Wood Ear Mushroom Salad

I pretty much love every kind of mushroom that exists.  I haven't met a mushroom I haven't liked.  And I love mushrooms in EVERYTHING. 

Wood ear mushrooms are a little bit new to me.  I've had it in a lot of Asian dishes at restaurants but I haven't really cooked much with it myself.  This week, I thought I would try something new so I picked up a package of fresh wood ear mushroom at the Korean market while I was doing my weekly Asian grocery shopping.  I have recently used these mushrooms in a stew, but this time, I wanted to make an appetizer salad similar to the Taiwanese version that I've had at Pine & Crane in Silverlake.  

Verdict: Pretty delicious!  Slightly sweet, slightly sour, with a lot of crunch!  My recipe could probably serve 4 as an appetizer, but I ate the whole thing myself!

Wood Ear Mushroom Salad (Serves 4 as an appetizer or side)

·      3 cups of fresh wood ear mushroom, cleaned and coarsely chopped

·      2 birds eye chili, diced

·      1 garlic clove, minced

·      ½ cup of cilantro, diced

·      3 tbsp rice vinegar

·      1 tbsp soy sauce

·      1 tsp sesame oil

·      ½ tsp sugar

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Throw in mushrooms and boil for 10 minutes.  Then rinse mushrooms off in cold water and drain.  Repeat this step a couple of times.  In a bowl, mix together the other ingredients with the mushrooms and stir thoroughly.  Let sit in fridge for about 30 minutes before serving.