Morel season has arrived a bit later this year but that does not mean there are no edible mushrooms available for collecting. Onย a recent club walk in Hartwood acres we found quite a lot of Wood Ear mushroom Auricularia auricula-judaeย [icon style=”camera”]ย which is a jelly fungus in the family Auriculariaceae. In Asia a different species ofย Wood Ear mushroom,ย Auricularia polytricha, is used inย cooking.ย You can find fresh or driedย Auricularia polytrichaย in the Asian stores on the strip in Pittsburgh.ย ย Theย wood earย fungi are used in Asian dishes for their crisp, snappy texture and their color rather than their taste. You need quite a lot of them to make a decent sized dish so I supplemented this recipe with Shiitake mushrooms. Like many Chinese recipes there is quite a bit of preparation but the actual cooking is veryย quick. Serves 6 people as an appetizer.

Ingredients

  • 5 oz fresh Wood ear mushrooms or a mixture of wood ear and Shiitake mushrooms. Or 1 oz dried Wood ear mushrooms from an Asian store that have been rehydrated in warm water.
  • 6ย ozย extra firm Tofu, about 1/2 of a normal block.
  • 1 box of chicken brothย and 2 cups of water or 6 cups of home made chicken stock.
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 pork chop, about 6 oz, bone removed
  • 5 oz can of slicked bamboo shoots
  • 4 tbs soy sauce
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbs red wine vinegar plus 1 tbs balsamic vinegar or 5 tbs Chinese black vinegar if you have it
  • About 4 tbs cornstarch
  • 3 medium scallions
  • 1 tsp ground white pepper

Directions

  1. Whisk 1 tbs of the soy sauce with theย sesame oil and 1 tsp cornstarch together in a medium bowl
  2. Slice the pork chop into 1 inch by 1/4 inch match sticks and mix with theย soy sauce, ย sesame oil and cornstarch mixture
  3. Mix 3 tbs of cornstarch with water in a bowl and set aside
  4. Whisk theย egg in a small bowl
  5. ย Slice the tofu into 1/2 ย cubes
  6. Clean the wood ear mushrooms removing any hard pieces, rehydrate if necessary
  7. Remove and discard the hard stems from theย Shiitake mushrooms and slice the caps into 1/4 inch slices
  8. Mix the vinegar, ground pepper and 3 tbs soy sauce together in a bowl
  9. Now that everything has been prepared bring the brothย to aย boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.
  10. Add the mushrooms and bamboo shoots and cook for 5 minutes
  11. Add the tofu and marinated pork, stir to separate the pork pieces and simmer for 2 minutes
  12. Stir the cornstarch and water one more time and add to the soup and increase heat. Stir a couple of times as the soup thickens and turns translucent, 1 minute
  13. Add vinegar, pepper and soy sauce mixture, stir once and turn off heat
  14. Using a spoon drizzle the egg into the soup in thin streams
  15. Let the soup sit for a minute and turn the heat back on. Once the soup has reached aย gentle boil turn the heat off and serve
  16. Top the bowls of soup with sliced scallions