Enoki mushroom

Enoki mushroom can be offered from about 6 months, once well cooked. Wild-picked mushrooms are off the menu for baby. Without expert training, you cannot tell poisonous lookalikes apart. Use only cultivated mushrooms from a store or market.

Where it comes from

Enoki is native to East Asia. Its Japanese name is enokitake, Chinese jinzhengu, Korean paengi beoseot. Most enoki today grows on farms that copy a rotting-tree setting. Caps and stems are eaten. It keeps its shape through long cooking. It often goes into nabemono, a hot pot dish.

Nutrition

Enoki supplies folate, B vitamins, and antioxidants. It has a little fiber, iron, zinc, and choline. These support the nervous system, immunity, and the senses of taste and smell. Mushrooms also hold prebiotics, which help friendly gut bacteria.

Wash the enoki. Washing lowers the risk of foodborne illness. Cut off the inedible base that holds the stems together. Then cook it well. Raw enoki is not served. It carries a higher risk of Salmonella and Listeria. Cooking also makes it easier to digest.

At 6 to 8 months, chop it fine and mix into congee, egg strips, vegetable purée, or noodles. After 9 months, serve chopped pieces on their own. You can also add them to soups and stews. Caps and stems should never stay round.

Jarred and canned enoki usually has too much salt or sweetener. Wait until after the first birthday.

Enoki is firmer than most mushrooms, and its caps are small and round. These two traits raise the choking risk. Chop caps and stems fine. Cook well. Soften dried mushrooms in boiling water and cut to a size that suits the age. Stay with your child during meals.

Enoki is not a common allergen. Mushroom allergy is rare but happens. Anaphylaxis and rashes among mushroom handlers have been reported. Mushrooms contain chitin. Chitin is also found in shellfish and insects. In some people it may add to an allergic response.

People with pollen food allergy syndrome, especially those sensitive to mold, may react to mushrooms. Usually this is a short itch in the mouth and is not dangerous. Cooking lowers the reaction and may remove it.

Sulfites are sometimes used to preserve dried mushrooms. They rarely act as an allergen, yet some people with asthma may react. If you worry, avoid sulfur dioxide and sulfite salts on the label.

Give a small amount in the first servings. If there is no reaction, raise it slowly.