← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 15 g dried wood ear mushrooms
• 2 cloves Garlic, grated
• 1 Red chilli, sliced
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1½ tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tsp Toasted sesame oil
• 1 handful Coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped

Method

1. Soak the wood ear in plenty of warm water for 30 min, until fully expanded. Trim off any hard knobbly bits and tear large pieces into bite-size ones.
2. Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the mushrooms for 2 min. Drain and rinse under cold water, then drain well.
3. In a serving bowl, mix the garlic, chilli, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and salt. Heat the oil with the Sichuan peppercorns in a small pan over low heat for 1–2 min until fragrant, then strain the hot oil over the garlic so it sizzles.
4. Add the mushrooms, sesame oil and coriander and toss well. Serve straight away or chill for an hour so it soaks up the dressing.

Tips

• Dried wood ear swells to about 8 times its weight, so a small handful is plenty.
• Grated cucumber or carrot ribbons make a nice addition.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Omnivore's Cookbook Red House Spice