It's easier for me to get fresh shiitake rather than dried. How much fresh should I use? Is dried really preferable?

When I use fresh I usually will saute or roast them to reduce the liquid and increase the flavor though I try to always have dried on hand.

Thanks! Glad to know I can whip them up with fresh in case I can't get out to the store that sells the dried version.

I used fresh too and it worked great!

It is my opinion that the reasons for using dried are twofold. Firstly dried are usually in the pantry and easily accessible, second, when soaking your mushrooms, you get a flavourful liquid to put back into the dish. In using fresh, the liquid is in the mushroom itself so I cannot see a problem with replacing fresh for dried. Go for it.