Mushroom House Dried Woodear Mushroom, Black Fungus, 1 Pound

Dried Woodear Mushrooms have been a wonderful discovery for my cooking.They rehydrate in about 15 minutes, maintaining a perfect texture that adds a delightful crunch to my dishes. The subtle, earthy flavor enhances soups and stir-fries. Easy to use and versatile, these mushrooms are now a staple in my pantry.Highly recommended! Hot and Sour Soup is what I use these in 99% of the time.

I could not find a better deal on dehydrated Chinese woodsear fungi mushrooms. They do come in very large pieces so it helps to break them up into bite size pieces before rehydrating. They make Hot 'n Sour soup and aqll meat dishes extra special. They are very mild tasting but have a great crunch to them and enjoyable mouth feel.

Good quantity, price and taste. It is thicker than those small bags that I bought from local Asian market. I soaked it and cooked it then made it into salad. Love it.

These are very tasty. If a recipe calls for a half cup, they are impossible to measure because they are so big and stiff. However, Once soaked in very hot water, they soften nicely. then they become floppy and are almost the size of of a lettuce leaf and must be cut or chopped to use in a mixed veggie recipe. BTW, the attachment part of the "leaf" is hard and should be cut off, once softened and it should be discarded.The good news is this: They come in a shredded version. It looked like a bag of curley uncooked black linguini.. Now that THAT seems like it's the easier way to go, and is much easier to measure. If you are using golden threads or lily flowers (as in mu-shu) the shredded blacks would soften to about the same size and texture. Shredded black wood fungus are available the Amazon site. Go with them and not these.

So I'm not a dried mushroom aficionado, but these mushrooms seem great for the price. I use them for Asian inspired soups and they fit the bill perfectly. I also make giant pots of soup, and even then I expect this bag to last a LONG time. They rehydrate well, the texture is good, and I don't see any mold indicating improper dehydration.

Upon opening, the chemical odor of these mushrooms made it clear there is something wrong. On every single bag that I ordered from this company, the amazon label had been VERY CONVENIENTLY placed on top of the place of origin. Shining a bright light through it showed that every single variety I purchased from this company was grown in china (PRC)! I have extreme doubts on their claims that any of their mushrooms are from japan or korea.DO NOT EAT THESE. China is notorious for extremely unsafe mushroom growing practices- we're talking contaminatiom with sulfur dioxide (likely the cause of odor, and makes food rubbery + decimates any nutritional benefits), arsenic, heavy metals, and other industrial/waste contaminants. Nearly every non-poisonous mushroom incident in the US that has resulted in hospitalization or DEATH has been traced back to mushrooms grown in China.

If you are familiar with wood ears, GET THIS ITEM. They are beautiful, HUGE examples of the species, at a fantastic price compared to the little 2 and 3 ounce packages you find at the Asian markets.If you are unfamiliar with wood ears, DO NOT GET THIS ITEM. Get a smaller size to see if you like them first. Wood ears are unlike any other type of mushroom or fungus you are likely to have run into. They don't look like, taste like, or have the consistency of shitakes, oyster mushrooms, Crimini/Portabellos, or (insert favorite mushroom here). They have a distinct, rubbery consistency and subtle flavor, and are typically used in small amounts in dishes such as hot and sour soup - not as a main ingredient. If you get them expecting them to be something they are not, you will be disappointed.If I bought zucchinis expecting them to be cucumbers, I would be upset too. But at myself, not at the seller.

It is great to add texture and a deep earthy taste to any soups