Cold Dishes Recipe

Cold Wood Ear Mushroom Salad

Cold dish · Serves 2–3 · 20 minutes

Crisp wood ear mushrooms dressed with vinegar, garlic, soy, sesame oil, and chile.

Recipe at a glance

Serves / makesServes 2–3
Time20 minutes
Cuisine or formatCold Dishes
UseHome cooking and menu literacy

Ingredients

  • 1 oz dried wood ear mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp black vinegar
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tbsp chile oil, optional
  • Cilantro and scallions
  • Salt

Method

  1. Soak wood ear mushrooms until expanded.
  2. Trim and rinse well.
  3. Blanch 1–2 minutes and cool.
  4. Mix vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and chile oil.
  5. Toss mushrooms with dressing.
  6. Add herbs and serve.

Menu-literacy notes

  • Wood ear is prized for crunch.
  • Cold dishes often appear before hot dishes on regional menus.
  • Contains soy and sesame if dressed this way.

Variations and substitutions

  • Adjust salt, sugar, chile, and vinegar gradually rather than changing all seasonings at once.
  • For allergies or religious dietary needs, check sauces, wrappers, broth, cooking wine, and shared equipment.
  • When adapting the dish, preserve the core technique and flavor structure that make it recognizable on a menu.

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