Chinese wood ear mushroom salad

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, we even have a version with a dressing containing mustard and honey.

Today I want to introduce you to the wood ear mushroom salad that my mom likes 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 Mushroom Salad (凉拌木耳)

What are wood ear mushrooms

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. 

For example, wood ear mushrooms are a key ingredient in Hot and Sour Soup, Cantonese Steamed Chicken, and Northern Chinese Noodle Sauce.   

You can easily find dried wood ear mushrooms at large Asian markets and Chinese grocery stores. You can also purchase them on Amazon.

Wood ear mushrooms salad ingredients 

Here are the ingredients I use in the dressing:

  • Garlic
  • Light soy sauce
  • Chinkiang vinegar
  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • Peanut oil
  • Sichuan peppercorns

They combine to make a delicious vinaigrette that is savory, sour and slightly sweet, full of aroma. 

I used some fresno chili pepper in my wood ear mushroom salad for color and texture. You can use any hot chili pepper or sweet pepper you prefer, or skip it all together.

Ingredients to make wood ear mushroom salad

How to make wood ear mushroom salad

First, measure out the dried mushrooms and rehydrate them in warm water. As you can see in the picture below, the mushrooms expand their size by a lot once soaked. If you don’t have a scale, I would use a small handful of dried mushrooms. It will make a proper sized appetizer once rehydrated.

Dried and rehydrated wood ear mushrooms

Mix together the vinegar and soy sauce dressing. Then cook Sichuan peppercorns in hot oil to infuse the oil with a fragrant flavor. Once the Sichuan peppers turn dark and the oil is hot, remove the peppercorns and drizzle the oil onto the sauce. This step is very important. The hot oil sizzles the sauce, bringing out the flavor of the ingredients. It also makes the sauce easy to emulsify, so it coats the wood ear mushrooms much better. 

Drizzle hot oil in the dressing

Then you can mix the sauce with the wood ear mushrooms, chili peppers and cilantro. 

NOTE:

Because wood ear mushrooms have a smooth surface and they don’t absorb sauce, it’s very common to have a small pool of sauce on the bottom of your bowl. You can toss the salad a few times when serving, to make sure the mushrooms are coated. 

Mixing the wood ear mushroom salad

How to serve wood ear mushroom salad

Wood ear mushrooms are often served as a cold appetizer to start a meal. No matter whether you’re serving Steamed Pork Dumplings, Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup, or Sichuan Boiled Fish, the wood ear mushroom salad is a great appetizer to accompany the meal for added texture and nutrition.    

Wood ear mushroom salad can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for a day or two, making it a convenient dish to have when you’re preparing a multi-course meal for a dinner party. 

凉拌木耳

Other delicious cold appetizers

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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.

Wood Ear Mushroom Salad (凉拌木耳)

By Maggie Zhu
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
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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.

Ingredients 

  • 0.5 oz 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)

Instructions

  • Combine wood ear mushrooms with 3 cups of warm water in a large bowl. Rehydrate until they soften, 20 minutes or so. Gently rinse the mushrooms with tap water. Remove the tough ends from the mushrooms and tear them into small bite-size pieces.
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add wood ear mushrooms and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until turning tender. Drain, rinse the mushrooms with cold water, drain again, and place into a medium bowl. Add the chili pepper (if using).
  • Combine garlic, light soy sauce, black rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Stir to mix well.
  • Heat peanut oil in a small skillet until warm. Add Sichuan peppercorn. Cook until you can smell a strong fragrance, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Remove and discard all the peppercorns with a slotted spoon. Immediately and carefully pour the hot oil into the small bowl with the soy sauce based mixture. Mix well.
  • Combine the sauce and wood ear mushrooms in a bowl, toss a few times.
  • Garnish with cilantro and serve as a cold appetizer.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 59kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 2.3g, Fat: 3.7g, Saturated Fat: 0.6g, Sodium: 302mg, Potassium: 227mg, Fiber: 1.3g, Sugar: 2.9g, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 2mg

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