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Liangban mu'er
Wood ear mushroom salad
Liángbàn mù'ěr (凉拌木耳): wood ear mushroom salad with vinegar, garlic and chilli
Every noodle shop and dumpling house in Beijing and Harbin has a fridge of liangcai, the cold dishes ordered alongside the main meal, and liangban mu'er is one of the most popular: black wood ear fungus, which grows wild in the northeastern forests, blanched and tossed with black vinegar, garlic, chilli and coriander. It has almost no taste of its own but a lovely crunchy, bouncy bite, and it soaks up the tangy dressing. A portion is about 60 kcal. The common mistake is soaking the dried fungus in hot water to save time; it comes out limp. Use warm water for 15 minutes, or cold water for an hour, for the best crunch. Chef's tip: plunge the blanched fungus straight into iced water; it firms up and stays snappy.
- Total time
- 18 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- ½ oz dried wood ear mushroomssoaked in warm water for 15 minutes
- 3 garlic clovesminced
- 1 red chillisliced
- 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp chilli oil (optional)
- 1 handful fresh corianderchopped
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Drain the soaked ½ oz dried wood ear mushrooms, cut off any hard knobs where they grew on the wood and tear into bite-sized pieces. They should have swollen to about 10 times their size.
15 minStep 2: Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain and plunge into iced water. Drain well.
3 minStep 3: Mix 3 garlic cloves, 1 red chilli, 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp sugar, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil and 1 tsp chilli oil in a bowl.
Step 4: Add the wood ears and 1 handful fresh coriander and toss well. Leave for 5 minutes to absorb the dressing, then serve cold.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 60 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does liangban mu'er take?
- About 18 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 3 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of dried wood ear mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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