Do you think of button mushrooms as “the boring ones”? Passing by the mushroom display at the farmers’ market in Vancouver, and admiring the cases of mushrooms – enoki, morel, oyster, shiitake, chantrelle, pine, lion’s mane, and so many more, I know how spoilt for choice I am.
I’m also reminded that I’m guilty, all too often, of passing over those little white button mushrooms in favour of other more exotic choices. I guess I have come to think of them as a little boring. They’re cheap and plentiful, and, as a result, often end up being used somewhat indifferently. It’s time to refresh my appreciation for the good old button!
Button mushrooms are something I associate with growing up in India, and it got me thinking of recipes, dating back to a time when they were generally considered a bit of a fancy ingredient. Of course, if the family happened to be in Coorg at the right time of year, we’d get to enjoy the wonderful wild mushrooms in season. Otherwise, living in a city, or tucked away in a small cantonment town, we were glad enough to have any fresh mushrooms at all.
One of my mother’s standard canapés for cocktail parties was small squares of toasted bread topped with button mushrooms sauteéd in butter, seasoned with just salt and pepper, with maybe a little grated cheese on top. I loved those tasty little bites! When fresh mushrooms were unavailable, she’d sometimes use canned ones sold under the brand name “Tegs”. These had an odd, rubbery texture and not much flavour besides being a bit salty. But back then, canned goods were quite the novelty, so it was all part of the curiosity factor!
The most common cultivated mushroom in the world, the white button mushroom was for many years the only commercially available kind in India. Times have changed, and today there are many more varieties of mushroom in the market, both fresh and dried, locally grown and imported. Beginning in the 1960s, early pioneers of mushroom cultivation in India introduced button mushrooms to the Indian market from farms in Solan, Srinagar, Chail and Kasauli.
“Mushroom cultivation in India was initiated for the first time at Solan in mid sixties when Dr. E. F. K. Mental from Germany started the work as the FAO consultant at Solan. He started the work on a small scale at the Dept. of Agriculture, H. P. Govt., Solan and successfully grew button mushrooms for the first time in India. Also associated with the project at Solan were the late Dr. P.K. Seth from the Dept. of Agriculture and Dr. S. Kumar. Simultaneously button mushroom cultivation was begun as a pilot project at Srinagar (Kmr) by Mr Stewart (a Britisher settled at Srinagar) along with a team of workers from the Dept. of Agriculture at Lalmandi, Srinagar. At both places the activity grew in size and mushroom growers started growing mushrooms in their houses as a cottage industry. Solan developed more rapidly as the effort at the Dept. of Agriculture (later Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University) was pursued vigorously and the first commercial unit of white button mushrooms in the seventies was put up at Kasauli (near Solan) by Mr. Saigal with the help from the C.O.A., Solan. Then came, his Highness, the Maharaja of Patiala who started growing mushrooms in the seventies at Dochi and Chail, near Solan on a much larger scale.”
Centres for cultivation have since spread all over the India, as has the demand for fresh mushrooms. They’re high in protein, low in calories, contain vitamins and minerals, and are equally versatile in vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes. They’re also full of glutamates that produce that 5th taste sensation, Umami. Quite the wonder food!
My cousin introduced me to this simple technique that she in turn learned many years ago from Nalima Kariappa. Using not much more by way of ingredients than in my mother’s approach given above, the following method for preparing mushrooms transforms them into something special.
Try it, and discover buttons bursting with flavour!
Mushroom mince
Mighty meaty!
- 1/2 kg white button mushrooms
- 1 tsp freshly ground back pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- Salt to taste
- 1-2 tbsp mild flavoured cooking oil
- A little butter to finish (optional)
Rinse the mushrooms quickly or wipe clean and dry them on paper towels.
Chop as finely as you can. Once cooked, they will reduce considerably in size, but this helps release the liquid quicker.
Heat the oil in a large, wide pan and toss in the chopped mushrooms. Stir to mix, then cook on moderate heat until they begin to release their liquid.
Add the ground pepper, and continue cooking. When there is about 2-3 tbsps of liquid remaining, add the garlic paste and mix thoroughly. Cook gently until the liquid is gone. The mushrooms should be moist, but not wet. Add the butter and salt to taste, or a dash of soy sauce if you prefer.
You now have a bowlful of flavourful, tender mushroom mince to work into all kinds of recipes. It’s fantastic in a grilled cheese sandwich!
Use it to replace the meat in a moussaka, bind it with breadcrumbs and egg to make mushroom croquettes – the possibilities are endless. Spice it to the East, West, or anywhere in between. This mushroom mince is game for anything.
I’m pretty sure you’ll never think of button mushrooms as boring again. A canapé, anyone? 🙂
