656326 Thu Oct 01 10:25:47 -0700 2009 3 19 Outer Boroughs 0 5072403 hi. I'm looking for a less expensive/interesting substitute for dried porcinis (not sure if the shrooms in polish markets are the same) . I was thinking that there must be something worth trying in a chinese market. any suggestions/advice would be appreciated. if it's chines - please spell it phonetically ;- ) ~ thanks Thu Oct 01 10:25:47 -0700 2009 160255 detour 1 5073433 None of the dried chinese mushrooms are quite as flavorful as porcini, but they all offer some flavor and good texture. Most common are the various dried shiitakes...the most expensive are pale and have what appears to be an X-shape on the cap...something like that. Very gelatinous and meaty....then there are what I believe to be dried king oysters. They are extremely meaty, and can be large. They almost seem to be like a slice of meat...could definitely use them as a meat substitute. Then there are the small dried "beech drop" type..(maitake?)..more flavorful than the others, but less texture. Sorry, I don't know the names..... Thu Oct 01 17:54:16 -0700 2009 5072403 135440 EricMM 1 5073858 At the Chinese grocery stores, there are not only dried Shiitake mushrooms, also known as Chinese black mushrooms, but in recent years, there are now a number of fresh mushrooms available. The fresh Chinese black mushrooms are quite good with a very meaty texture and compared to the price of porcini mushrooms, dried or fresh, they are practically free. The fresh Chinese black mushrooms are usually priced quite reasonably at $3.00 to $4.00 per pound, while the dried black mushrooms sell for about $8 to $20 plus per pound depending upon quality. There should not be any language issues, since the dried black mushrooms are in clear plastic bags and should be easily recognizable. Just walk around the dried goods aisles until you find shelves that contain the dried black mushrooms. The available fresh mushrooms should be in the fresh vegetable section of the Chinese grocery stores. We have not had the pleasure of eating porcini mushrooms, but we would imagine and agree with the poster “EricMM” above, that the black mushrooms would not have as much flavor as porcini mushrooms, considering that porcini mushrooms cost many many multiples of the price of the Chinese black mushrooms, hence you would probably have to try them to see if they are a worthy substitute on a value basis for porcini mushrooms. And there is also the possibility that there may be intrinsic flavor differences between the porcini and the black mushrooms and for this reason, the black mushrooms may not be a one for one substitute for porcini mushrooms in the recipes where you use porcini mushrooms. If you happen to try the much cheaper fresh or dried Chinese black mushrooms, we would be interested to know if it is worth the elevated price that one pays for porcini mushrooms compared to the lower price one pays for the black mushrooms. The other fresh mushrooms we have noticed at the Chinese grocery stores are: a. enoki b. small Portobello c. oyster d. King Trumpet (also known as King oyster, and King Eryngii) e. Straw This site (http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/MAIN/vegetables/specialty-mushrooms.asp) has pictures of the mushrooms mentioned above, if you are not familiar with them. These fresh mushrooms can be found at any of the larger Chinese grocery stores in any of the Chinatowns or at the larger Chinese Supermarkets (one stop shopping with parking) away from the Chinatowns in the Queens area. Thu Oct 01 22:13:55 -0700 2009 5072403 11282 lwong 1 5075490 not porcini for sure, but try big fresh shitake shrooms,,..agian fresh, not dry Fri Oct 02 16:44:01 -0700 2009 5072403 11476 intrepid