Dried Functional Mushroom

Dried mushrooms UK: for cooking and brewing

Why buy dried mushrooms?

Dried mushrooms sit happily in the cupboard until you need them. There is no rush to use them before they turn, and a small bag goes a long way. They also give you a bonus ingredient: the water you soak them in becomes a ready-made stock. Our dried range is whole or sliced, and every product is made for one of two jobs, cooking or brewing as tea. Dried mushrooms are also easy to portion: take out what you need and seal the rest for another day.

What is in our dried range

We stock six dried products. Dried Shiitake is 50g for £4.50. Dried Wood Ear, also called Mu Er, is 100g for £10.60. Dried Nameko is 50g for £4.70. Dried Agaricus is 50g for £7.70 and is sourced from Brazil. Sliced Reishi comes in 50g for £5.99 or a larger 500g for £26.95. If you want to buy dried mushrooms in the UK without paying import fees or waiting on an overseas parcel, everything here ships from the UK. You will see Chinese names on several of them, such as Xiang Gu for Shiitake, Hua Zi Gu for Nameko and Ji Song Rong for Agaricus.

Dried shiitake mushrooms

Shiitake is the brown-capped mushroom that has been cultivated on logs in Japan and China for centuries. Dried shiitake mushrooms carry a strong umami flavour, which is why cooks reach for them when a broth tastes thin. Slice them after soaking and add them to ramen, noodle soups and stir-fries. Keep the soaking liquid and pour it into the pan for extra depth. If you would rather have Shiitake as a powder or capsule, see our Shiitake collection.

How to rehydrate dried mushrooms

Put the mushrooms in a bowl and cover them with warm water. Leave them for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are soft and pliable. Lift them out, squeeze gently and trim any tough stalks. Pour the soaking liquid through a fine sieve to catch any grit, then use it as stock in soups, sauces and risottos. Once rehydrated, treat them like fresh mushrooms: keep them in the fridge and use them soon.

Cooking with a dried mushroom

Each dried mushroom has its own place in the kitchen. Shiitake and Nameko both suit miso soup and ramen. Wood Ear is a good fit for stir-fries and hot and sour soups. Agaricus is a cousin of the button mushroom with an almond scent, and it adds something different to a simple broth. Mix two or three together for a richer stock. Our Agaricus is Agaricus subrufescens, the species often sold as Agaricus blazei Murrill, and it is closely linked with Brazil, where ours comes from.

Making tea with dried reishi mushroom

Reishi, known in Chinese as Ling Zhi, is a hard, glossy, reddish bracket fungus that grows on hardwood and is too woody to eat. Instead, it has traditionally been simmered as tea. Put a few slices of dried reishi mushroom in a pan of water, simmer for about 20 minutes, then strain. The taste is bitter, so some people add honey or a slice of lemon. Choose the 50g size to try it, or the 500g size if you brew it often. Our Reishi collection also has capsules and powder.

How to choose dried mushrooms

• Everyday cooking: Dried Shiitake is the all-rounder, and at £4.50 for 50g it is an easy place to start.
• Stir-fries: Wood Ear comes in a bigger 100g size for cooks who use it often.
• Soups: Nameko at £4.70 for 50g is a simple addition to miso and noodle broths.
• Tea: Reishi slices come in 50g to try or 500g for regular brewing.
• Something different: Agaricus brings an almond scent and is sourced from Brazil.

Store every bag airtight, somewhere cool and dry, away from direct sunlight. UK shipping is free on orders over £30. If you prefer to stir mushrooms into drinks and food without soaking, try our mushroom powders.