 4 – Simmer until the liquid reduces. Lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes or until there’s just enough broth to cover the mushrooms.
Step 5 – Cool the shiitake in the seasoned broth. Soak the mushrooms while warm to promote better flavor absorption. Once cooled, it’s ready to serve.
Nami’s Recipe Tips
- Use a heavy object to submerge the dried shiitake – I place a small bowl on top to keep them underwater. If you don’t weigh them down, the mushrooms will float on the surface and will not rehydrate.
- Simmer until the liquid reduces – This concentrates the savory and sweet broth to intensify the seasoning.
- Cool the cooked mushrooms in the seasoned broth – The shiitake will absorb the flavor of the broth better while it’s warm.
Fukumeni Variations
Below are some of my favorite ways to use the fukumeni technique to infuse delicious flavor into various Japanese ingredients. I encourage you to try other variations to
- Simmered Koyadofu. This recipe for freeze-dried tofu (Koya tofu) is a great example of a classic fukumeni dish.
- Simmered Fried Tofu and Greens. Enjoy a fresh taste with aburaage (Japanese deep-fried tofu) and your choice of greens like spinach, bok choy, cabbage, napa cabbage, or komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach).
- Eggplant Agebitashi. In this variation, we first deep-fry Japanese eggplant until crispy. The warm, cooked eggplant then easily absorbs the delicious broth when soaked.
Ways to Use Simmered Shiitake Mushrooms
These seasoned mushrooms are delicious served chilled, warm, or at room temperature! Here are some ways that I like to use them.
- As a side dish – Simmered shiitake is so convenient when you need one more dish to round out your meal, whether you’re serving a casual lunch or a composed Ichiju Sansai dinner.
- In a sushi roll – Use it as a filling in Futomaki and Ehomaki.
- On scattered sushi – It’s a wonderful topping to scatter on Chirashi Sushi (also called chirashizushi).
- On dashi-based noodles – It’s a great vegan substitute for meat on Japanese Cold Somen Noodles, hot somen soup, Hiyashi Chuka, udon, and soba.
- In bento – It makes a nice addition to a bento box lunch. Just be sure to squeeze out any excess liquid before packing it.
Storage Tips
To store: Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 4–5 days or in the freezer for up to a month. To serve, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. You can enjoy it chilled, at room temperature, or warm.
To reheat: To serve it warm, bring it to a simmer in the saucepan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can! Fresh shiitake mushrooms are a great option if you’re in a pinch. However, please note that they won’t provide the same bold, umami-rich flavor that dried shiitake mushrooms bring to the dish.
Hearty plant-based ingredients work best. Common ingredients to cook using the fukumeni method include vegetables like daikon, carrots, lotus root, taro, burdock root, kabocha squash, eggplant; mushrooms; and soy products like deep-fried tofu pouches (aburaage) and freeze-dried tofu (Koya tofu).
More Simmered Recipes
If you love this Simmered Shiitake Mushrooms recipe, you’re in for a treat with these other irresistible simmered recipes.
- Japanese Simmered Kabocha
- Simmered Taro (Satoimo no Nimono)
Simmered Shiitake Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 6 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 cup dashi (Japanese soup stock) (use standard Awase Dashi, Dashi Packet, Dashi Powder, or Vegan Dashi)
- 1 Tbsp sake (or use water)
- 1 Tbsp mirin (or substitute 1 Tbsp sake or water + 1 tsp sugar for every 1 Tbsp mirin)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Mushrooms
- To rehydrate the shiitake, add 6 dried shiitake mushrooms and about 1 cup water to a bowl and let them soak for 30 minutes. Place a smaller bowl on top to keep the mushrooms submerged.
- When the shiitake are soft and tender, remove them from the soaking liquid and gently squeeze them out. Cut off and discard the stems. Then, cut the mushroom caps into very thin slices and squeeze out any remaining liquid.
To Cook
- Place the sliced shiitake in a saucepan. Add 1 cup dashi (Japanese soup stock), 1 Tbsp sake, and 1 Tbsp mirin.
- Add 1 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp sugar and mix it all together.
- Cook over medium-low heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid reduces and is almost gone, about 20 minutes. Leave enough broth to just cover the mushrooms. Remove from the heat and let the mushrooms cool completely in the simmering broth to absorb more flavor.
To Serve and Store
- It's now ready to serve at room temperature, warm, or chilled. To chill, transfer the mushrooms and broth to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 4–5 days. The flavor will improve the longer the mushrooms soak in the seasoned broth. You can also freeze it for up to 1 month. When you're ready to serve, defrost it in the refrigerator overnight. To serve it warm, bring it to a simmer in the saucepan.
