EARS FOR HEALTH AND BEAUTY

sunnieside (52)in #health • 7 years ago (edited)

Chinese food is one of my favorites. I especially like Hot and Sour soup, but never really knew what all the ingredients were. An Asian friend of mine makes one of the best I ever tasted. Could be because she's had a lot of practice!

One day, as we were enjoying a bowl of this soup, I noticed some strips of something, I was not familiar with. Maybe, I never paid attention to it before, but I thought I would ask what it was. Her answer was "Wood Ear Mushrooms"!

I had no clue what that was until she explained. They are grown all over the world, but grown almost exclusively for the commercial dry market in China. Wood Ears grow out of trees and makes the trees look like they have ears. Thus the name "Wood Ear".

These mushrooms have a firm skin with a crunchy texture and an earthy flavor. They also take on the flavor of whatever they are cooked with. Once reconstituted, the brownish tan inner color blends with the black exterior color to create a singled colored brownish black mushroom.

Chinese medicine touts the mushrooms for their heart and lung benefits, because of their detoxification abilities

Since they are mostly found dried in the States, they need to be reconstituted to use. Let the mushrooms soak in hot water for 15 minutes, rinse the pieces and slice into narrow strips. These can then be used in soups or stir-fries. Adding to your dish towards the end of the cooking time will maintain wood ear's crunchy firmness.

My friend also introduced me to the white wood ears, even more prized than the darker ones. These fungi are prized for many medicinal benefits, namely anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor. Commonly used in soups, they are cooked for soothing purposes like nourishing the body, healing dry coughs and clearing heat in the lungs.

White fungus is also believed to help keep the skin young because of the high content of collagen. I think I need to buy a truck load of this stuff!

My friend gave me a whole bag of these sponge like things. I looked at her and said, "what do I do with these"?

She just laughed and told me to cover them with water. They will double in size in about 10 to 15 minutes. Trim the hard core from the bottom. "You can use this for a facial scrub if you like" my friend explained. I'll think about that for awhile! Also, the Chinese believe if snow fungus is eaten regularly, freckles will disappear. Think about that if you want to get rid of any freckles!

After trimming, tear the fungus into small pieces resembling petals. Then wash thoroughly and drain dry. That's about it, they are ready for whatever dish you want to whip up!

Did I mention the white wood ear can be boiled, drained and consumed as a tea? I tried this and it's actually very good! Resembling green tea, it tastes more earthy.