How To Prepare Wood Ear Mushrooms Without Losing Their Signature Crunch Or Flavor

The name is spot-on. Wood ear mushrooms look like a crispy wooden ear growing out of the side of a tree. At first glance, wood ear mushrooms look a bit like a dried leaf, and it can take a discerning eye to notice these crunchy delicacies in the wild. When prepared correctly, the texture of these fungi is unique: They're pliable but crunchy. When you buy wood ear mushrooms, they'll typically be dried (it's always a good idea to keep dried mushrooms in your pantry), and you'll need to rehydrate them in warm or hot water prior to adding them to soups, stir-fries, or salads. Rehydrating won't take away their crunchy texture as long as you limit the soak time to around 10 to 30 minutes. 

While the wood ear mushroom is just beginning to gain popularity in the Western world, it's long been a mainstay in Chinese cuisine, celebrated for its ability to soak up flavors and hold them within its many folds and pockets. For this reason, you'll get optimal flavor from your wood ear mushrooms if you serve them whole, or at least in larger chunks. Sliced smaller, they lose some of their flavor-saver status but still provide their own textural benefit to the dish.

How you're planning to serve wood ear mushrooms determines the best way to prepare them. If you're going to serve wood ears in a cold dish (like a salad), you'll still need to rehydrate them first, such as through blanching in boiling water. Timing is important, too, and adding your fungi too soon or late is one of several common mushroom mistakes to avoid. If you're serving wood ear mushrooms in a hot dish, like a soup or stir-fry, keep them in liquid until you're ready to add them to your dish. Otherwise, they can dry out and take on a tough, bendy texture. For stir-fries, wood ears should go in last to ensure they don't become overcooked and limp.

The interior of wood ear mushrooms contains a gel that can work well to thicken soups and sauces. If you're happy with the thickness of your dish, you can simply add them as-is, allowing them to act as a flavor-soaking sponge (this makes them a great companion to other mushrooms that work well in soups). If you'd prefer to use them to thicken your dish, slice them into ribbons, allowing their gel to seep in. With their flavor and texture potential, wood ear mushrooms are a perfect fungi to experiment with.