Black wood ear mushrooms also known as black fungus is a type of edible fungus used frequently in Chinese Cuisine. Wood ear mushroom commonly with soft texture and delicious taste can behaviors excellent no matter in veggie or meat dishes.
In china, black wood ear mushrooms is a top ingredients among the black foods. And it is considered to keep the skin ruddy. Basically wood ear mushrooms can be born with all kinds of trees; however they prefer oak, yang and Chinese Scholar tree. This type of mushrooms grows widely in many provinces in China and available all around the year. When they are fresh, the texture is thick and smooth-skinned. While when they are dried naturally or by process, then the texture becomes like leather. In many Asian markets, wood ear mushrooms are provided as dried foods.
In China, the doctors of traditional Chinese medicine use wood ear mushrooms for a long time due to its medicinal benefits including preventing heart disease. And the anticoagulants substances contained can be used as the blood thinners similar like aspirin.
Black wood ear mushrooms can be used in stir-fry recipes stewed or braise recipes and most frequently in salad recipes after boiled in clean water.
Following are some black wood ear recipes on ChinaSichuanFood
Stir-fry wood ear mushroom
How to remove the woody smell from the black fungus?
Is it still edible?
Hi Serene,
What do you mean by woody smell? Are you talking about dried black fungus or fresh ones? If they has the smell because of long time keeping, I suggest discard them.
I am very interested in this question. Someone who sells black wood ear recommended a particular brand. When you soak this brand of wood ear, it emits a smell that is not present in supposedly less quality brands. However, I would not call the smell “woody” (earthy, muddy, or mushroom-like). To me, I associate the smell with something synthetic, fake, man-made, such as bad perfume. Does anyone know whether good wood ear is supposed to have a smell of any kind? Thank you!
Hi Lucy,
I do not believe high quality wood ear has woody taste because usually we get dried ones not fresh ones just pickled from the wood. They should be free of any odd smell. If you smell strong woody or sour taste, those wood ear mushroom might be processed via chemistry technology.
Hi,
I love black fungus but from what I gather, it seems like there are two main types.
The thin texture, which is thin and crunchy.
The other type, thick texture, which is jelly like and of smooth texture.
How do you choose between the 2 types?
Rgds
Hi John,
Personally I like the second type. They have much better taste.