Wood Ear Mushroom Salad (凉拌木耳)
Feb 07, 2025 01:12 PM
This wood ear mushroom salad is a simple and refreshing cold appetizer that is bursting with flavor, just like you’d find in a Chinese restaurant.
It’s rare to see wood ear mushrooms salad on an American Chinese takeout menu. But if you’ve been to restaurants that serve dishes more loyal to authentic Chinese traditions, wood ear mushroom salad is a dish that you can’t miss.
Depending on the region, there are many ways to make a wood ear mushroom salad. Some are more on the spicy side and some are sweeter. In Northern China, they have a version with a dressing containing mustard and honey.
Today I want to introduce you to the wood ear mushroom salad that I like to make. It uses a simple soy sauce and vinegar based dressing that is savory, sour and slightly sweet. Then you will make a hot fragrant oil by frying Sichuan peppercorns and drizzling it into the dressing to bring out the flavor of the aromatics.
Wood ear mushrooms, or Mu Er (木耳), have a crunchy texture and dark brown color and are shaped like ears. A raw wood ear mushroom has a grassy and woody fragrance, but doesn’t have a strong taste once cooked. Or, you could say, it tastes like whatever sauce it’s served in.
Dried wood ear mushrooms are a must-have item in the Chinese kitchen because they have a long shelf life. You can rehydrate them any time you need them and use them in salads, stir fried dishes and soups to add texture and color.
Ingredients:
- 0.5 oz (14 g) dried wood ear mushrooms (yield 2 cups once rehydrated)
- 2 cloves garlic , grated
- 1 fresno pepper , sliced (or other chili pepper of your choice) (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn
- 1/4 cup cilantro , coarsely chopped, for garnish (Optional)
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
10 minutes
Total Time:
30 minutes
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