Wood ear fungus — 木耳, sometimes sold as black fungus or cloud ear — is dried, shelf-stable, and costs almost nothing. It has nearly no flavor of its own. What it brings is a snappy, slightly rubbery crunch that survives stir-frying and vinegar, which is why it shows up in cold dishes, hot and sour soup, and moo shu pork.
Soaking: the rule that actually matters
Soak dried wood ear in cold water for 1 to 2 hours, or in warm water for about 30 minutes. It expands to several times its dried size, so use far more water and a much bigger bowl than feels necessary.
Cleaning and trimming
- Rinse the rehydrated pieces under running water, rubbing gently to loosen grit trapped in the folds
- Trim off the hard, knobbly bit where it attached to the wood — it stays tough no matter how long you cook it
- Tear larger pieces into bite-sized ones rather than cutting, so the edges stay irregular and catch sauce
Cooking it
Wood ear needs brief cooking, not long simmering. Add it to stir-fries near the end, or blanch it for a minute before tossing into cold dressed dishes. Cooked too long it loses the crunch that makes it worth using at all.
Where it earns its place
- Cold dressed wood ear with vinegar, chili oil, and garlic — the classic
- Hot and sour soup, where it's the texture against the soft tofu
- Moo shu pork, where it echoes the crunch of the other vegetables
Buying and storage
Dried wood ear keeps for a year or more in a sealed container in a dark cupboard. Buy it whole rather than pre-shredded if you can — the pieces are cleaner and keep their texture better. Rehydrated wood ear should be used within a day or two and kept in the fridge.
