DRY WOOD EAR MUSHROOMS RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat a wide heavy skillet. Add cooking oil. When oil starts to smoke, add annato seeds. Sauté until oil turns bright red. Remove annato seeds with a slotted spoon.
• Sauté garlic until golden brown. Add onions and cook until transparent. Add chicken, soy sauce and oyster sauce, season with salt and pepper and lightly brown. Add carrots and other vegetables if using stir-fry for 15 seconds. Remove and set aside.
• Pour in 1 cup of stock and bring to a soft boil. Add vermicelli noodles, pressing them into the liquid. Lower heat, cover skillet and simmer for 5 minutes. When dry, add another cup of broth. Stir chicken meat and carrot mixture and wood ear mushrooms into the noodles.
• Cover and simmer for another 5 minutes. Test noodles for doneness. Add more stock and simmer longer, if necessary. When sotanghon is tender and all the stock is absorbed, add green onion leaves and cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir for a few minutes until the green onion leaves are slightly wilted.
• Serve hot.

Steps:

• First, you will need to rehydrate the dried mushrooms. 1 cup of dried mushrooms will approx yield 4 cups of rehydrated wood ear mushrooms. 
• In a medium-sized pot, cook the mushrooms in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it steep for 15-20 minutes or until soft. 
• Drain and rinse well in cold water. Let it dry completely. You can also use a salad spinner to remove the excess water. Trim off the hard stems, if any. You can keep it as it is or cut into smaller pieces if you prefer. 
• In a large salad bowl, add the garlic, chili peppers, soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, and sesame oil.  Blend well. Now, add the cooked wood ear mushrooms and toss to coat it all over. 
• Refrigerate it for an hour so that the mushrooms are marinated. Toss it once or twice during this time to make sure the sauce does not settle at the bottom. 
• Garnish with chopped cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve cold as an appetizer or a side dish.