Wood Ear Mushroom Salad
Wood ear mushroom salad is a popular cold appetizer eaten all over China. The mushrooms have are firmer in texture unlike most other mushrooms. You can sometimes find them fresh in the produce section of the grocery store. They are most commonly found dried and labeled as black fungus. They just need to be soaked in hot water, then boiled for 3 minutes to eat. They will more than double in size once soaked.They salad dressing that the mushrooms are tossed in is a mixture of soy sauce, black vinegar, raw minced garlic, Thai chilies, sugar, and salt. A simple Sichuan peppercorn infused oil is added to the dressing, giving it a slight numbing sensation. If you don’t like a little spice, omit the chilies.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried wood ear mushrooms
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 4 tsp black vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp sichuan peppercorns
- 4 thai chilies finely chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes.
- They will expand to more than twice the amount.
- Add the mushrooms to a pot of boiling water. Boil for 3 minutes. Rinse under cold water. Drain. Give the mushrooms a rough cut.
- Heat up cooking oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Fry the Sichuan peppercorns for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat. Scoop out the peppercorns with a slotted spoon.
- Mix the oil with the soy sauce, black vinegar, garlic cloves, chilies, sugar, and salt.
- Toss the mushrooms with the dressing. Mix in the cilantro. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.
