Data source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 169382 (Mushrooms, enoki, raw).
Fun facts
- Wild enoki have bigger caps and a golden brown color. The long, snow white enoki in shops are grown in bottles in dark rooms, so they stretch out and never develop color.
- According to USDA, 100g of fresh enoki has about 37 kcal, 2.7g of fiber and 359mg of potassium.
- Enoki fiber is quite tough, so if you do not chew well, you may notice the mushrooms come out looking almost intact. That is normal; just chew thoroughly.
- In Vietnam, enoki go into hotpot, soups, beef wrapped grilled rolls and garlic butter stir fries. The kOBE recipe library has 13 dishes that use them.
Choosing and storing
Pick packs with white or ivory stems, straight dry strands and small firm caps. Avoid packs with pooled water, yellowing strands, slime or an odd smell. Keep enoki in the original pack in the fridge, do not wash before storing, and use within about a week. Once opened, wrap the rest in a dry paper towel and put it in a sealed container.
Cooking it well
Trim off the base with the growing medium, pull the enoki into small clusters and rinse quickly under the tap. Enoki need to be cooked through: US food safety authorities have advised against eating them raw. In hotpot, cook until the strands are soft and evenly done, about 3 to 5 minutes. When stir frying or grilling, use high heat so they turn fragrant without releasing too much water.
