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In late September I noticed that the local Japanese market was selling matsutake mushrooms. Being a seasonal delicacy —they’re foraged from the wild, as they don’t take to cultivation— matsutake are quite pricey! But the spicy smell called out to me, and I couldn’t resist a cooking experiment.

After some web searches and poring over cookbooks, I found that, unlike most other mushrooms, sautéing or frying matsutake is a Bad Idea. Such cooking apparently removes the characteristic aroma. Instead, steaming (including cooking with rice) and grilling are preferred.

Enter the rice cooker, and what I got was a house filled with a gentle cinnamon-pepper perfume as it cooked. Oh, and a yummy dish as a result.

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Dashi is a broth and a staple in many Japanese soups, sauces and stews. The ingredients are inexpensive (well, if you have easy access to a Japanese or Asian grocery store), and it’s a breeze to make!

Avoid boiling with kelp, and don’t let the bonito flakes steep for too long —both could result in bitterness. For a smokier flavor, add more bonito flakes. You could also make a second dashi batch, by doubling the steeping time for the (previously used) kelp, optionally doubling the amount of bonito flakes, and using less water (about 3 to 4 cups).

The result is a light broth, whose smell evokes memories of the ocean and beach. It’s not salty, either. The broth becomes the basis of tasty dishes once you add other things like soy sauce, miso paste, saké, mirin, and so forth. Suggestions for use: Dips for vegetables, miso soup, seafood chowders, marinades (for tofu, fish, poultry)…

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In spite of my lifelong exposure to Mexican food, I haven’t eaten posole (a.k.a., pozole) before. I love dishes made from masa (tamales!), and the lime-treated corn kernels which get ground into masa flour are also referred to as posole or hominy.

The motivation for this recipe comes from Deborah Madison’s Posole with Red Chile Pods, in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. The result is somewhere between a light chile-stew and a rich, flavorful soup. My version has additional spices and the option to add stock. The dish is easily made vegan if not made with animal-based stock or garnishes.

Another realization with this dish is that you can have a lot creativity with the garnishes. In fact, if you make the vegetarian version, the garnishes you (and/or your guests) make available would suit a huge ranges of tastes and tolerances. It’s fun to assemble!

Update, 23 June 2013: My tastes for this dish has changed over the years, so I’ve modified things. The oregano (Mexican or otherwise) seems to give this a musty flavor I don’t like. I’ve already reduced the amount of chilis (feel free to keep it high, if your tastebuds allow!), increased the cumin and coriander, added cinnamon, and added tomatoes while cooking.

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