Scientific name: Auricularia auriacula
Common name: Jelly ear, cloud ear or tree ear

What is wood ear?

• Wood ear is a fungus that grows on decaying trees and on fallen branches.
• The wood ear is cup-shaped with a thick, smooth, wavy cap and almost no stem. The color turns black, crispy and crunchy after dried.

What are the benefits?

• Black wood ear contains iron that is much higher than all of the vegetables, meat and twice amount of calcium than the milk.
• Black wood ear could increase the fluidity of the blood and improve the circulation.
• Black wood ear is effective in reducing blood pressure, and possibly LDL cholesterol levels.

How to distinguish “Cloud Ear” and “Wood Ear”?

• Cloud ear is more smooth textured, and become transparent after soaking;
• Wood ear is tougher than cloud ear. It is black inside and grey, dust color outside.

Additional Information:

• People with hemorrhagic diseases or pregnant women should avoid over consumption.
• Wood ear has to well cooked, in order to increase adsorption of the fiber and polysaccharides.
• Wood ear itself does not have much flavor but soaks up the flavors of other ingredients in a dish. You can reconstitute wood ear and then add them to soups, stir fries or even in salads. Their crunchy texture and dark, velvety color add an unusual element to even the most basic dish.
• When soaked in water wood ear will expand two to five times its original size, so a few pieces go a long way.