Well, you don’t see this dish everyday! It’s weird-looking and not particularly appealing at first glance, but this wood ear mushroom salad dish is literally on every menu in China.
One of Our Favorite Mushrooms
I wouldn’t have dared to share this Wood Ear Mushroom Salad recipe a few years back, as very few people outside of Asia know what this ingredient is. But now that we’ve included wood ears in many of our popular recipes from the past few years—like Moo Shu Pork, Moo Shu Chicken, and Chicken with Garlic Sauce—we’re going whole hog on you all with this delicious wood ear appetizer.
I love wood ears and eat them all the time. In my opinion, the wood ear in my Braised Chicken with Mushrooms are the best part of the dish. The wood ear mushroom itself has little taste on its own, but it does have a kind of crunchy texture which is quite unique and pleasant.
Also, one of the best reasons to enjoy a few wood ears is for its health benefits. Here’s a true story: our neighbor’s dog, Brooklyn, had a serious blood disease, and his veterinarian told my neighbor that Brooklyn only had a couple of months to live. BUT the good news is, Brooklyn is still with us, because my neighbor put him on a pill that’s made of what he described as “some kind of black fungus that grows on dead tree trunks.”
Of course, it made all the sense to me. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) books, I’ve read that wood ears can act like purifiers in the human body. They help clean your insides, including the digestive system and blood. They can help to improve energy and immune function, but the most appealing benefit to everyone is that they supposedly help to delay signs of aging!
Before I get myself into trouble by saying too much, feel free to turn to Google to read about all of wood ears’ benefits in detail!
This wood ears dish is a perfect side-dish to make year around. It’s fast and easy, and with its tangy flavor and crunchy texture, it’s actually very refreshing when the weather’s warm. It’s also a great dish to customize to your liking–for example, add a dash of Sichuan peppercorn oil or use our Homemade Chili Oil to add an extra kick.
Notes on Preparing Dried Wood Ears
Just a few things to remember:
- You should always use store-bought, dried wood ears (don’t try to forage for them yourself).
- Wood ear mushrooms must be cooked before consumption. Now’s not the time to pilot your raw foods diet.
- Don’t soak wood ears for more than 2-3 hours. They reconstitute in a relatively short amount of time.
- After soaking, trim off the tough stem area and wash thoroughly.
- Like anything that’s “good for you,” Traditional Chinese Medicine recommends pretty much everything in moderation.
Recipe Instructions
In a medium-sized pot, cook the rehydrated wood ears in boiling water for 3-4 minutes.
Drain and rinse under cold running water to cool them completely. Set aside and let any excess water drain off. You can also use a salad spinner to get rid of the excess water.
In a large bowl, mix together the garlic, fresh red chili peppers, Chinese black vinegar, light soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil until the sugar dissolves. Next, add the wood ear mushrooms and mix well. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Make sure to stir and mixture again before serving, as the sauce tends to settle to the bottom. Plate and garnish with the chopped scallions (and/or cilantro).
Serve your wood ear mushroom salad as a side dish or appetizer!
Wood Ear Mushroom Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups rehydrated wood ears (trimmed and washed)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1-2 fresh red chili peppers (deseeded and chopped, optional)
- 1½ tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions (and/or cilantro)
Instructions
- In a medium-sized pot, cook the wood ears in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water to cool them completely. Set aside and let any excess water drain off. You can also use a salad spinner to get rid of the excess water.
- In a large bowl, mix together the garlic, peppers, vinegar, light soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil until the sugar dissolves. Next, add the wood ears and mix well. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Make sure to stir and mixture again before serving, as the sauce tends to settle to the bottom. Plate and garnish with the chopped scallion and/or cilantro.
nutrition facts
This is such a great recipe, we make it time and time again. What could you serve it with if this a side dish?
Anything you want, Majella, I don’t like to limit myself :-)
Was surprised at how much the dried wood ears grew when soaking them in the water. I love the chewy texture, had them with soba noodles. Thank you for the recipe, they were delicious!
Like I mentioned in the post, I order this dish every time I see it on the menu. Glad to see you like it too :-)
As a European I had an unbelievably hard time trying to understand how much a cup of mushrooms is without the correspondent weight in grams, as the internet gave me a hundred different answers. So I ended up with a hella ton of mushrooms but it’s okay as the recipe was as always very good. I’ll give it another try when the weather gets warmer
I’m so sorry for your frustration. We are doing our best to include weight measurements in our recipes :-) FYI, you can search for recipe ideas using just the ingredient, i.e. “wood ear” on our search bar to see all recipes that use this ingredient.
It’s okay Judy, thanks for the tip (:
I saw a Taiwanese recipe for Woods ear salad & they call for 醬油膏 1.5大匙
They say it is soy sauce paste – what is it? Thanks for your help. I’m loving your site.
Hi Maureen, we don’t use soy sauce paste, but I promise to look into it :-)
thank you. What is it called in Cantonese? I don’t speak, read or write Chinese, but I do know most food ingredients in Cantonese – my love for Chinese food.
Hi Maureen, it sounds like “mo-yee” in Cantonese.
I think I wrote down the wrong ingredient, “mok yee” is what we call wood ear
but I was wondering about the soy sauce paste.
I think it should be “si-you-gao”.
Great! Thanks
You are welcome, Vivian.
This is probably a little dumb question, but I have fresh wood ear mushrooms so do I have to do anything to them? Blanch them maybe? Or can I just add the rest of the ingredients in the recipe and be done? Thank you so much!
Sorry, I missed the part where you said they have to be cooked. How do you recommend cooking them and for how long? For the record, I bought these as the Asian store where I live, I did not forage them myself. Thanks again!
Hi Marie, the minimum amount of cooking time is 3 – 4 minutes in boiling water and the texture should still be crunchy. But if you braise wood ears for a long time, they turn slippery and gelatinous, which is my favorite. You can give it a try with this recipe: .
Hi Marie, wood ear mushrooms can’t be consumed raw. They should be cooked and/or blanched for salads.
You should always use store-bought, dried wood ears (don’t try to forage for them yourself).
WHY? Because you like so?
Wood ear mushrooms must be cooked before consumption. Now’s not the time to pilot your raw foods diet.
WHY? Because you don’t like so?
Without providing some solid reasons (I’m not asking for some science papers), I don’t buy your bias.
Hi, I tried this recipe today. I like it as I prefer plain flavor. But my friend did not like it. Is it because I did not cover it when letting it sit in the regrigirator? I think I made the sauce precisely as you instructed. Thank you!
Hi Brin, I think this dish is better when pre-made and allowed to sit with the sauce for a little while. Just stir it up again right before serving. Then again, not everyone likes the texture of woodears! :-)
Hi Judy, thank you for the guidance. I appreciate it:)
Thank you for this recipe! Labour-intensive cutting the little hard bits off, but the taste and texture are wonderful. I had no chilies in house, so I used 1 Tbs. of Chili-garlic sauce with 1 Tbs. Sweet chili chicken sauce and also some cilantro and scallions. Definitely a keeper!
Cheers,
Inga
So glad you enjoyed it, Inga.
If you’re making it for yourself, and you’re used to true Asian style eating, don’t worry about cutting the hard bits off, just eat around them like you would bone in meat.