The Luxe Loot

- Charlene Chow

Dear. Rare. Exclusive. Some or all of the reasons why it’s a luxury adding a piece, and sometimes just a sliver, of a precious ingredient to a dish. An indulgence? Chefs say it is a necessity. They share with us some of their favourites here.

RED MUSHROOM

Red mushrooms from China’s Wuyi Mountain in Fujian province are harvested between July and August after the rainy season. Experienced pickers make the arduous trek to reach specific altitudes where this delicate delicacy blooms and withers within the day. The red mushroom shrinks back if there’s too much noise, so pickers have to take care to move stealthily. What’s more, the deed has to be done at three to four am in the morning when the mushrooms are still small buds with their caps unopened. Extracted carefully this way with their mycelium intact, the red mushroom retains its full nutritional value and taste. Once picked, they are sun-dried and typically used as dried mushrooms.

In a seasonal promotion up to 30 November, Chef Li Wenwu, master chef of PUTIEN Kitchener Road will be using these red mushrooms ($348 per kg), to make seasonal dishes and beverages such as a very savoury red mushroom tea, double-boiled chicken soup with red mushroom, braised bean curd skin with red mushroom. The red mushrooms are said be particularly good as a blood tonic, particular for women.

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