EAT: Autumn brings Matsutake

2009/10/03

ANUSHA K

ANUSHA K. savours the seasonal mushroom, which is a prized Japanese delicacy at Benkay restaurant.

MUSHROOMS, as an ingredient in a dish, usually do not require much work. The different flavours of the many varieties of mushrooms available, their aromas and textures, make a dish far more interesting.

One of the more prized species is the matsutake mushroom, said to be the king of all mushrooms because of its great aroma and flavour. They are found growing in Japan’s red pine forests in the autumn, therefore they are special autumn delicacies.

The matsutake can be steamed, grilled or fried, and are popularly used in sukiyaki and tempura dishes. When added to rice or dobin mushi soup, these become real treats. To celebrate this delicacy, an autumn delights promotion using matsutake in a variety of dishes is on at Benkay Japanese Restaurant at Hotel Nikko Kuala Lumpur from now until Oct 31. Start with the appetiser, the Yaki Matsutake, which is mushrooms mixed with salt, sake and grilled. Since I love simple flavours, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. To add oomph, I suggest a squeeze of lime. Because of the sake, your senses hit the sour and salty notes while the mushrooms give you the required sweetness.

Then, have something more filling like the Matsutake Gohan, which is similar to garlic rice.

Very simply prepared, it’s mixed with some bonito soup, leaves and fried beancurd.

There was something unusual about the rice, as it was not white rice but Japanese rice. This rice was more grainy and delicious. I had several helpings of it, which is unusual for someone like me who’s not really a rice person.

There are many other dishes using the mushrooms at Benkay.

Since the matsutake is a seasonal item, this promotion ends soon, so hurry! Below is a simple recipe to make Matsutake Gohan.

Matsutake Gohan Get together: 80g matsutake mushroom 20g fried beancurd skin (finely shredded) 10g or three mitsuba leaves (Japanese herb leaf) 1 cup rice 200ml bonito soup 20ml sake 16ml light soy sauce (higashimaru) First, wipe the grime off (without washing) the matsutake mushroom (washing the mushroom will change the color and even taste).

Then slice off the root (at the bottom) of the mushroom very finely (do not chop it off entirely).

Matsutake Gohan

Wash the rice and mix the bonito soup, sake and light soy sauce together and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

Then add the mushrooms and fried beancurd skin to the rice and cook for 40 minutes.

Once the rice is cooked, add the mitsuba leaves and cover for 10 minutes. Then it is ready to be served.

Tip: The rice used for this recipe is Japanese rice, which can be easily found in stores that specialise in Japanese goods.

Matsutake mushrooms are seasonal items (usually found in September) and can be pretty expensive; you can opt for shimeji mushroom instead.

Use boiled spinach if you find it hard to get mitsuba leaves. Bonito soup is actually made from the bonito fish, so it's essentially fish stock.

The easier option to get the stock is to buy the bonito powder from Japanese stores and mix it with water. This dish is similar to fried rice but with a different twist.