Wood ear mushrooms

Wood ear mushrooms (A. polytrich) are a type of jelly fungus used most commonly in Chinese cooking. This type of fungus has been collected and eaten in China dating back to 200-300BC as a food and as a medicine.

Find the mushrooms fresh or dried in Asian markets. The fungus gets its name from the shape which resembles an ear.  The back side of the mushroom has an almost-velvet look and feel.

Wood Ear Mushroom Uses

The fresh wood ear mushrooms shown on this page are beautiful dark brown but almost translucent.  You can also find these dried.  These mushrooms are commonly used in soups or in a stir-fry; sometimes combined with tiger lily buds.  The fresh mushroom has a slightly crunchy texture but is almost flavorless.  The mushrooms will absorb flavors from the other ingredients in the recipe and add an interesting texture too.

Fresh wood ear mushrooms should be boiled for about 1-2 minutes before using to kill any bacteria that might exist.  Wood ears are one of the key ingredients in hot and sour soup.

Cloud Ear Mushrooms

Cloud ears (Auricularia auricula) mushrooms are closely related to the wood ear but they are a different variety.  They can be used interchangeably and you can easily substitute the dried, reconstituted mushrooms for fresh.  The fresh mushrooms are hard to find in the U.S.

Substitute For Wood Ear Mushrooms

If you don't have wood ear mushrooms you can substitute one of these alternatives:

• Substitute dried wood ears for fresh.  The dried mushrooms must be reconstituted in warm water for 15-20 minutes before using.
• OR - Use cloud ear mushrooms (fresh or dried) which are closely related
• OR - Another alternative if you're using them in a salad is to use enoki mushrooms or fresh oyster mushrooms.  Both of these can be found in well-stocked grocery stores or farmer's markets.
• OR - You can alternate chestnut mushrooms but they may be equally difficult to find.
• OR - If you're using these mushrooms for soup you can substitute shiitake mushrooms, fresh or dried.