Wood Ear Fungus & Cucumber Salad Benefits Your Lungs

Wood ear fungus and cucumber salad

Sometimes I have cravings and of late I have craved mushrooms of all types! Hence my post on making snow fungus dessert and now this wood ear fungus salad. 

This is a super easy salad that can be made in 5 minutes and goes well with rice or even as an appetiser. 

Wood Ear Fungus Salad 

• A handful of dried wood ear fungus, soaked until soft - drain well 
• Half a cucumber washed and roughly chopped into chunks
• A tablespoon of sesame seeds, toasted 
• 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon of soya sauce
• 1 teaspoon of sugar 
• 1 pinch of salt 
• 1 bird's eye chili, chopped 

In a bowl, combine all the above. Mix well and let it rest in the fridge for 10 minutes. Serve chilled. 

Benefits of Wood Ear Fungus

Auricularia polytricha - that's their scientific name - is usually sold dried and you must reconstitute them by soaking in water before you use them. It has a crunchy texture and helps  people with high blood pressure or cancer while preventing coronary heart disease and arteriosclerosis. It's a good source of copper, important for heart health and lung function. 

It can be used in stir-fries and usually I would use this in cooking my "loh hon chye" which is a vegetarian dish of dried beancurd sticks, Napa cabbage, wood ear fungus, button mushrooms and mung bean vermicelli with fermented red bean curd. I would also use this when I make my braised chicken with fermented red bean curd which is such a tasty dish!

Wood ear fungus is also popularly used to make "kerabu" which is a similar spicy salad that is much loved by Malaysians. It is also used to make Chinese hot and sour soup.  Because it is so bland-tasting, it can be used in most dishes. 

Fresh Wood Ear Fungus

Yes you can get fresh ones too if buying dried ones are too difficult. You'd find them in the chilled section where vegetables and mushrooms are sold. Use them within the week.