This Wood Ear Mushroom Salad is refreshing and packed with those crunchy wood ear mushrooms or black fungus with garlic oil, soy sauce, black vinegar, onions, cilantro, and some chiles for heat.
This is a very simple and easy Chinese salad that’s perfect as a starter or side dish. This mushroom salad is also very easy to prepare and is best made in a big batch a day prior for the mushrooms to soak in all the flavours from the seasonings.
WHAT ARE WOOD EAR MUSHROOMS?
Wood ear mushrooms like its name, are fungus that grow on wood—and they do look like ears, hence the name. This recipe uses black wood ear mushrooms, also known as black fungus. There are different sizes of wood ear mushrooms so if you have access to the larger ones, you can always break them apart to smaller pieces. The larger pieces are also thicker than the smaller ones, so the small ones are better if you can get them since they’re crispier/crunchier.
THIS WOOD EAR MUSHROOM SALAD
This recipe is inspired by a very unforgettable black fungus or wood ear mushroom salad I had at a local Chinese Sichuan restaurant. They served a generous plate of the salad an the mushrooms were perfectly chilled and crisp. They paired so well with a bowl of steamed rice and the other dishes (mapo tofu and braised eggplant) that I had.
I always have dried wood ear mushrooms in my pantry so I knew I wanted to make my own salad at home.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS
MUSHROOMS
- 1 oz dry wood ear mushroom or black fungus (30g)
DRESSING/MARINADE
You can find the full recipe in the card below!
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes or powder
- 1/4 tsp ground sichuan pepper , optional (I simply ground whole peppercorns)
- 1/2 tsp sugar , adjust to taste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce , adjust to taste
- 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar , adjust to taste
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
ADD-INS
- 1/4 to 1/2 small white onion , thinly sliced (depends on how much onion you like)
- 1/2 small red bell pepper , thinly sliced
- 2 red chiles , chopped (optional for additional heat)
- Chopped cilantro
- Chili oil , for extra spice (if desired)
PREPARE THE WOOD EAR MUSHROOMS
- Rehydrate the wood ear mushroom or black fungus in warm water for at least 1 hour. You can leave this overnight in room temperature water until these bloom from absorbed water.
MAKE THE DRESSING/MARINADE
- Meanwhile, prepare the dressing/marinade. Place the minced garlic in a heat proof bowl.
- Heat the oil in the pot (you can use the same pot to boil the mushrooms later on) until you start to see small bubbles. Pour it over the minced garlic. Add in the chili flakes/powder, sichuan pepper (if using), sugar, soy sauce, black vinegar, and sesame oil. Mix well. Feel free to adjust this to your taste.
COOKING THE MUSHROOMS
- Heat a medium pot with water. Once it boils, cook the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes. If you have thinner wood eat mushrooms, you can remove these sooner.
- Prepare your ice bath: I like to prepare a large bowl with 8-10 ice cubes and water.
- Remove the wood ear mushroom from the pot of water. Drain any excess water. Place the mushrooms in an ice bath. Leave to sit for 10 minutes or even longer.
- Break apart or cut any of the larger pieces.
DRY THE MUSHROOMS
- Remove any tough stems from the mushrooms. You can also run the mushrooms through water to remove any excess dirt.
- Remove the mushrooms from the ice bath and pat until completely dry with a kitchen towel.
PREPARING THE SALAD
- Transfer to a large container or bowl.
- Add the dressing along with the onion, bell pepper, chiles, and cilantro. Mix well. You can also add some chili oil for extra heat, if you’d like.
- You can enjoy this immediately or allow it to refrigerate for longer. I personally prefer making this a day in advance for the mushroom to really soak up all the flavours.
SERVE AND ENJOY!
- You can enjoy this as a starter or a side dish and pair it with your favourite mains. I had mine with a really rich sesame noodles (recipe here) so these mushrooms and the acidity helped cut through the richness of the noodles. Enjoy!
MORE VEGAN CHINESE RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE:
- Spicy Cucumber Salad
- Chili Garlic Oil Noodles
- Clay Pot Rice
- Savoury Sticky Rice
- Chinese Green Bean and Mushroom Stir-Fry
- Vegetable Dumplings
- Chinese Chive Pies
- Pan-Fried Cabbage and Noodle Buns
- Wontons in Chili Broth
- Scallion and Sesame Buns
Wood Ear Mushroom Salad (Chinese Recipe)
This Wood Ear Mushroom Salad is refreshing and packed with those crunchy wood ear mushrooms or black fungus with garlic oil, soy sauce, black vinegar, onions, cilantro, and some chiles for heat. This is a very simple and easy Chinese salad that’s perfect as a starter or side dish. This mushroom salad is also very easy to prepare and is best made in a big batch a day prior for the mushrooms to soak in all the flavours from the seasonings.
Ingredients
Mushrooms
- 1 oz dry wood ear mushroom or black fungus (30g)
Dressing/Marinade
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes or powder
- 1/4 tsp ground sichuan pepper , optional (I simply ground whole peppercorns)
- 1/2 tsp sugar , adjust to taste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce , adjust to taste
- 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar , adjust to taste
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Add-Ins
- 1/4 to 1/2 small white onion , thinly sliced (depends on how much onion you like)
- 1/2 small red bell pepper , thinly sliced
- 2 red chiles , chopped (optional for additional heat)
- Chopped cilantro
- Chili oil , for extra spice (if desired)
Instructions
Wood Ear Mushrooms
- Rehydrate the wood ear mushroom or black fungus in warm water for at least 1 hour. You can leave this overnight in room temperature water until these bloom from absorbed water.
Dressing/Marinade
- Meanwhile, prepare the dressing/marinade. Place the minced garlic in a heat proof bowl.
- Heat the oil in the pot (you can use the same pot to boil the mushrooms later on) until you start to see small bubbles. Pour it over the minced garlic. Add in the chili flakes/powder, sichuan pepper (if using), sugar, soy sauce, black vinegar, and sesame oil. Mix well. Feel free to adjust this to your taste.
Cooking Wood Ear Mushrooms
- Heat a medium pot with water. Once it boils, cook the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes. If you have thinner wood eat mushrooms, you can remove these sooner.
- Prepare your ice bath: I like to prepare a large bowl with 8-10 ice cubes and water.
- Remove the wood ear mushroom from the pot of water. Drain any excess water. Place the mushrooms in an ice bath. Leave to sit for 10 minutes or even longer.
- Remove any tough stems from the mushrooms. You can also run the mushrooms through water to remove any excess dirt. Break apart or cut any of the larger pieces.
- Remove the mushrooms from the ice bath and pat until completely dry with a kitchen towel.
Making the Salad
- Transfer to a large container or bowl.
- Add the dressing along with the onion, bell pepper, chiles, and cilantro. Mix well. You can also add some chili oil for extra heat, if you'd like.
- You can enjoy this immediately or allow it to refrigerate for longer. I personally prefer making this a day in advance for the mushroom to really soak up all the flavours.
- You can enjoy this as a starter or a side dish and pair it with your favourite mains. I had mine with a really rich sesame noodles (recipe here)Â so these mushrooms and the acidity helped cut through the richness of the noodles. Enjoy!
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1small plate/serving | Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 507mg | Potassium: 235mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 504IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
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