In Japan, the choice of what to serve for a meal, and how to present it, is intimately linked to nature and embellished by cultural nuance. Each month in the kitchen, and at table, has a distinct seasonal identity, complete with its own legends, festivals, motifs, and color schemes associated with it.

Trying to decipher Japan's culinary code can be challenging. I know that when I first came to Japan, nearly 40 years ago, I struggled to grasp the meaning of what everyone around me thought was obvious.

To enable others who have not been brought up with Japanese traditions to better understand and appreciate native culinary references to each season, I have been posting essays every few months to this SEASONAL JAPANESE KITCHEN page. Topics in the past have ranged from symbolism at the New Year dinner table to shin cha, or "new tea."

This issue of the Seasonal Japanese Kitchen page is devoted to MATSUTAKE, a wildly extravagant fungi, foraged in forests of red pine.

Really Expensive...

Just how costly can these mushrooms be?

Some of the most prized Japanese mushrooms are foraged in the forests of Tamba, near Kyoto. Market prices change daily and a statement to this effect is commonly added to restaurant menus and on-line vendors such as this one: http://www.yaomatu.co.jp/matu.html/

Scroll down, and do the arithmetic... (on the September day I posted this essay, the price was quoted at 210,000 yen for about 1.2 kilo). Yup, that's about $730 a pound! No wonder just a few slivers are added to dishes at top restaurants commanding hundreds of dollars for each dinner they serve.

Steam-poaching to Extract Every Drop of Flavor

Considering the cost, it is not surprising that the Japanese have invented ways of preparing these precious mushrooms to maximize their distinctive qualities. In my most recent e-newsletter, sent early in September (to add your name to the list,send your request to Hiroko Sasaki), I extolled the marriage of earthy, pine-scented matsutake mushrooms with hamo, a meaty eel. This extraordinary combination of sea and forest is best enjoyed in a dish known as dobin mushi.

www.universe.co.jp/oshirase/cooking/1999-09/matutake2.jpg/

To enjoy, lift the lid of the teapot and add a squeeze of citron. Re-lid and pour the broth into the small sake-cup that sat upon the lid when the dish was first presented. Sip and savor the melding of summer and fall.

www.kanzakiya.co.jp/items/matsutake/dobin-chori.jpg/

When the broth has been finished, remove the lid and nibble - nay, relish - the extravagantly expensive slivers of mushroom, fluffy eel, and other tidbits, such as ginko nuts and mitsuba leaves inside.

Named after the teapot-shaped vessel, dobin, in which it is served, this style of steam-poaching traps aromatic vapors, transforming them into an intensely flavored liquid that is enjoyed with the food producing the broth. The vessels are sold at many Asian grocery stores, and are a charming addition to the table. But if you cannot find them (or the space to store them in your crowded cupboard) a similar effect can be had by using small, porcelain souffle dishes and cooking parchment or clear plastic wrap. A recipe for making 4 to 6 portions, follows.

A Recipe to Savor the Autumn: Kinoko Dobin Mushi

1/4 pound fresh matsutake mushrooms
OR
1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms
2-3 inches kombu (kelp)
2 tablespoons sake or dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 sudachi (a variety of Japanese citron)
1 tablespoon soy sauce

If you have obtained matsutake mushroom (see information on sourcing at the conclusion of the recipe), gently wipe with a dry cloth to remove any soil, but do not wash or peel. Trim and discard the very bottom if wiping does not remove unwanted bits of the forest that may still be clinging to the mushroom. Cut the mushroom in half so that the cap and stem are separated. Using your fingers, gently shred the stem (much like pulling string cheese); the irregular surface of these pieces will yield more flavor and preserve the crisp texture.

Similarly, shred the cap, beginning with the stem end, or with a sharp knife, into paper-thin slices (these will look impressive scattered across the top of the dish).

If you cannot find matsutake, I suggest a combination of shiitake (remove the stems, using them to enrich stock, then slice the caps into 4 or 6 pieces), ruffled maitake ("hen-of-the-woods" trimmed; break the cluster into 4 or 6 segments), and slender-stalked, white enoki (trim away the spongy bottom and cut stalks in 1-inch segments) mushrooms.

Use 4 or 6 small, heat-proof porcelain souffle dishes, and place a small piece of kombu at the bottom of each. You will be well-rewarding for your trouble if you can source a high-glutamate variety such as Rausu kombu or ma kombu.

Divide the mushroom bits among the dishes, placing attractive cap portions on top. Sprinkle with salt and toss with the sake to just moisten the mushrooms.

Cover each dish with cooking parchment (tie in place to insure vapors will not escape) or clear plastic wrap. Do not use foil, as it often imparts an unwanted metallic odor.

Steaming for full flavor...

Place the dishes on a flat steamer rack or in a flat-bottomed double-boiler, and set over a medium flame. Cover your pot and cook for just 2 minutes (begin timing when a steady flow of steam is emitted).

With hands protected by potholder gloves or a thick towel, carefully remove the cover of your steamer and remove the dishes from inside. Set each souffle cup on a serving dish (much like a cup on a saucer), placing a wedge of sudachi lime (Meyer lemons and Key limes also provide fine flavor) to the side. Soy sauce for drizzling should be at the table. Serve immediately.

With this set-up, rather than a classic dobin pot, each person carefully removes the parchment or plastic wrap (unpeel from front to back to savor aromas and protect hands from injury with heat), squeezes some citrus juice over the mushrooms, and drizzles in a few drops of soy sauce. Begin by savoring the aroma, then nibbling the mushrooms, drinking the warm broth last.

Sourcing Fresh Mushrooms

For those who want to indulge themselves, matsutake can be found in many places around the world. Available in nearly all markets throughout Japan from late in August through early December, some of the most prized, and priciest, matsutake come from the Kansai area. Korean and Chinese grown matsutake offer Japanese consumers a less costly option, as do matsutake mushrooms imported from Canada, the American Pacific northwest, and Sweden. Here are several web sites I think you'll find of interest:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/winema/specialprojects/matsutakecountry.shtml/

http://www.matsiman.com/

www-mykopat.slu.se/Newwebsite/ex/Niclas/matsutake.html /

http://earthy.com/e_d_mushrooms.htm/

http://earthy.com/a_mushrooms.htm/

Scroll down for photos of many varieties.

Foraging for fungi...

Finally, a necessary word of caution for those who are tempted to go foraging for fungi on their own... deep knowledge and long experience is essential!

A good place to start:

http://namyco.org/index.html/