Wood Ear Mushroom Salad

Wood ear mushroom is a super common ingredient in Chinese cuisine. We typically buy dried wood ear mushroom from the grocery store and have it in the pantry year round! These mushrooms are magical when they become 4 times larger after being soaked in water. Wood ear mushrooms are also very nutritious. It contains a good amount of fiber and protein while being super low in carbs and fat!

Wood ear mushroom salad is a very tasty side dish during the summer time. The chilled wood ear mushroom has a crunchy texture and are extremely refreshing mixed in the salad sauce. The onion and cilantro add additional aromatic to this dish!

Looking for other side dishes? Check out these:

Street Food Style Spicy Potatoes 

Easy Potato Pancake 

Is wood ear mushroom edible?

Yes. Wood ear mushroom is edible! Chinese people have been eating wood ear mushroom for thousands of years! They can be commonly found in Asian cuisine.

What does wood ear mushroom taste like?

Wood ear mushroom doesn’t have much taste but it has a crunchy texture. They pick up the sauce really well in the salad and taste amazing.

Do you need to cook wood ear mushroom after hydrating it?

Yes! Wood ear mushrooms need to be cooked. For a salad, simply blanch wood ear mushrooms in boiling water for 1-2 minutes and soak in ice water.

Ingredients:

Dried Wood Ear Mushroom ½ cup 

Purple Onion ¼ 

Garlic 3 cloves

Cilantro 2 

Hot Chili (serrano or jalapeno) 1 

Salad Sauce:

Vinegar 1 tbsp

Soy Sauce 1 tsp

Salt ¼ tsp

Sugar 1/4 tsp

Sesame oil 1 tbsp

Instructions:

1. Soak wood ear mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes and drain
2. Blanch wood ear mushrooms in boiling water for 2 minutes, remove and wash under cold water or in ice water bath
3. In a salad bowl, combine chopped onion, garlic, cilantro and hot chili, wood ear mushroom and salad sauce. 
4. Mix well and serve.
   

   Wood Ear Mushroom Salad

   This classic Chinese cold dish only takes 20 minutes to make!

   Print Recipe Pin Recipe

   Prep Time 10 minutes mins

   Cook Time 10 minutes mins

   Total Time 20 minutes mins

   Course: Appetizer

   Cuisine: Chinese

   Ingredients Equipment Method

   Ingredients

     

   • 1/2 cup Dried Wood Ear Mushroom
   • 1/4 Purple Onion
   • 3 cloves Garlic
   • 2 Cilantro
   • 2 Hot Chili

   Sauce

   • 1 tbsp Vinegar
   • 1 tsp Soy Sauce
   • 1/4 tsp Salt
   • 1 tbsp Sesame oil
   • 1/4 tsp Sugar

   Equipment

   • 1 pot

   Method

    

   1. Soak wood ear mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes and drain
   2. Blanch wood ear mushrooms in boiling water for 2 minutes, remove and wash under cold water or in ice water bath
   3. In a salad bowl, combine chopped onion, garlic, cilantro and hot chili, wood ear mushroom and salad sauce
   4. Mix well and serve