Before cooking wood ear mushrooms at home, it is better to get familiar with their detailed description. And preferably one that spells out all the medical contraindications. Because this product does not have as wide a use as other mushrooms. And it is better to play it safe.
In China this mushroom is called mu-er, wood ear, or Judas's ear. And its color is black. It grows on the bark of trees, which is where it got its name. It comes to market in dried form, in small packets. Before use it needs to be soaked in water.
Wood ear mushrooms are most often found in recipes with these five products:
| Product | Number of recipes with a combination | Calories per 100g | Protein g per 100g | Fats g per 100g | Carbohydrates g per 100g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soy sauce | 9 | 51 | 6 | 0 | 66.6 |
| Sesame oil | 6 | 899 | 0 | 99.9 | 0 |
| Carrots | 5 | 33 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 6.9 |
| Sugar | 5 | 398 | 0 | 0 | 99.7 |
| Glass noodles | 3 | 351 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 86 |
The taste of mu-er is not much like an actual mushroom. More precisely, it does not resemble one at all. It smells slightly of silt (or seems to) and in that way resembles something marine, underwater. And when you hold it in your hands, you feel something jelly-like and cold, like a jellyfish.
If you are cooking it for the first time, use these tips.
- Do not soak the whole package at once — it is meant for several uses.
- Fill a large pot with water so you do not have to keep topping it up. Count on one "ear" swelling to about eight times its size.
- The minimum time for this procedure is two hours. But it is better to leave it overnight until morning.
- When the mushrooms have grown, take them out of the water and keep them in the refrigerator.
- Wash them well before cooking, and cut off and throw away the spot where it clung to the bark.
- Slice the mushrooms as indicated in the recipe. And in general, cook strictly according to the instructions.