One of the Chinese cooks use the mushroom in wonderful salads, which are commonly served as a side dish at dumpling restaurants like Din Tai Fung. But it's so easy, you can totally make it at home. I've been looking for a great recipe and this one is it! It comes from Clarissa Wei and Ivy Chen's award-winning cookbook, Made in Taiwan (Simon Element, 2023).
Why this wood ear mushroom salad rocks
Most wood ear mushroom salad lack flavor but Wei and Chen have a great technique for getting bright tang and umami into the crunchy little fungus. Their boiling and icing method does wonders and their dressing has just enough punch. It's so easy, I made it twice in one week.
The other beautiful thing about this salad is you can prep it up to four (4) days in advance of serving. Then toss in some green onions and dish it up. Bring it to a pot luck or on a picnic! Below are ingredient tips, substitution pointers, plus the recipe.
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Wood ear mushroom tips
Purchased at Chinese and Vietnamese markets, dried, wood ear mushroom do not look like much but they give a lot. In fact, you don't need much for a batch of this healthy salad. Choose a medium bowl to soak them in because the do not remain dainty! If you're new to these mushrooms, check my beginner's guide to wood ear mushrooms for pointers on buying, prepping and cooking them.
Soak the mushroom in hot water until they're soft and very expanded. The time involved depends on the mushroom but in general, it's around 15 minutes for the ones I buy, which are labeled "dried black fungus".
While the soaked wood ear mushroom are boiling, get your ice bath ready (about 6 ice cubes will do. The draining and short ice plunge (20 seconds only!), according to Wei and Chen, helps to retain crispness. Yes, mushroom are about crispness. I argue that there's something about their prep that open up wood ear mushroom to absorbing flavor better than most.
One thing I do is to drain and squeeze the mushrooms well to expel as much water as possible. It lingers in mushroom crevices!
Young ginger substitute
This Taiwanese wood ear mushroom salad also uses young ginger. When mildly zesty young ginger is unavailable, use mature (regular) ginger. For the 10grams, you'll need a chubby section about ½ inch (1.25cm) long. Peel and cut it into fine matchsticks. Put it in a small bowl and pour very hot (or just boiled) water over it to cover. Soak for 10 to 15 minutes to mellow, then strain and drain well to use in the salad. Sip the soaking liquid as a light ginger tea, if you like.
If you're using this ginger hack, do while the mushroom soak so both ingredients are ready for putting into the dressing. If you forget, then just let the prepped wood ear mushroom sit in dressing while you ready the ginger. They both will chill together for a while anyway.
Soy sauce tweaks for great salad
If you were making this salad in Taiwan or if you want to fully cook Taiwanese style, you'd use Taiwanese soy sauce. It has a lighter flavor and a touch of sweetness so it differs from East Asian soy sauces from China, Japan, or Korea. I made two batches -- one was with Heydoh soy sauce, an excellent Taiwanese soy sauce made with black soy beans that Wei imports to the United States. (Learn about soy sauce and Heydoh from my conversation with Wei.) The other batch of salad was prepared with my usual go-to Pearl River Bridge Golden Label Superior light soy sauce.
What were the differences? After a thorough chill, both tastes excellent. The Heydoh soy sauce has lots of nuanced umami but not as much salinity as the PRB soy sauce. I ended up adding light drizzle of Heydoh to that batch and it totally sang louder with brighter savory-tangy notes. In the wood ear mushroom recipe below, taste and tweak the dressing because your soy sauce may differ from mine. Either way, your wood ear mushroom salad will be a fun year round side dish to keep on hand.
Tinker with wood ear mushroom salad
- Add heat: Instead of sesame oil, use a favorite chili oil or chili crisp.
- Boost veggie power: Double the dressing, and about 30 minutes before serving, toss in 2 sliced Persian cucumbers (seed them first!). Let the mushroom and cucumber marinate in the fridge to pick up flavor.
I'm sure you'll have many other ways to play with this salad. It's fun, easy, and healthy. It's a perfect for summer or any time, actually.
Wood Ear Mushroom Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup | 20g small dried black wood ear mushrooms
- ¼ cup | 60ml unseasoned rice vinegar, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 1-inch | 10g piece fresh young ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks (see swap tip in main post)
- 2 tablespoon scallion green parts only, thinly sliced on a diagonal
Instructions
- Rehydrate the mushroom: In a medium bowl, cover the dried black wood ear mushrooms with hot tap water. Soak until they're soft, about 15 minutes. Drain in a colander, then wash them thoroughly under running water, making sure to get rid of any sand or grit stuck in the crevices. With a knife or scissors, trim off and discard any tough, craggy bits.
- Boil and ice down: Fill a medium pot halfway with water and bring it to a vigorous boil over high heat. Prepare an ice bath to the side. Drop the wood ear mushrooms into the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Turn the heat off, drain the mushrooms in a colander, and immediately transfer them into the ice bath to cool down, about 20 seconds. This will keep them crunchy and crisp. Drain well in a colander again, squeezing out excess moisture.
- Marinate and serve: In a glass storage container with a lid, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Taste for a pleasant tang and salty hit. If needed, add soy sauce by the ½ teaspoon or vinegar by the 1 teaspoon. Add the wood ear mushrooms and ginger. Stir a few times to coat, then cover, shake to combine even more. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or to 4 days. Mix in the scallions right before serving. Include some of the liquid, if you like.
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