Many recipes call for mushrooms. UnfortunateIy, have a terrible allergy to mushrooms and am looking for substitutions.

Tomisgrl
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6 Comments

robgump November 26, 2020
I just made a large green bean casserole for a group that had allergies to mushrooms. I substituted a small amount of katsuobushi. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katsuobushi)
I made the roux from scratch and added about a heaping tablespoon about 2 grams to start in about a quart of the sauce. Adjust to taste. You just want to avoid a "fish" taste by using too much.
 
thornmallow March 27, 2011
I agree that it would depend on the recipe. I doubt you're even considering recipes such as stuffed mushrooms -- you're probably coming across recipes where mushrooms are less the feature, and more there to add specific notes to the flavor.

When I think of mushroom flavor, I think earthy and umami. There aren't too many ingredients out there that can contribute both of those, so you might have better luck adding 2 separate ingredients to replace the mushrooms. You'll want to pick something that stays true to the style of the dish -- if you're making an Asian recipe, using parmesan to add umami flavor would not be ideal.

Usuba dashi above gives some good suggestions for umami flavors, you could also use miso, Parmesan, kombu, yeast extract (think Vegemite or Marmite) or ham.

Earthy is a little trickier, but you could try barley, root vegetables (like the turnip suggested above), some types of beans, or if you're really bold, huitlacoche. Another possibility would be using a "funky" beer such as a Saison or and American Wild Ale to bring some earthy tones to your recipe.
 
usuba D. March 26, 2011
Most often, mushroom are an essential part of a recipe for more than the sake of their taste . . . they also add umami, the five sense of taste, also known as savory. So, there are other ingredients that will give you the savory that will be missing when you leave mushrooms out. Tomatoes (such as tomato paste), anchovies, dulse are just a few of these ingredients that will enhance any meal. There are others. FYI, the reason these ingredients enhance foods is because they naturally contain high amounts of 2 amino acids, Glutamic and Aspartic. Glutamic is the "G" in MSG. Aspartic has similar characteristics as Glutamic. There is a science to the art of cooking!
 
Sam1148 March 25, 2011
Tempeh. If you can find it. But personalty I'd just skip the mushrooms in the recipe as mentioned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempeh

In the article it does mention it uses a starter fungus for the fermentation. So that might be a concern. If your alergy is across the board for all mushrooms.
(I'm only allergic to shaitaki mushrooms...all others are fine).
 
boulangere March 25, 2011
Could you give us some examples of recipes you'd like to make if not for the mushrooms? I'm allergic to nuts, so I generally just leave them out, or in the case of something to which they are crucial, I give it a pass.
 
beyondcelery March 25, 2011
I completely avoid mushrooms as well. Honestly, most of the time I just skip the recipes that use mushrooms or leave them out (never seems to affect a recipe poorly, unless it relies on the mushrooms for substance).

Stuffed mushroom recipes are a different matter. If something's really caught my eye, I'll stuff tomatoes or baked potatoes with the filling meant for mushrooms. If you're just looking for something extra to add to a sauté or skillet dish, the following have worked well for me in place of mushrooms: green beans, water chestnuts, whole pecans, asparagus, pine nuts, and turnips. Green beans go well in stuffings. Asparagus is awesome in risotto. Pecans or pine nuts are great when you just want a meatier substance to the dish. Turnips lend a really nice earthy flavor, not unlike some mushrooms.
 
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