Wood ear mushroom/black fungus are tossed in a savory, umami, lightly spicy, tangy, and garlicky dressing and then chilled makes such a perfect cold appetizer and it's incredibly easy to put together too.
Get a big bowl. Soak the black fungus/wood ear mushrooms in room temperature water for about 20 minutes or until they tripled or quadrupled in size
Prepare the dressing:
While the fungus is soaking, prepare the dressing. Preheat oil in a saucepan. Add ginger and garlic and saute for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the dou ban jiang and saute for another 30 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until the mixture just comes to a gentle simmer and turn off the heat. Transfer to a large bowl you are going to use to serve the salad. Let it cools down
Assembling:
Drain off the soaking water. Use kitchen shears to trim off the hard woody part of the mushrooms. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes. Drain off water and pat them really dry with an absorbent paper towel so the dressing can cling to the mushrooms later
Put the prepared mushrooms and cilantro leaves into the bowl and toss with the dressing to evenly coat
Serving:
You can serve straight away or keep it covered and chill in the fridge for about one hour or up to 2 days. I really like them chilled as it tastes very refreshing
Storing:
Leftover can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days