As they are traditionally served cold, they are also easy to prepare ahead. Just always make sure to adjust the seasoning before serving as it might have watered down a little bit if they weren’t drained well enough and have been sitting in the fridge.
It’s definitely worth hitting up your local Chinese supermarket to get your hands on a bottle of black vinegar. That stuff is liquid gold and difficult to substitute. If you’re struggling, you could use rice wine vinegar rather than balsamic.
Ingredients
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25g dried black fungus/cloud ear mushrooms
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1 garlic clove
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1 red chilli
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1 1/2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
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2 tbsp soy sauce
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1 tsp sugar
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1 tsp sesame oil
-
20g coriander
Method
In a large bowl, soak the mushrooms for 2 hours in plenty of cold water (at least 1l of water for 25g mushrooms).
Drain and rinse the soaked mushrooms to remove any dirt, then cut off the woody stems if necessary (if they feel soft, I usually don’t do this). Bring a pan of plain water to a boil and cook the mushrooms for 5 minutes. Then drain well and rinse under cold water to stop them from cooking further. Now either dry them in a salad spinner or by patting them with a towel. Set aside.
For the dressing, finely crush the garlic and thinly slice the chilli. Add both to a bowl and mix together with the black vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Roughly chop the coriander and add it together with the dressing to the mushrooms. Mix well to coat evenly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. If the mushrooms weren’t drained well enough, the dressing might have watered down after then. Toss the mushrooms and taste one, adjusting the seasoning with soy sauce and black vinegar if necessary. Then serve straightaway.
Black Fungus
Ingredients
- 25 g dried black fungus/cloud ear mushrooms
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 red chilli
- 1 1/2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 20 g coriander
Instructions
- In a large bowl, soak the mushrooms for 2 hours in plenty of cold water (at least 1l of water for 25g mushrooms).
- Drain and rinse the soaked mushrooms to remove any dirt, then cut off the woody stems if necessary (if they feel soft, I usually don’t do this). Bring a pan of plain water to a boil and cook the mushrooms for 5 minutes. Then drain well and rinse under cold water to stop them from cooking further. Now either dry them in a salad spinner or by patting them with a towel. Set aside.
- For the dressing, finely crush the garlic and thinly slice the chilli. Add both to a bowl and mix together with the black vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Roughly chop the coriander and add it together with the dressing to the mushrooms. Mix well to coat evenly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. If the mushrooms weren’t drained well enough, the dressing might have watered down after then. Toss the mushrooms and taste one, adjusting the seasoning with soy sauce and black vinegar if necessary. Then serve straightaway.
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