Ingredient Overview
Wood ear is a jelly fungus widely used in Chinese cooking for its distinctive texture. The name refers to its ear-like fruiting bodies; this ingredient uses the species Auricularia heimuer.
Wood ear is particularly valued in food for the texture of its hydrated fruiting bodies. The extracted ingredient turns attention to the mushroom’s polysaccharide fraction. It brings the identity of a familiar culinary fungus into a dry format that can be included in mushroom-based ingredient combinations.