Cultivated enoki mushrooms, or enokitake in Japanese, are white mushrooms with long and slender stems topped with a small cap. When cooked, they have a delightful texture that is both crunchy and soft (hard to describe!) and a very subtle flavour that does not overpower other ingredients. In Japanese cuisine, Enoki mushrooms are often served in stirfries and hotpots, requiring only a short cooking time. As a result, they are typically added near the end of cooking, a bit before green onions or other finishing touches are included. Do not overcook them, as they will lose their texture and become tough.
Enoki mushrooms are also known as yukinoshita, as they can be found growing under the snow at the base of a persimmon or poplar tree. They contain polysaccharides.
When purchasing enokitake in the supermarket, look for ones that are uniformly white. Do not buy ones that have browned or look slimy. Before using, cut the very ends off where they join each other and harden, and rinse thoroughly.