Have you ever seen a beautiful flower pattern on shiitake mushrooms in traditional Japanese foods like hot pots, simmered dishes, and noodle soups? Called shiitake hanagiri (しいたけ花切り), this Japanese cutting technique is actually quick and easy to do at home. Let me show you how with my tutorial!
What is Hanagiri?
Hanagiri (花切り) is a Japanese cutting technique to create a flower shape. It comes from the Japanese words hana (flower) + giri (or kiri, cut). The two most common vegetables for hanagiri are shiitake and carrots, and lotus root (renkon). There are different methods to cut flower shapes depending on the type of vegetable we’re preparing. We use a knife to cut shiitake hanagiri and hana renkon. Meanwhile, we use both a knife and vegetable cutter to make carrot flowers for carrot hanagiri and the more advance nejiri ume.
Use Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
For this cutting technique, use only fresh shiitake mushrooms. I don’t recommend using dried shiitake mushrooms, even though they add a lot of umami flavor to your dishes. Even after rehydration, the cutting surface of dried shiitake does not have the right texture for creating the sharp, distinct cuts you need to make a flower shape.
How to Cut Shiitake Hanagiri
Watch my video tutorial to see how to cut shiitake hanagiri. Below is a quick overview:
Recipes with Shiitake Hanagiri
You can use these decorative flower shiitake in a variety of Japanese dishes:
Yosenabe — the basic Japanese hot pot with whatever ingredients you want like chicken, seafood, shrimp, tofu, and vegetables Sukiyaki —Japanese beef hot pot with marbled beef, tofu, long green onions, napa cabbage, and a variety of mushrooms in a sweet and savory, soy sauce-based broth Shabu Shabu —beef or pork hot pot cooked in light kombu dashi broth and served with dipping sauces like ponzu sauce and sesame sauce Miso Nikomi Udon — with chicken, fish cake, and thick Japanese wheat noodles are simmered in a miso-flavored dashi broth Hokkaido Salmon Hot Pot (Ishikari Nabe) — a beloved regional dish with salmon, potatoes, corn, daikon radish, onion, and cabbage topped with butter
See my Guide to Japanese Hot Pot for more recipe ideas! Watch the video below from 4:05.
