Ingredient Spotlight – King Trumpet Mushrooms

Ingredient Spotlight – King Trumpet Mushrooms

King MushroomsAs I detailed in a recent post, I had the pleasure of visiting Mitsuwa Marketplace with Danny, of Eat with Dan, where I did some food shopping. One of the things I purchased was King Trumpet Mushrooms, a favorite of mine.

King Trumpet Mushrooms, also known as Pleurotus Eryngii, have thick, meaty pearl white stems and small sand-colored caps. Although these mushrooms are widely available at most Asian markets, they are indigenous of the Mediterranean regions of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

In their raw state, King Trumpet Mushrooms have little to no aroma or flavor. Once cooked, they develop a woodsy, earthy flavor and a meaty texture.

King Mushroom SaladThese mushrooms have a long shelf life if they’re not washed until just ready to use and if stored in a brown paper bag in the refrigerator.

My favorite way to eat these handsome mushrooms is to slice them long ways, drizzle them with a little soy/sesame seed oil/vegetable oil concoction then grill them as one would grill meat. On this occasion, I served them on a salad, but they can be prepared and presented in so many ways including in soups, stir-fries and tempura.

Have you had these beauties and if so, what’s your favorite way to enjoy them?

Mitsuwa Marketplace

Mitsuwa Marketplace

Japanese Rice with Roe

Japanese Rice with Roe

Yesterday, I had a day off and as we’d promised each other for weeks now, fellow meat-product aficionado and New Jersey food photographer/blogger Danny of Eat with Dan and I went to lunch at one of his favorites, Mitsuwa Marketplace.

Situated on the west side of the Hudson River in Edgewater, New Jersey, Mitsuwa Marketplace is a shopping center straight out of Tokyo.

Mitsuwa Marketplace encompasses a vast selection of Japanese groceries, an extensive wine, beer and sake department and a delicious variety of Japanese foods at cafeteria-style Restaurant Row.

Ramen with Pork Belly

Ramen with Pork Belly

Danny and I first walked around the produce and meat/fish departments to my amazement. After we passed the 20-foot long grocery cooler with sashimi-grade fish and seafood, I remember telling Danny “This is Disney for foodies”. What an incredible array of top-quality grocery items.

Black Sesame Ice Cream

Black Sesame Ice Cream

After our tour, Danny introduced me to his favorite food counters where we got lunch. We opted for the popular Santoka for a bowl of ramen noodles with sides of rice topped with salmon roe and a soy hard-boiled egg. The ramen bowl featured pork belly and hen-of-the-wood mushrooms. The ramen noodles were cooked perfectly, just a bit chewy, and the pork-laced broth was out-of-this-world. The side of rice looked innocent enough, but as I got a chopstickful, I realized how delicious the rice was and what a pleasant brininess the roe offered the slightly sticky rice. Stuff foodie dreams are made of.

Japanes Bakery

Japanese Bakery

The noodles inspired me and I went back to the grocery store to buy all I’d need to fix ramen and udon at home. I even bought the biggest king trumpet mushrooms I’d ever seen.

Take Home Groceries

Take Home Groceries

We ended our adventure with a Japanese pastry and a cup of black sesame ice cream, one of the best ice creams I’ve had.

I’m forever grateful to Danny for introducing me to Mitsuwa Marketplace and for sharing a special foodie journey.

595 River Road, Edgewater, NJ 07020

TEL: (201) 941-9113

Open 7 days/week

Grocery Store: 9:30AM – 9:00PM

Restaurants: 11:00AM – 8:00PM