Quick recipes for pickled oyster mushrooms at home

Mushrooms are a rich source of nutrients and goodness. In summer, this forest product can be used to make soup, a standalone dish, or added to many side dishes and even salads. But sometimes you just want to indulge in this delicacy in winter. In that case, it's recommended to take care of this in the summer by preparing marinated oyster mushrooms for the winter.

Composition and beneficial properties

Why is it recommended to use oyster mushrooms for winter preparations?

The fact is that this particular product has a lot of useful properties:

• helps normalize blood pressure;
• improves heart function;
• strengthens blood vessels;
• has a cleansing effect on the body, removing waste and toxins from it;
• helps prevent the development of thrombosis, stroke, atherosclerosis and malignant tumors;
• lowers cholesterol levels.

Moreover, oyster mushrooms are one of the few mushrooms that are not particularly high in calories. The energy value per 100 grams is only 70 kilocalories, so they won't harm your figure at all.

Important! This mushroom is characterized by a high content of a substance called chitin. Therefore, it is not recommended for people with digestive problems or gallbladder disease.

How to properly prepare mushrooms for pickling

The first thing anyone who wants to make a delicious winter preserve should do is properly prepare the main ingredient for further processing.

This requires:

1. Choose the right mushroom. Young oyster mushrooms with a gray or pearly hue are preferred. If purchased at a market or store, pay attention to their texture—the mushroom should be solid and firm. Broken or limp mushrooms are not suitable for pickling.
2. Rinse each mushroom under running water.
3. Remove all dirt from them, paying particular attention to the area between the gills, as this is where small blades of grass tend to accumulate. The mushroom root should be treated by trimming the stem slightly.
4. It's recommended to cut large caps into several pieces. Oyster mushroom stems are not very large, so they can be simply divided into two pieces or used whole.

It's worth noting that this type of mushroom isn't bitter. Therefore, it doesn't require pre-soaking in cold water. However, this is necessary if it's heavily soiled. After soaking, thoroughly dry the oyster mushrooms on a paper towel.

Blank options

Preparing oyster mushrooms at home is quite simple. To do so, you just need to know one of several recipes.

A classic recipe for winter

The simplest and most economical method is the classic one. Its main advantage is that the marinade requires minimal ingredients. The dish will still taste delicious. To prepare oyster mushrooms, you'll need:

1. Place the washed and chopped mushrooms in a saucepan, then place it on the stove and turn on medium heat.
2. After the water boils, add salt (1.5 tablespoons), granulated sugar (1 tablespoon), garlic (2 medium-sized cloves) and dill (2 umbrellas), and then continue cooking for another 20 minutes.
3. If desired, you can add allspice or bay leaf to the dish to make it more rich and aromatic.
4. Separately, boil the mushrooms in lightly salted water for 15-20 minutes, then transfer them to a colander and leave them in it until the liquid drains.

Place the oyster mushrooms in the bottom of the jar and pour the marinade over them. Seal the jar tightly with a lid and wrap it in a warm blanket until it cools completely.

In Korean

The classic recipe for oyster mushrooms is probably familiar to every housewife, so it's recommended to spice it up by adding a little spice. To create this savory Korean-style preparation, you need to follow a few basic steps:

• Boil 500 grams of the main ingredient in slightly salted and sweetened water;
• as soon as the liquid boils, you need to drain it completely using a sieve or colander;
• To the hot mushrooms, add 2 grated carrots, 2 crushed medium-sized cloves of garlic, half a chopped chili pepper, 50 milliliters of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of special Korean spices.

All contents must be thoroughly mixed, then distributed into jars and rolled up.

With lemon

Another recipe for cooking mushroom preparations for the winter — with the addition of lemon juice. This product is an excellent alternative to table vinegar, making the dish extremely healthy and natural. The recipe consists of several basic steps:

1. Pour half a liter of water into a saucepan, place it on medium heat and bring it to a boil.
2. Squeeze the juice from 1 lemon and add it to boiling water. Add 1 kilogram of oyster mushrooms, chopped dill and parsley to the pan with it.
3. Cook for another 10-20 minutes, then transfer to a colander and wait for the water to drain.
4. When this happens, add 1 clove of crushed garlic, 2 chopped onions and 50 milliliters of vegetable oil to the boiled mushrooms; you can add more herbs to the dish if desired.
5. Mix all ingredients thoroughly and close the lid tightly.
6. After 30 minutes, the mushrooms need to be mixed again and placed into jars.

Now all that remains is to take the final step: add 8-10 black peppercorns to the mixture and tightly roll up the storage container with a lid.

With apple cider vinegar

Another excellent alternative to table vinegar is apple cider vinegar. The dish, when added, is aromatic and slightly sweet. It's prepared in a similar way to marinated oyster mushrooms with lemon juice, but instead of lemon juice, add 0.1 liter of apple cider vinegar to the boiling water.

With garlic

Dishes with garlic are not only delicious but also very healthy. This vegetable helps speed up metabolism and also acts as a preventative measure against viral and infectious diseases. To prepare a garlic-infused dish, you'll need:

• fry the washed and chopped mushrooms in a frying pan with a small amount of vegetable oil;
• Grate 5 medium-sized cloves of garlic using a grater or garlic press;
• salt and pepper the preparation to taste;
• The mushrooms need to be lightly sprinkled with vinegar.

The aromatic preparation is almost ready. Now it needs to cool and, once chilled, be poured into jars.

With dill

You can marinate oyster mushrooms with herbs in a similar way. This will result in a delicious, summer-inspired preserve. The preparation method is virtually identical to the previous version.

But instead of garlic, add chopped dill to the pan-fried mushrooms. You can also add parsley. Next, add pepper, drizzle with vinegar, and then, once cooled, arrange the mixture in jars.

Important: When preparing oyster mushrooms with garlic and dill, it is recommended to use only the caps, as the stems will be too tough.

A quick way to pickle

Many housewives don't like to preserve mushrooms, finding the process time-consuming and tedious. But you can significantly reduce the time it takes to prepare them if you know a few tricks. Let's look at a quick method for preparing oyster mushrooms for the winter. It involves a few basic steps:

• you need to fill the pan with water and add some salt;
• Add chopped oyster mushroom caps to boiling water and boil them for 8 minutes;
• after cooling, they need to be placed in jars;
• Now you can add the marinade prepared in any of the above ways.

A very simple and quick preparation method that requires minimal effort. This is the only type of pickled preparation that can be served immediately after preparation.

Fried and marinated oyster mushrooms

Oyster mushrooms are most delicious and nutritious when preserved fried. They also have excellent flavor. To prepare this dish this way, you'll need:

1. Fry the mushrooms in a frying pan with a small amount of vegetable oil until golden brown.
2. Add salt, onions, a mixture of chopped garlic and herbs (dill, parsley) to the finished product.
3. You can add a few black peppercorns if desired.
4. You need to lightly sprinkle the dish with table vinegar.

The preparation is ready; when cooled, it needs to be placed into jars.

How to store mushroom preserves

Prepared oyster mushrooms can be stored for 3 to 8 months.

The ideal place for this is the refrigerator. But if there's not enough space, you can store the jars in any cool, dry place out of direct sunlight, such as a cellar or basement.