Whole maitake offer the medicinal benefits along with the succulent, distinctive flavor that makes them a prized gourmet mushroom. Slow drying concentrates their rich taste and medicinal qualities for year-round use. Reconstitute dried maitake and use them with their soaking water to make superb soups or sauces, or add them to stir-fries, fried rice or noodles, or casseroles.

Serves 4

This soup is a delicious way to give your immune system a boost. Substitute other spring vegetables, if desired, and cook until tender.

5 cups spring water
1/3 cup Mitoku Dried Maitake Mushrooms
about 2/3 pound fresh tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups watercress, chopped into 1 1/2-inch lengths
3 tablespoons Mitoku Onozaki Brown Rice or Barley miso
slivered green onions to garnish

Soak the maitake in the water for 20 minutes. Bring the water and mushrooms to a simmer, and gently cook the maitake for 15 minutes. Add tofu and simmer one minute, then add watercress and simmer 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Dissolve the miso in some of the stock and add it to the soup. Serve with a garnish of slivered green onion.

Serves 4

Mushrooms have a natural earthy flavor. To lighten this character, a little lemon juice is added when cooking them with seafood. This mushroom topping can be served with any kind of fish.

1/2 cup Mitoku Dried Maitake Mushrooms
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
pinch of Masu 100% Sea Water Salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Mitoku Johsen Shoyu
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons fresh ginger juice (grate root and squeeze to extract juice)
4 orange roughy fillets, 4-6 ounces each

Soak the maitake in 1 cup tepid water for 30-40 minutes, then gently squeeze out excess water and finely chop. Save the soaking water for stock for soups or sauces.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté over medium heat for a minute. Add the maitake, lemon juice and shoyu, and sauté for 2-3 minutes, then cover and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes more. Add the parsley and ginger juice and toss well.

Season the fish fillets with salt and place them over the mushroom mixture. Cover and cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes, or until the fillets are just cooked. Serve the fish covered with the maitake-onion mixture and garnish with parsley, if desired.

Serves 6

Rice or barley stew seasoned with miso or umeboshi is the Japanese mother's cure-all. Maitake adds its healing and rejuvenating qualities to make an even more powerful dish. Enjoy this creamy, soothing stew anytime during the colder months, especially when you feel weak or out of balance. Make plenty - this dish tastes best a day or two after it is made.

1 cup Hulled Barley
2/3 cup Mitoku Dried Maitake
12 cups spring water
6-inch piece Mitoku Hidaka Wild Kombu (optional)
2 teaspoons Masu 100% Sea Water Salt
1 bay leaf (optional)
1/2 teaspoon oregano (optional)
1 onion, diced
1 leek, white part only (slit lengthwise to center, rinse well to remove dirt between the layers, and slice)
2 large carrots, cut in half lengthwise, then into 1/8-inch-thick half moons
1 rib celery, sliced
2 cups chopped kale or other leafy greens
2-3 tablespoons Mitoku Johsen Barley miso, or to taste
minced parsley or slivered green onion, to garnish

Wash barley and place it in a large soup pot along with the maitake, water, and if desired, kombu. Use a small plate or bowl to keep mushrooms submerged. Soak for 1 hour.

Remove kombu and reserve it for another use. Remove and chop maitake, and return them to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil, and add salt and bay leaf. Reduce heat and simmer, with lid ajar, until barley is tender - about 45 minutes. (Cook longer for a creamier texture.) Add the oregano and all of the vegetables except the kale. Simmer 10 minutes. Add kale and simmer 15 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Dilute the miso in a little water and add it to the stew. Serve hot, garnished with minced parsley or green onion, if desired.

Serves 3

This has become one of our favorite entrees. It is quick and easy, but delicious, satisfying, and healthful.

3/4 cup Mitoku Dried Maitake
8 ounces Mitoku Sakurai Somen
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Mitoku Johsen Shoyu
2 bunches scallions, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cups (tightly packed) fresh spinach leaves; rinse, remove large stems and coarsely chop
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Masu 100% Sea Water Salt, to taste

Soak the maitake in 1 1/2 cups tepid water for 30-40 minutes, then gently squeeze out excess water and coarsely chop. Save the soaking water for stock for soups or sauces.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan, add the garlic, and sauté over medium heat for about 30 seconds. Add the maitake and sauté 2 minutes, then add 1 teaspoon of the shoyu, toss, and cook 1-2 minutes more. Toss in the scallions, sauté briefly, then cover and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach, sauté 1 minute, then toss in the remaining teaspoon of shoyu, cover and cook 1 minute. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the vegetables, toss and cook another minute. Add herb seasoning salt or sea salt to taste, if desired.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil (add salt to the water if using angelhair pasta). Add the pasta, stirring to be sure the pasta does not stick together. Boil until just tender but cooked through, then drain. If using somen, briefly rinse the noodles in a colander under running water. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl containing the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, toss, then add the mushroom mixture, toss and serve immediately.

Maitake Seaweed Clear Soup Serves 4 6 whole Mitoku Dried Maitake 6 cups warm water 4 medium sized pieces wakame seaweed 2 TBS chopped dulse seaweed 1 medium onion, quartered and sliced thin 3 medium cloves garlic, chopped 2 TBS minced fresh ginger 2 TBS dry vegetable stock powder 2 TBS Mitoku Sakurazawa Shoyu (light soy sauce) 1 TBS Mitoku Sweet Brown Rice Vinegar 3 TBS minced scallion greens for garnish Pinch Masu 100% Sea Water Salt White pepper, to taste Rinse mushrooms and wakame and soak in 2 cups of warm water for about 10 minutes, or until soft. Save water. Heat 1 TBS seaweed water in medium sized soup pot. Healthy Sauté onion in seaweed water over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add garlic, ginger and continue to sauté for another minute When mushrooms and wakame are soft, slice the mushrooms thin and chop the seaweed. Cut out stems when slicing mushrooms and discard. Add to soup pot along with soaking water, and 4 more cups of water. Bring to a boil on high heat. Add dulse. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, soy sauce and rice vinegar. Add minced scallion and serve.