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Wood ear mushroom, tofu skin and edamame salad

This hearty salad uses my favourite ingredients from my Chinese pantry. There's wood ear mushrooms which add an incredible freshness and crunch to salads, and they can also be braised or stir-fried. Tofu skin, sometimes called yuba, is incredibly hearty, with a unique chewy texture.

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A bowl of tofu skin salad with black fungus, edamame, chopped green onions, and chopsticks resting on the rim.

This recipe can be made ahead of time and eaten over several days. The wood ear mushrooms continue to ‘pickle’ in the dressing over time. Beancurd (or tofu) skin (fu jook), is made from soybeans, formed as a film on the surface of heated soy milk, and is packed with protein and nutrients. Both wood ear mushrooms and dried bean curd skin sticks can be stored in an airtight jar or container for a long time. For a heartier salad, add some glass noodles such as mung bean vermicelli or sweet potato starch noodles.

This serves 2 or 4 as a snack/side.

Wood ear mushroom, tofu skin and edamame salad

Serves

Ingredients

30 g wood ear fungus, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
80 g dried bean curd skin sticks, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes
150 g frozen edamame beans, unthawed
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds

Dressing

1 clove garlic, grated
1 Thai chili pepper, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons rice or black vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Substitutions

Wood ear fungus: dried shiitake mushrooms
Dried beancurd skin: fresh beancurd skin, yuba, regular extra firm tofu, marinated five spice, baked tofu
Edamame beans: peas, broad beans/fava beans

Instructions

Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil.
Drain the wood ear fungus and blanch for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the fungus with a slotted spoon or spider ladle (keep the water on the boil) and place in a colander to drain.
Drain the beancurd skin and add them to the same pot of water, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until completely soft and the skin appears a much lighter shade of beige, 15 to 20 minutes. Every now and then, use a spoon or ladle to press the beancurd skin down to submerge it under the water. Just before they are ready, add the edamame beans and blanch for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain.
When the wood ear mushrooms are cool, squeeze out any excess water and roughly chop them. Cut the bean curd skin sticks into 1 inch (2 to 3cm) pieces.
In a large bowl, whisk together the garlic, chili, vinegar, soy sauce or tamari, sugar, and sesame oil until the sugar dissolves. Add the wood ear fungus, beancurd skin and edamame beans and toss well to coat. Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (or longer).
When ready to eat, toss well and scatter over the scallions and sesame seeds