Also Known as
Button Mushrooms / Agaricus
What is Mushroom, Button mushrooms, khumb, dhingri
Button mushroom is widely available; varies in color from white to light brown and in size from small to jumbo stuffer; plump and dome-shaped; pleasing flavor intensifies when cooked. Mature Agaricus with open veils have an intensely rich taste. Agaricus is quite versatile, being excellent for use both raw and cooked. Also available canned and dried.
Blanched and sliced mushrooms
Wash and trim the stems of the mushrooms. To blanch the mushrooms (whole or quartered) boil a vessel full of water with little salt. Add them to the pot containing boiling water and allow them to cook for 30 to 40 seconds. Remove and place them in a bowl of water immediately. This will prevent "carry over" cooking. Drain the water and place a mushroom on a chopping board and cut it into half vertically using a sharp knife. Place each halve on a chopping board flat and cut at regular intervals parallel to the chopping board to form sliced mushrooms.
Blanched mushroom
Wash and trim the stems of the mushrooms. To blanch the mushrooms (whole or quartered) boil a vessel full of water with little salt. Add them to the pot containing boiling water and allow them to cook for 30 to 40 seconds. Remove and place them in a bowl of water immediately. This will prevent "carry over" cooking. Drain the water and use blanched mushrooms in recipes of your choice. Add as topping for pizzas, in sauces or stir-fried preparations and au gratins.
Blanched mushroom cubes
Wash and trim the stems of the mushrooms. To blanch the mushrooms (whole or quartered) boil a vessel full of water with little salt. Add them to the pot containing boiling water and allow them to cook for 30 to 40 seconds. Remove and place them in a bowl of water immediately. This will prevent "carry over" cooking. Drain the water and place a mushroom on a chopping board. Using a sharp knife, cut each mushroom into 2 halves vertically. Make 1 to 2 more cut in each halve vertically depending on the width of the cubes you require. Then line these pieces together and make 1 or 2 horizontally cut to make equal sized cubes.
Chopped mushrooms
Wash and trim the stems of the mushrooms before chopping. Place the mushroom on a chopping board and cut it into half vertically using a sharp knife. Place each halve on a chopping board and cut at regular intervals vertically to form long strips. Line all the strips together and cut at regular intervals horizontally to get chopped mushroom. You can chop the mushroom finely or roughly as per the recipe requirement. Use chopped mushrooms in gravies, au gratins, as a stuffing etc.
Mushroom cubes
Wash and trim the stems of the mushrooms. Place the mushrooms on a chopping board. Using a sharp knife, cut each mushroom into 2 halves vertically. Make 1 to 2 more cut in each halve vertically depending on the width of the cubes you require. Then line these pieces together and make 1 or 2 horizontally cut to make equal sized cubes. Mushrooms can be cut into smaller or bigger cubes as per the recipe requirement. Small cubes are wonderful addition to salads whereas large ones are used for sabzis.
Sliced mushrooms
Wash and trim the stems of the mushrooms before slicing them. Place the mushroom on a chopping board and cut it into half vertically using a sharp knife. Place each halve on a chopping board flat and cut at regular intervals parallel to the chopping board to form sliced mushrooms. Use them in recipes which require stir frying etc since they don't require much time to cook.
How to Select mushrooms, khumb, dhingri
When buying fresh button mushrooms, select mushrooms that are intact and firm, with tightly closed cap. Avoid mushrooms that are wrinkled, slimy, ragged, or spotted. If the gills are showing, it's an indication of age, and they are probably past their prime. Discolored, broken and damaged mushrooms with soft spots should be avoided.
Culinary uses of mushrooms, khumb, dhingri in Indian cooking
Indo-chinese is popular all over India and loved by almost everyone. Create a sumptous meal to tickle your tastebuds with these recipes - Chilli garlic mushroom or mushroom chilli for appetisers , an eye appealing stir Fried greens in spicy garlic sauce with mushroom fried rice.
Worried about your calorie count? This high-quality proteins at low calorie count Mushroom, capsicum and paneer stir fry, melange of Broccoli, Mushroom and Tofu in Schezuan Sauce with mushroom brown rice will surely entice health freaks.
One can also substitute paneer and add mushrooms (also known as dhingri and khumbh) to make some lip-smacking Indian curries like cashew,mushroom and makhana curry , fresh mushroom curry, spinach mushroom sabzi, methi mushroom sabzi, kadai mushroom, mutter dhingri.
" Mushrooms are extremely porous and soak up water like a sponge. Because they are mostly water, never soak fresh mushrooms.
" Be aware that salt releases the water in mushrooms, so judge the salt usage accordingly for your particular recipe.
" In most cooked recipes, different varieties of mushrooms may be used interchangeably.
" For easy marinated mushrooms, cover cleaned button mushrooms with your favorite vinaigrette, cover and refrigerate for 2 days.
" An egg-slicer makes quick work of slicing mushrooms into uniform pieces. Cut edges of mushrooms will turn dark when exposed to air.
" When they will be served raw, cut just before serving or wipe the cut edges with lemon juice.
" Mushroom powder can easily be made by grinding dried button mushrooms in a spice or coffee grinder, food processor, or heavy-duty blender. Use to flavor soups, stews, stocks, dips, and sauces.
" Avoid aluminum pans when cooking light-colored mushrooms. The aluminum will discolor the mushrooms.
" Since mushrooms contain so much water, no additional liquid is needed when cooking them in a microwave. Do not cover.
" Don't throw away mushroom stems. Trim and freeze them to use in soups and stocks.
" Mushrooms also make the use of pulses, beans and peas in vegetarian cookery more palatable and enjoyable
How to Store mushrooms, khumb, dhingri
Store button mushrooms in your refrigerator crisper where they can benefit from cool air circulation. Keep partially covered to prevent them from drying out, but never store packaged fresh button mushrooms without venting. Paper bags are a good storage alternative. Use fresh button mushrooms within three days. Store dried button mushrooms in an airtight container. Dried button mushrooms should be soaked in hot water or part of the recipe cooking liquid for about an hour before using. The liquid may be used for added flavor.
8 Super Health Benefits of mushrooms, khumb, dhingri
1. Low Calorie
One cup of Mushrooms contain only 18 calories and they are excellent for your health. Eat them often without guilt. It will add bulk to your diet and will make you feel fuller. You will feel satiated for a longer period and refrain from eating extra calories. You can try making our Low calorie mushroom recipes like Mushroom and Tomato Snack, Mushroom and Green Peas Curry and Grilled Mushrooms if you want to cut down on extra calories from your diet.
2. Low in Carbs
Mushrooms are extremely low in carbs and therefore do not raise blood glucose levels. One cup of mushrooms have only 3.44 grams of carbs.
3. Low Fat
Mushrooms contain negligible amount of fat i.e. 1 Cup will contain only 0.31 grams of fat. So it is good for weight watchers.
If you want to know the 8 Super Health Benefits of Mushrooms, click here.
Nutritional Information for 1 mushrooms, khumb, dhingri
Nutritional Information for 1 Cup Chopped Mushrooms
One Cup of Chopped Mushrooms is 74 grams.
RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance.
18 Calories
1.53 grams of Protein
3.44 grams of Carbs
0.31 grams of Fat
0.33 mg of Vitamin B2, Riboflavin = 30% of RDA (about 1.1 mg)
3.04 mg of Vitamin B3, Niacin = 25.33% of RDA (about 12 mg)
0.31 mg of Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine = 15.50% of RDA (about 2 mg)
76.96 mg of Phosphorus (P) = 12.82% of RDA (about 600 mg)
15.64 mg of Folic Acid (B9) = 7.82% of RDA (about 200 mg)
9.25 mcg of Vitamin K = 7.70 % of RDA (about 120 mcg)
2.59 mg Vitamin C = 6.47% of RDA (about 40 mg)
273.8 mg of Potassium (K) = 5.82% of RDA (about 4,700 mg)
0.07 mg of Vitamin B1, Thiamine = 5.38% of RDA (about 1.2 to 1.5 mg)
0.54 mg of Zinc (Zn) = 4.90% of RDA (about 10 to 12 mg)
0.91 mg of Iron (Fe) = 4.33% of RDA (about 21 mg)
0.96 grams of Fibre = 3.84% of RDA (about 25 grams)
7.4 mg of Magnesium (Mg) = 2.11% of RDA (about 350 mg)
Glycemic Index of Mushrooms
Mushrooms has a Glycemic Index of 15 which is very low. Glycemic Index are for foods you eat, ranks carbohydrate-containing foods by how quickly they digest and raise your blood sugar or glucose levels. Foods rank from 0 to 50 are low GI, 51 to 69 are medium and 70 to 100 are high. Foods that are high in GI are not suitable for weight loss and diabetics. Foods like Mushrooms have a low GI and hence don't spike your glucose level as they are absorbed slowly. Great for weight loss and excellent for diabetics.