Dried Wood Ear mushrooms have a subtitle woodsy flavor and aroma and, they mostly are used for color and there texture which is unusual, but pleasant.

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Wood Ear Mushrooms are commonly seen in Chinese dishes mixed with other vegetable. You may have eaten Wood Ear mushrooms many times without knowing you were eating a mushroom at all, they are dark brown in color, translucent, and have a gelatinous appearance and texture. Wood Ear Mushrooms are usually served sliced in thin peaces.

 

Dried Wood Ear mushrooms are a very versatile mushroom because of their mild flavor and pleasant texture. These mushrooms can be eaten raw, blanched, boiled or even fried.

Wood Ear mushrooms are a favorite addition to Asian cuisine, often combined with meat dishes, in stir-fry and soups such as the prevalent Chinese sweet and sour soup. This relatively flat mushroom is usually sliced in thin strips and added towards the end of the cooking process.

Wood Ear mushrooms contain protein, including eight kinds of amino acids, carbohydrates, calcium, potassium, and iron. Dried the mushrooms have the same percentage of protein as meat and are low in fat.

Reconstituting: Dried wood ear mushrooms can be reconstituted by steeping them in warm water/broth until they are soft, about 20 minutes, or by added them to a simmering liquid 10 minutes before serving, they will absorb the flavors they are cooked in. The flavorful soaking liquid can be strained for addition to sauces and soups.

Sauteed: Lightly saute reconstituted wood ear mushrooms (and possibly shallots) in butter until tender, or for approximately 4 minutes.

Sauce:A wonderful cream pasta sauce can be made by adding cream along with garlic and basil to the sauteed wood ear mushrooms recipe above.

Most wild mushrooms can be substituted into any recipe.

Fresh, or dried Wood Ear mushrooms, Auricularia Polytricha, have a dark brown to black color, no gills or stem, but may have a slightly fibrous spot on the underside of the mushroom where it attached to a wooden host. Wood Ear mushrooms are often found growing on willow, beech, walnut, elder and poplar trees.

This mushroom grows to a size of one to eight inches in diameter and is a native of Asia. Wood Ear's name comes from the mushroom's resemblance to a ear growing on a tree.

Medical benefits attributed to the wood ear mushroom include prevention of heart disease and it produces an anti-coagulant compound (blood finer) that inhibits blood clots.

Wild mushroom picking should be done only under the supervision of an expert who is absolutely certain they have an edible mushroom. Some mushrooms are poisonous, and some mildly poisonous mushrooms can easily be misidentified as woodear.