Tag: wood ear

Mapo Tofu with Mushrooms

4 June 2026

The aromas and flavours of Mapo Tofu are powerful, also thanks to the use of Sichuan pepper. It gives the dish a floral, citrusy touch. The combination of silky, soft tofu with ground pork, Chili Bean sauce and scallions is very rich. It’s a delicious, heart-warming dish.
In this version we replace the meat with mushrooms (Wood Ear turned out to be the best choice, but Shiitake will also be fine). We think it’s a lighter, equally tasty but different, version of Mapo Tofu.

Sichuan pepper is not related to black pepper or chili. It’s actually not spicy. It causes a pleasant numbing sensation on your tongue and lips, for a few minutes only, which is surprisingly nice when eating spicy food. We recommend lightly toasting the peppers before grinding or crushing them.

Serving Mapo Tofu with rice is a great idea. Or enjoy it with some Bok Choy (Pak Choi) simmered in a combination of oyster and soy sauce.

Drink Pairing

Jasmine tea is an obvious choice. It has a nice aroma and floral taste. The combination with the spices and the Sichuan pepper works really well.

What You Need
  • 100 grams of fresh Wood Ear (or 25 grams dried Wood Ear)
  • 300 grams of Silken Tofu
  • 100 ml Vegetarian Stock
  • 2 tablespoons light Soy Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Mirin
  • 3 teaspoons Sesame Oil
  • 2 Garlic Cloves
  • 1 small Onion
  • 1 Scallions
  • 3 teaspoons of chopped Fresh Ginger
  • ½ -1 tablespoon Chili Bean Sauce (Douban, Toban-Djan)
  • 1-2 teaspoons Black Bean Sauce (Douchi)
  • 1 teaspoon of Red Sichuan Pepper
  • Oil
  • Cornstarch
  • Rice
  • Pickled Spicy Cucumber
What You Do
  1. Toast the Sichuan peppers lightly in a non-stick pan
  2. Remove the peppers from the pan and let cool
  3. Pre-heat your oven to 65 °C or 150 °F
  4. Cook the rice according to the instruction on the package
  5. Chop the onion, the garlic and the fresh ginger
  6. Slice the scallions and separate the white from the green
  7. Clean and slice the mushrooms
  8. Slice the tofu and make cubes (2 cm, 1 inch)
  9. Warm the stock
  10. Add oil to the pan and fry the mushrooms
  11. After a few minutes, add soy sauce, mirin and sesame oil
  12. Combine and leave to simmer for a few minutes
  13. Remove from the pan and keep warm in the oven
  14. Grind the Sichuan peppers coarsely
  15. Add oil to the pan
  16. Fry the white part of the scallions, the onion, the garlic and the ginger
  17. Add the chili bean sauce and fry. Enjoy the aromas!
  18. Add half of the grounded Sichuan pepper
  19. Add the stock, the tofu, the mushrooms and the black bean sauce
  20. Use a spatula to mix
  21. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes or so until the sauce is nicely reduced and the flavours mixed
  22. In the meantime, finely crush the remaining Sichuan pepper
  23. Use cornstarch to create the right consistency
  24. Just before serving sprinkle with Sichuan pepper and the green of the scallions.
  25. Add spicy pickled cucumber to the rice
  26. Assemble and serve
Mapo Tofu with Mushrooms ©cadwu made with wood ear and Sichuan pepper
Mapo Tofu with Mushrooms ©cadwu

Hot and Sour Soup

2 April 2026

When shopping in an Asian Supermarket you will probably notice bags with ‘dried Black Fungus’. Not the most appealing name. Two popular edible mushrooms belong to the Auricularia family, Wood Ear and Black Wood Ear. Both are known as Black Fungus. The mushrooms grow on decaying wood and old logs. Wood Ear is common in Europe and Black Wood Ear in Asia. Alternative names are Cloud Ear, Jelly Ear and Judas’s ear.
The mushrooms have a chewy, gelatinous consistency and are often used in dishes such as hot and sour soup, stir fries, casseroles and even salads. Their flavour is rather bland which makes them ideal to absorb flavours.

A few days ago, it was our lucky day, fresh Wood Ears! First time for us and we had to buy them. We used 75 grams in a variation on Mapo Tofu and 25 grams for the soup. Both dishes were delicious and special, thanks to the structure of the Wood Ear.

What You Need
  • Chicken or Vegetable Stock
  • 1 teaspoon of Chili bean paste (Toban Djan) or Sambal
  • 1 tablespoon of Rice Vinegar
  • 25 grams of fresh Wood Ears or 5 grams of dried Wood Ears
  • Bamboo Shoots
  • Firm Tofu
  • 1 cm of Fresh Ginger
  • Sesame Oil
  • Soy Sauce
  • 1 Egg
  • Scallion
  • (optional) Corn Starch
What You Do
  1. If using dried mushrooms, soak these for 60 minutes in water and drain
  2. Remove any dirt
  3. Cut off the woody stems if necessary
  4. Slice the mushrooms
  5. Slice the bamboo shoots
  6. Drain and dice the tofu
  7. Grate the ginger
  8. Whisk the egg, you will probably need half of it 
  9. Heat the stock
  10. Add chili bean paste
  11. Add vinegar
  12. Mix well
  13. Taste and adjust
  14. Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tofu and ginger
  15. Leave to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes
  16. Add soy sauce and sesame oil to taste
  17. If you want to thicken the soup, do so now. We decided not to, relying on the egg to create a nice mouthfeel
  18. Slowly drizzle in the egg while stirring the soup in a circular motion
  19. Serve with sliced white scallion
Hot and Sour Soup ©cadwu with wood ear mushrooms, ginger, chili paste, tofu and rice vinegar. Also ribbons of egg
Wood Ear ©cadwu