Shiitake Mushroom Noodles
If you love mushrooms, you’ll love these shiitake mushroom noodles, which include dried porcini for a boost of umami flavor. Made with vibrant ingredients like scallions, ginger, and garlic, these noodles make a delicious—and quick—dinner.
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I love noodles almost as much as I love pasta, and dressing them up with vibrant Asian flavors is my favorite way to eat them (These ginger-scallion noodles with shrimp are one example of that.) Scallions, ginger, and garlic are pretty much always mandatory, and the options for which ingredient to feature are virtually endless.
In this shiitake mushroom noodles recipe, the featured player is—you guessed it—shiitake mushrooms, but dried porcini mushrooms have a strong supporting role that give these noodles extra “oomph.”
I know porcini mushrooms are a little pricey, but a little go a long way, and they last at least several months if stored properly.
These noodles are dressed with an intoxicating soy sauce marinade made with rice vinegar, sesame oil, and brown sugar, and they’re garnished with toasted sesame seeds for crunch and green scallions for freshness.
Why You’ll Love These Shiitake Mushroom Noodles
- Quick and easy: You’ll need to soak the dried porcini mushrooms for 15 minutes, but this recipe comes together quickly.
- For mushroom lovers: Mushroom lovers will find it hard to pass up these tasty morsels tossed with fragrant noodles.
- Even better leftover: Storing leftovers in the fridge for one to two days allows the noodles to really absorb the flavors.
Key Ingredients
- Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms: These are a must for their umami-rich taste.
- Dried Porcini Mushrooms: These mushrooms add an additional depth of flavor that makes this recipe unmistakenly mushroom-centric.
See the recipe card below for more information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make These Shiitake Mushroom Noodles
- Soak porcini: Cover the porcini mushrooms with hot water for 15 minutes. Drain and roughly chop them.
- Mix sauce: Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
- Cook noodles: Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the noodles according to the package’s directions.
- Toast & sauté: Toast the sesame seeds in a large pan until golden, then remove. Heat oil in the same pan and cook the porcini and shiitake mushrooms until golden, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add aromatics: Add salt, white parts of scallions, ginger, and garlic. Cook until scallions soften, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Simmer sauce: Pour in soy sauce marinade. Stir and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Combine & garnish: Drain the noodles and toss them with the sauce. Add noodle water if needed. Garnish with green scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Prep ingredients before cooking mushrooms: In addition to soaking the porcini mushrooms for 15 minutes, prepare the marinade and grate the ginger and garlic beforehand so everything is ready when it’s time to cook.
- Be sure to grate—not mince—ginger and garlic: Grating them makes them more aromatic and flavorful and really infuses the noodles.
Variations & Substitutions
-You can use an assortment of mushrooms like oyster, cremini, and maitake. I don’t recommend using white mushrooms, as they’re too bland.
-Purchase sesame seeds already toasted so you can skip the step of toasting them yourself.
-Light brown sugar is fine in place of the dark brown sugar.
-Add additional veggies like peppers and onions.
Recipe FAQs
Both mushrooms have a meaty texture, but shiitake, though savory and slightly smoky, are milder than porcini. Porcini mushrooms are known for their intense, woodsy flavor.
No. Although these shiitake garlic noodles rely on common Asian flavors like soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and sesame seeds, they’re not authentic.
Storage
–Refrigerator: Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
–Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing these noodles. Together with the mushrooms, they’ll become watery upon defrosting/reheating.
–Reheat: Reheat the noodles in the oven, covered, until warmed through. You can also reheat them in the microwave.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
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Shiitake Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried porcini mushrooms (Note 1)
- 8 ounces rice noodles (Note 2)
- 5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (Note 3)
- 5 ounces shiitake mushrooms sliced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 sliced scallions green and white parts
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and grated
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cover the porcini mushrooms with hot water, and let them soak for 15 minutes. Drain well and roughly chop them.½ cup dried porcini mushrooms
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the packages directions. Drain and reserve some of the noodle water.8 ounces rice noodles
- Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.5 tablespoons soy sauce2 tablespoons rice vinegar3 teaspoons sesame oil2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
- In a large saucepan, toast the sesame seeds on medium-low to medium heat until lightly golden and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the pan.1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
- Wipe the pan clean of any remaining sesame seeds. Heat the oil and cook the porcini and shiitake mushrooms until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. 2 tablespoons neutral oilChopped porcini mushrooms5 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms
- Season the mushrooms with the salt. Add the white parts of the sliced scallions along with the ginger and garlic. Cook until the scallions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir frequently so the ginger and garlic don't burn.¼ teaspoon kosher salt6 sliced scallions (white parts only)2 teaspoons grated ginger4 grated garlic cloves
- Stir the red pepper flakes into the mushrooms for 30 seconds. Give another whisk to the soy sauce marinade you set aside earlier before pouring it into the pan. Stir the sauce with the mushrooms and let simmer for 2 minutes.¼ teaspoon red pepper flakesSoy sauce marinade
- Reduce the heat under the pan to low, and add the cooked noodles to it. Toss them with the mushrooms and soy sauce marinade until well incorporated. Add some noodle water if you need to loosen it a bit. Garnish with the sliced green scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!6 sliced scallions (remaining green parts)Toasted sesame seeds
This is the ultimate mushroom recipe for mushroom fans. So flavorful, and so easy to make.