Enoki mushrooms are a long, thin, white mushroom with a mild flavor and crunchy texture, which are popular in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cuisines. They're typically sold in clusters and are used in soups, stir-frys, hot pots, salads, and other dishes

Enoki mushrooms, sometimes also called golden needle mushrooms, lily mushrooms, or enokitake, are a type of edible fungus, Flammulina velutipes, that grows naturally on the stumps of trees from late fall to early spring. The commercially cultivated varieties differ significantly from the ones that grow in the wild. Cultivated enoki mushrooms are deprived of light and grown in a CO2-rich environment, which produces a pale white mushroom with long, slender stems, up to five inches in length, and small caps. 

Their roots are conjoined, so that the individual stems grow from a common, interconnected mass at the base. The mushrooms are sold with this root base still attached, but it needs to be trimmed off before using. 

Typically served cooked, enoki mushrooms have a mild, nutty, slightly fruity flavor and a crunchy, slightly chewy texture. They're easy and quick to cook and go well in soups and stews, stir-frys, hot pots, noodle dishes such as ramen and soba, as well as omelets, rice dishes, sushi, spring rolls, and curries. Bite-sized bundles of enoki mushrooms are sometimes wrapped in bacon, grilled, and then served in a spicy sauce. They can also be served fresh in salads.

Enoki mushrooms are thin and delicate and cook quickly. Around two minutes of sautéeing yields a crunchy texture, while cooking beyond that will cause the enokis to become increasingly chewy. 

To prepare enoki mushrooms, you'll want to begin by trimming away the base of the mushroom bundle and then separate the individual strands of the mushrooms so that they cook evenly. Next, transfer them to a bowl of cold water and swish them around to wash, allowing any loose dirt particles to sink to the bottom of the bowl. Drain the mushrooms in a colander and repeat the cleaning process using fresh water if necessary.

One easy way to cook enoki mushrooms is as a simple side dish. After washing the mushrooms, heat a small amount of neutral oil, such as refined peanut oil or canola oil, in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for one minute, stirring constantly, before adding some chopped scallion and minced garlic. Cook for another 30 seconds, then season with soy sauce and serve. 

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