enoki mushrooms
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"Enoki Mushrooms" or enok, enokidake, enokitake, golden needle mushroom, golden mushroom, snow puff mushroom, velvet foot mushroom, velvet stem mushroom, winter mushroom.
"The golden enoki mushroom" has several other names including enokitake, enokidake, furry foot, nametake, yuki-motase, golden needle, winter mushroom, velvet foot and velvet stem mushroom. There are actually two different kinds of enoki mushrooms, although both are botanically classified as Flammulina velutipes. The only difference between the two mushrooms is that one grows in the wild and the other is cultivated
Enoki mushrooms are edible mushrooms which are very popular in Asian cuisine, especially in Japan. Enoki mushrooms have a delicate fruity flavor. They're usually served raw. The delicately flavored, interesting looking mushrooms are also cultivated and sold in other parts of the world, although they are most widely used in Asian and fusion foods. Asian grocers and specialty stores often sell enoki mushrooms, and they are sometimes also available in regular markets, depending on the region of the world that one is in.
To use the golden enoki mushrooms in cooking, trim the
bottom of the mushrooms off, as the mushrooms come in thick
clumps. Combine fresh mushrooms with other raw vegetables or
add to soups and sautees. Pair golden enoki with fresh Thai
basil, coconut, somen or soba noodles, seafood, rice, soy or
ginger. Overcooking will change the preferred texture of the
mushroom.
When enoki mushrooms are cultivated, they are grown in dark conditions so that they are bone to cream white. The mushrooms are grown in special jars which encourage them to develop long stems as they reach for an overhead light source. As a result, cultivated enoki mushrooms have long, trailing stems which are typically used along with the caps of the mushrooms. Cultivated enoki mushrooms are also called Snow Puffs or Golden Needles, in a reference to their color and shape.