Dried mushrooms are one of those fantastic ingredients that should always be in your store cupboard. Whenever you need to whip up a simple yet tasty vegetarian dish, these super-hero flavor bombs will do a lot of the hard work for you. Although you will need to remember to soak them half an hour before you start prepping the rest of the dish, overall dried mushrooms are easy to include in any dish – if you need any convincing, just check out these three simple ways to use them and you’ll be won over!
risotto
Soak the dried mushrooms for at least half an hour before you start preparing the risotto, and then add them at the same point as you add any fresh vegetables (you could boost the nutritional content and textures of the risotto by including some fresh mushrooms too). The umami flavors work great in risotto, and if this needs a boost, simply add a tablespoon of soy sauce to the risotto about ten minutes before it’s cooked.
ramen
Dried mushrooms are an ideal addition to a savory ramen broth. Once soaked, add the mushrooms to the soup at the same time as you add any fresh produce such as pak choi, onions, or chilies. You can also dice the soaked mushrooms and fry them before adding these to the broth, to bring out their savory flavors.
pie
Adding some dried mushrooms to a pie mix or gravy can bring some delicious umami flavors to your pie, these are particularly useful if you’re whipping up a vegetarian pie. Use a mix of fresh and dried mushrooms to create some interesting flavors and textures in your pie.