**REVIEW** Shitake Mushroom seasoning

If you like savory flavoring, read on.

For anyone who's been paying attention, I've been on a bit of a middle-age get-healthier kick. Once I got past the first couple of weeks, it was easy to keep up my walking exercise and it hasn't been too hard to eat healthier. It's on my fasting days where I tend to stumble.

I knew from the beginning that fasting every other day was going to be easier for me than constantly cutting out a ton of calories. My fasting days aren't that bad - I try to never go above 600 calories - but I lose track sometimes of my coffee and tea intake. I cannot do a lot of no-sugar/no-creamer coffee or tea. So I can lose count on how much creamer I am using on a fasting day.

When I discovered mushroom seasoning, it solved a lot of my concerns:

• Salt intake from my various seasonings
• Dealing with bland foods (tofu, rice, veggies)
• Finding a broth I like for fasting days

Yeah, this one single bag of mushroom seasonings has been a lovely find.

I had to use Google's translation app to understand what was written on the bag. Much respect to my Chinese brothers and sisters. They know their complicated language and ours. I can only admire that.

Some buyers wondered what kind of 
mushrooms were used. So here ya go.

A longtime online acquaintance had once voiced their concern for my use of MSG (Umami seasoning). I let them know that I wasn't using it as much as I once had because of the very sharp flavor it imparts - and not because of the trending concerns. (Check my ** Note at the foot of this post.)

MSG seems to work best in conjunction with a bunch of other seasonings. Seasonings with their own salt, potassium, etcetera. Otherwise, as I mentioned, there can be a 'too sharp flavor to Umami. This same buddy mentioned to me that they instead of Umami like using mushroom seasoning in a lot of their dishes. That sounded interesting to me at the time, then I forgot about it. Until recently.

The mushroom seasoning didn't come back into my mind because I was thinking of food though. I was actually trying to find a broth that I liked. I wanted something to sip on during my fasting days. The store-bought stocks I found were way too "nothing" and the bouillon cubes and cartons of broth were either too bland or too salty. I couldn't find anything with the right kind of indefinable taste I was looking for. And then I remembered what that one person had said about mushroom seasoning. They had described it as "rich and savory-tasting". So I went looking around online.

I found a bunch of different kinds and brands. There are mushroom seasonings that come in powder and liquid form and in all kinds of price ranges from suspiciously low to are-you-kidding-me expensive. After I read a lot of reviews and some articles, I came up with two requirements for one I would try. It would have to be 1) affordable, and 2) of the shitake variety.

I'm not sure but I think that the online buddy had said something about shitake being their favorite flavor of mushroom seasoning. And a lot of reviews I read mentioned that shitake was "the best". At any rate, I finally found a bag that I could afford. I had to use translation apps to see if I was choosing something with shitake in it. Mainly, I was worried that I would waste even a small amount of my very limited budget on something that I might end up hating. ( I got this one the first time but have since found the same brand at a better price.)

And no worries. This Imperial Taste brand seasoning is amazing. It really is actually everything that I wanted the Umami to be. (I'm speaking in italics, so you know I'm excited!) The taste is very rich and savory while leaving none of that sharp, chemical-like taste in the back of my throat. As a broth, it's like sipping on the juice from a really good and smoky-flavored soup. As a seasoning on my foods, it adds all the flavor without being salty or "wrong" for almost any savory dish. 

This is what it looks like right out of the bag:

I grind some into a powder for 
sprinkling onto food.

I will make about a 12-ounce cup (with half a tablespoon of the powder) twice a day on my fasting days. I do this to fight cravings for something tastier than water and more filling than coffee or tea. It turns out that half of my cravings are not even for food but for flavor. Just like almost all my other cravings can be satisfied with a drink of water.

When I use this seasoning on food - I started with rice and vegetables - the flavor goes further than does salt or my various other seasonings. I don't need to use as much of it because, again, the flavor is so very savory and 'deep tasting'. I like the taste so much that I started using it as the only seasoning for fish and tofu. Baked or fried tofu with this for flavor is just too yummy. And trust me, tofu needs all the flavor you can give it!

I waited to post about this because I was also ranting about the Umami before it lost its appeal. This mushroom seasoning is a keeper. If I ever stop using it for food (and I doubt I will), it will still be my favorite for making a broth. Let me tell you, there is nothing like a good hot cup of broth when you don't feel well (especially for nausea I deal with weekly) or when it is cold.

Now, the thing is, because only some of the printing on the bag is in English I had to screenshot the non-English parts.

I saw several brands of "mushroom seasoning" when I was looking. When I searched specifically for "shitake", the prices went up. I almost didn't get this one but I am glad I did. The translation shows that this is made of shitake powder and extract. So... yeah.

Peace

--Free

**NOTE - Look up the problematic origins of the concerns of MSG. #DoYourOwnResearch and #talkaboutfakenews.