Black Fungus Salad (凉拌木耳)
Servings: 2 -4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup rehydrated wood ears *see footnote 1 (or fresh mushrooms), washed and cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar or other Chinese black vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 green bell pepper sliced
- 1/3 red bell pepper sliced
- 1/3 yellow bell pepper sliced
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup almond smashed
Instructions
- Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Add wood ear mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes (*see footnote 2). Turn off heat and transfer wood ears to a colander. Rinse with tap water and drain. Set aside.
- Combine light soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Stir well.
- About 10 minutes before serving (*see footnote 3), add wood ear and all the bell peppers into a large bowl, pour in sauce, and top with cilantro and smashed almonds.
- Mix well and serve as an appetizer or a side.
Notes
(1) You can use dried wood ear mushrooms. For rehydrating wood ears, soak dried wood ears in warm water for 1 hour or in cold water overnight. The texture of the wood ears will be better if rehydrated in cold water for over 6 hours. Click here for more information on how to prepare wood ears.
(2) It always safer to slightly cook wood ears before serving. Although rehydrated wood ears are edible, the sometimes contain dirt and could have been polluted during the dehydration process. Boiling will help sanitize the wood ears without changing their texture or flavor.
(3) Bell peppers will taste better after soaking in the sauce. However, if you mix in the sauce too early, the bell peppers will lose water and dilute the sauce.
(2) It always safer to slightly cook wood ears before serving. Although rehydrated wood ears are edible, the sometimes contain dirt and could have been polluted during the dehydration process. Boiling will help sanitize the wood ears without changing their texture or flavor.
(3) Bell peppers will taste better after soaking in the sauce. However, if you mix in the sauce too early, the bell peppers will lose water and dilute the sauce.