Description
Shimeji is actually not just one mushroom, but a group of edible mushrooms native to East Asia. Like most mushrooms, shimeji is rich in guanylic acid, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid, basically components that make shimeji mushrooms full of umami flavors.
Two varieties of shimeji that are commonly sold in the US are buna shimeji/brown beech/brown clamshell mushroom and bunapi shimeji/white beech/white clamshell mushroom.
If you have never tried shimeji before, you are missing out, and I think they look super cute too 🙂 If you can get both the brown and the white varieties, I think using both varieties lends the dish a pretty color combo presentation.
To prepare shimeji, trim off the root part (like enoki if you ever tried that). Then, tear off individual mushroom stalks so they don’t all bunch up together. If you see any dirt, just wipe them off with a wet kitchen town since it’s always better not to submerge mushrooms in water.
Shimeji mushroom health benefits help in managing diabetes, weight & cholesterol. Rich in calcium, potassium. There is no side effects of this mushroom except handling and storage errors.
Name: Shimeji Mushroom
Botanical name: Hypsizygus marmoreus or Hypsizygus tessulatus
Family: Tricholomataceae
Other common names: Bunashimeji (brown color), Shimeji, Hon-shimeji, White beech mushroom, Seafood mushroom, Bunapi shimeji (white color)
Popular in: North Europe, East Asia, such as in China, Japan, and Korea
The taste of this mushroom is bitter when eaten raw but after cooking the bitterness disappears and gives a delicious sweet flavor with a crunchy texture. White beech mushrooms can be grown on stumps of beech, maple, and blighted trees.
Nutritional value of Shimeji mushrooms
Shimeji mushroom is highly nutritious with desirable taste and offers promising food in improving human health and preventing diseases. Nutritional value of Hypsizygus marmoreus mushroom is as follows.
Nutrient Amount per gram
Protein 33.89 g
Fiber 13.20 g
Carbohydrate 50.10 g
Potassium 1575 mg
Calcium 98 mg
Phosphorus 568 mg
Iron 18 mg
Zinc 5 mg
Health benefits of Shimeji mushrooms
Shimeji mushroom is an industrialized culinary, medicinal mushroom known for its high therapeutic value with significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-tumor, anti-atherosclerotic, antihypertensive, anti-aging and cholesterol-lowering properties.
1. Nutrients rich Shimeji mushroom
This mushroom contains a high amount of nutrients mainly to polysaccharides as the active compounds. Other nutrients like protein, fiber, energy, and low-fat content which is beneficial for those having noncommunicable diseases.
It also contains potassium phosphorus followed by magnesium, zinc, and copper.
Other than this it is also a rich source of ergosterol steroids, provitamin D2, riboflavin, biotin, and niacin.
2. Shimeji mushrooms are low in cholesterol
Shimeji mushrooms contain dietary fiber which enhances the fecal excretion of bile acids and lowered insulin response. Therefore, mushroom powders not only reduce serum total cholesterol concentrations but also atherosclerotic lesion formation than other mushrooms such as Eringi and Maitake mushroom.
3. Prevents parasitic infection
Shimeji mushrooms contain protease enzymes that possess a nematicidal effect on Panagrellus redivivus and bovine infective larvae which affect plants, animals and humans and protect from parasitic diseases.
4. Shimeji mushroom is a potential natural anticancer agent
Shimeji mushrooms are rich in glycoprotein (HM-3A), marmorin, beta-(1-3)-glucan, hypsiziprenol, and hypsin. These compounds inhibit the proliferation of various cancer cells such as leukemia, hepatoma, breast, sarcoma, lung carcinoma cells. Thus, Shimeji mushrooms caps are a potential good natural source of anticancer agents.
5. Antifungal Shimeji mushrooms because of Hypsin compound
Hypsin (ribosome-inactivating protein) present in mushroom possess antifungal activity against various pathogenic fungi such as Physalospora piricola, Fusarium oxysporum, Mycospharella arachidicola and Botrytis cinerea.
6. Shimeji mushrooms in the treatment of Hypertension
Shimeji mushrooms contain angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor which is oligopeptide that may be helpful in lowering blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke in persons having hypertension.
7. Anti-inflammatory properties of Shimeji mushrooms
Shimeji mushrooms are rich in polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids. Thus inhibits inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress and protects from lung failure. Therefore, Shimeji mushroom may be useful for amending inflammatory responses and act as a natural drug against lung failure in the future.
8. Anti-bacterial Shimeji mushrooms
Shimeji mushroom is a rich source of phenolic and flavonoid content that is beneficial for protect against various bacteria such as Serratia marcescens, Escherichia coli Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus.
9. Shimeji mushrooms are rich in antioxidants
Phenol, steroids, flavonoids and ascorbic acid found in the mushroom are biologically active components that prevent oxidative stress-mediated disease through radical scavenging activity.
10. Management of diabetes and weight
This mushroom contains hypsiziprenol, hypsin, polysaccharides, and dietary polyphenols, such as resveratrol. It helps in the reduction of fat deposition without affecting body weight loss by activating obesity-related genes that are responsible for oxidation and lipolysis. Furthermore, the intake of this mushroom lower the fasting plasma insulin and plasma glucose, modulate glycemic index, and increase the antioxidant contents thus regulate both obesity and insulin resistance.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.