A refreshing salad featuring cloud ear fungus, mixed with a variety of vegetables and dressed with a sesame soy vinaigrette.
Cloud ear fungus (木耳, mù'ěr) has been cultivated and foraged in China since at least the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) and appears in Tang medical texts as a circulatory tonic. The cold-dressed Sichuan version is a 20th-century home-kitchen treatment — quick to assemble, served before the spicy mains as a palate-cooling opener. The pairing of vinegar and chili oil with the fungus's neutral flavor is purely about texture and contrast, not concealment.
Sichuan cold-tossed wood-ear: dried black fungus rehydrated, blanched 30 seconds, plunged in ice water, dressed with black vinegar, light soy, garlic, sugar, sesame oil, and a hit of red chili oil. The ice plunge is what keeps the snap.
Black-brown ribbons of rehydrated cloud ear fungus, served cold, dressed with chili oil, black vinegar, soy, sesame oil, and minced garlic. Crunchy in a specific way — gelatinous in the middle but with a definite snap, like al dente cartilage. The vinegar is the dominant note; chili oil hits second. Often eaten as the cool opener of a Sichuan meal alongside other liang cai (凉菜) cold dishes.
Rehydration time is load-bearing: cold water for 1-4 hours (do not soak overnight), not hot water for 20 minutes. Hot rehydration leaves the fungus floppy and waterlogged; cold soak preserves the snap. Pick out the tough stem nubs at the base — those stay rubbery no matter how long you soak. Dressing goes on no more than 30 minutes before serving; longer and the chili oil bleeds the fungus and the texture goes soft.
Variations
Sichuan red-oil version (most common); Northeast version adds shredded cucumber and cilantro, no chili; Yunnan version uses wild-foraged white wood-ear; Korean muk-style cold side adds gochugaru and sesame seed.
On the Palate
Where Liang Ban Mu Er sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Rehydrate the cloud ear in cold water for a couple of hours, not hot water for twenty minutes — cold soaking is the only thing that keeps the signature crunchy snap instead of a floppy, waterlogged texture.
Ingredients
How it's made
3 steps · 13 min active + 10 min waiting
- 15 min
Soak the cloud ear fungus in a bowl of warm water until it becomes soft and pliable, about 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly to remove any grit.
Watch outThe soaked fungus should feel springy and plump, not slippery-soft; if it flops, the water was too warm.
- 25 min
Slice the cucumber into thin, even rounds. This will add a refreshing crunch to the salad.
- 33 min
In a mixing bowl, combine the softened fungus and cucumber slices. Drizzle with soy sauce, a splash of vinegar, and a few drops of sesame oil. Toss gently to coat evenly.
Watch outToss gently and taste — the vinegar should ride bright over the sesame; dress it just before it hits the table.
