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Top 4 Maitake Mushroom Recipes a.k.a. Hen of the Woods Recipes

How To Cook Maitake Hen Of The Woods Mushroom - 4 Easy & Delicious Recipes - Sautéed, Fried, Grilled, Roasted, Pickled

How to cook maitake mushrooms in delicious & easy ways? And what are the best maitake mushroom recipes?

4 Delicious Ways How to Prepare Maitake Mushrooms(Hen of the Woods)

If you’re lucky enough to find a wild Maitake that grows at the base of hardwood trees, you’re in for a treat! Maitake is the type of mushroom you will find the tastiest among all edible mushroom polypores!

How to Identify Hen of the Woods (Maitake) Edible Wild Mushroom Hunt

How to Cook Maitake Mushrooms? 4 Best Maitake Mushroom Recipes

When it comes to maitake mushroom’s taste, wild ones have a rich umami flavor, earthy & aromatic with a peppery finish! However, cultivated maitake tastes milder than wild maitakes.

What does a maitake mushroom taste like? - Havesting & Cleaning Wild or Cultivated Maitake

Indeed, maitake have been a culinary favorite mushroom among chefs and cooks at home, which is best enjoyed sautéed with a pinch of salt to appreciate its natural flavors.

Below, we curated and simplified 4 Maitake mushroom recipes from top chefs and cooks. All using ingredients you can easily find at home or from your local grocery stores.

1. Sautéed Maitake Mushroom

When cooking maitakes mushrooms, you must balance its peppery flavor with  savory and salty elements.

Sautéed Hen of the Woods Mushroom strong, peppery flavor with savory and salty elements

Ingredients

    • 225 grams, maitake, 3-inch pieces
    • 2 tbsp, oil or butter (preferably sesame oil)
    • 2 cloves, minced garlic
    • 2 tbsp, soy sauce
    • ⅛ tsp, salt (preferably kosher)
    • ⅛ tsp, hot sauce (preferably sriracha)
    • chives or green onions, for garnish

Directions

    1. Firstly, using a pan, heat the oil over medium high heat.
    2. Next, add the maitakessauté for 2 mins, and flip and cook the other other side for 1 more min.
    3. Then, add the minced garlic and heat for 30 seconds.
    4. After that, add soy sauce, hot sauce, and salt. Stir occasionally for 1 min until tender.
    5. Finally, serve and garnish with chives or green onions.

How to Cook Maitake Mushrooms: Sauteed Maitake Mushrooms recipe by Sonja Overhiser

2. Fried Maitake Mushroom

If you are looking for a plant-based option of a crunchy snack or appetizer, Fried Maitake is a great choice! Also, you can customize dipping sauce by mixing spices with mayonnaise or make your own butter sauce.

Fried Hen of the Woods Mushroom fibrous and crunchy snack or appetizer

Ingredients: Marinade

    • 250 grams, maitake, 3-inch pieces
    • 1/4 cup, water
    • 1 tsp, curry powder
    • 1 tsp, brown sugar
    • 1 tsp, garlic powder
    • 1/2 tsp, salt (preferably Himalayan)
    • 2 tbsp, cornstarch

Ingredients: Batter Coating

    • 1/2 cup, cornstarch
    • 1/2 cup, oil

Directions

    1. Firstly, pour the oil (2cm deep) into the frying pan and set it to high heat.
    2. Then, stir together all the marinade and let sit for 2 mins.
    3. Next, add the maitakes to the marinade and let sit for 30 mins.
    4. Shortly, in a batter bowl, place cornstarch and coat the marinated maitakes evenly.
    5. Then, deep-fry the coated maitakes immediately for 30 seconds each side or until golden brown.
    6. Lastly, place the fried maitakes on paper-towel lined plate or a rack to drain excess oil.

How to Cook Maitake Mushrooms: Fried Maitake with Malaysian Butter Sauce recipe by Davina Goh

Beer-battered maitake mushroom with japanese tartar sauce recipe by CheckYourFood

3. Grilled Hen of the Woods Mushroom

Third on the list is grilled maitake—a delicious summer side dish as well as an indulging grilled entree for vegetarians.

Grilled Hen of the Woods Mushroom delicious summer side dish & indulging grilled entree

Ingredients

    • 900 g, maitake, 8–10 similarly sized wedges
    • sesame or olive oil, for brushing
    • salt
    • pepper
    • 4 pcs, green onions, thinly sliced
    • 1 tsp, parsley or rosemary leaves, thinly sliced
    • lime wedges, for serving

Directions

    1. Firstly, place maitake wedges on a rimmed baking sheet.
    2. Next, drizzle with oil evenly coating each wedge. Then, season with salt and pepper and let sit for 10 mins.
    3. Meanwhile, set a grill pan over high heat.
    4. Once grill pan is hot, oil the grates and place the maitakes in batches (8 mins/batch). Occasionally, turn until browned and crisp.
    5. Lastly, transfer the charred maitakes to a platter. To enhance taste, drizzle with oil then garnish with sesame seeds, green onions, parsley or rosemary. You can serve with lime wedges.

How to Cook Maitake Mushrooms: Grilled Maitake Mushrooms with Smoked Sea Salt by Greg Henry

Grilled Hen-of-the-Woods Mushrooms with Sesame by Jean-Georges Vongerichten

4. Pickled Hen of the Woods Mushroom

Pickling is a fantastic technique to preserve maitake if you have a lot on hand. When the mushroom florets are parboiled in the brine, they become immediately edible, and the addition of carrots and red onions adds more color and flavor.

Pickled Hen of the Woods Mushroom parboiled in brine, best technique to preserve maitake

Ingredients: Pickling Brine

    • 8 cups, water
    • 4 cups, vinegar (preferably white wine vinegar)
    • 2 cups, sugar
    • 6 tbsp, salt
    • 2 tbsp, pickling spice (cinnamon, allspice, mustard seed, bay leaves, ginger, cloves, red pepper flakes, black pepper, cardamom, mace)
    • 2 tbsp, black peppercorns
    • 3 pcs, bay leaves

Other Ingredients

    • 1.8 kg, maitake, cleaned and torn into florets
    • 1 pc, carrot, grated large
    • 1 pc, large red onion, sliced thin
    • 2-3 cups, oil (preferably avocado or olive)

Directions

    1. Firstly, prepare the pickling brine in a big pot and bring to a boil. Then, reduce to a simmer and let cook for 2 more mins.
    2. Next, add the maitake floretsgrated carrots, and sliced red onions. Then, bring the mixture back to a boil and cook for 2-5 mins.
    3. Turn off heat and let sit covered for 10 mins.
    4. Meanwhile, make sure the canning jars and lids are cleaned.
    5. Shortly, divide the mushrooms among jars and ladle the pickling liquid halfway up. Then, fill up the jar with oil.
    6. After that, place a towel at the bottom of a large pot and put jars inside. Fill with water and boil over medium heat for 30 mins to preserve, then, let cool.
    7. Lastly, store in a pantry or a dark place. This pickled maitakes can last up to 2 years!

How to Cook Maitake Mushrooms: Pickled Maitake by Barbora Batokova

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In Summary | How to Prepare Maitake Mushrooms Recipes

Undeniably, the earthy, aromatic, and fibrous maitake is a delicous and nutritious addition to your meal! Aside from sautéing, other tasty recipes include fried, grilled, pickled, and roasted maitakes. Happy mushrooms cooking!

 

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FDA DISCLAIMER

Curative Mushrooms has to post the standard FDA Disclaimer…The statements made regarding medicinal mushrooms have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of these products has not been confirmed by FDA-approved research. Curative Mushrooms is not making claims intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All information presented here is not meant as a substitute for or alternative to information from healthcare practitioners. Please consult your healthcare professional about potential interactions or other possible complications before consuming the medicinal mushrooms. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act requires this notice.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Neither Curative Mushrooms nor the publisher of this content takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.

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Always looking for ways to improve the health of myself and my family led me to the discovery of medicinal mushrooms and the numerous health benefits they have on the body. My mission is to spread this knowledge and help as many people as possible.

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