my chinese frnds brought me wood ear mushrooms (dried)?!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Not sure if yours are black or white so gave 1 each. Hope you enjoy it.

White fungus contains much iron, vitamin C, calcium and phosphorus. Its also said to be effective in nourishing the lungs, healing dry cough and clearing heat in the lungs.
Eating stewed white fungus with rock sugar and red dates helps strengthen the respiratory system

Soak white fungus in a bowl of hot water (covered) for about half an hour, then carefully discard water. The white fungus should be puffed up and turn a whiter shade. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, trim and discard the dark yellow hard part on the centre underside of the fungus. Cut the rest of the fungus to smaller pieces.

This is a recipe for White fungus

Ingredients:
1. 1/3 oz (10 g) white fungus
2. 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
3. 3 cups (750 ml) Clear stock
4. 1 tbsp rice wine
5. 1 tsp soy sauce

Directions:
1. Wash the white fungus in warm water, drain and place in a bowl with 2 cups (500 ml) of boiling water. Cover the bowl and let the white fungus soak for 30 minutes, or until soft. Drain and remove the stems and any hard or discolored parts. Wash in warm water three times, then soak again in boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove and place in a tureen.
2. Pour the stock in a saucepan and add the soy sauce and salt.Heat over high heat to boiling and skim off any foam.Stir in the rice wine. Ladle 1 cup (250 ml) of the stock over the fungi and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain. Then reheat the remaining 2 cups (500 ml) of stock, add to the tureen,and serve.

Black fungus is a good source of iron, rich in protein, vitamins D, B1 and B2 and calcium.

Before cooking, it has to be soaked in adequate water for at least fifteen minutes and then cut into strips.

This is a recipe for black fungus

Ingredients:

1 skinless & boneless chicken breast (cut into strips)
2 inches ginger (peeled and cut into thin strips)
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fermented soy beans (get this in Asian / Chinese market)
4 pieces dried black fungus (pre-softened in warm water for 30 minutes, then cut into bite-size pieces)
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 small red onion (quartered)
2 tablespoons water
1 stalk scallion (cut into 1 inch length)

Method:

Heat up the cooking oil in a wok and stir fry the ginger strips until aromatic. Add in the onions and black fungus and do a few quick stirs. Add the fermented soy bean before adding the chicken strips into the wok. Stir-fry the chicken meat until the color changes, then add in oyster sauce, kecap manis, and sugar. Stir all ingredients together before adding in the water. Add the scallions, do a few quick stirs, dish out and serve hot with steamed rice.

Chinese wood ear is actually a fungus with no taste although it has a lot of good nutrients and minerals. The important thing to remember is it absorbs any taste you cook it with, be it chicken, pork, fish. Chinese people often throw it in with any meat be it steaming, stir frying, even soup. At the same times it's very popular in Chinese vegetarian or vegan dishes too. Simply soak it in water until soft and tender, maybe around 45 minutes with room temperature water, squeeze water out and cook it with anything you have in any way you like, it will absorb all the tastes, sauces. You can cut up the bigger pieces into smaller ones.

BTW for white wood ear Chinese people usually put it into soups, including sweet soups using rock sugar instead of white, adding dried red dates to the soup too.