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Stir-fry chicken with wood ear fungus



Wood ear fungus or 'Muk Yi', does resemble an ear, and they grow on the trunks and barks of mostly dead trees.  They are a good source of nutrients, full of vitamins, low in calories and most important, inexpensive.
Besides having medicinal benefits and lowering cholesterol, the fungus also acts to prevent blood clotting, which is therefore a must  have for mothers in confinement after child birth.

The fungus is flavourless, has a slightly crunchy, rubbery texture which is retained even after cooking.  It is favoured in Chinese cuisine, in soups, stuffings or stir-fries.  Adding wood ears to meat dishes enhance the flavour as they absorb the liquid in which they are cooked, taking on the taste of the other ingredients.






dried Wood ear fungus  ...... wash, soak for about 10 mins., then rinse, soak again for another 1/2 an hour till they puff up in size.  Trim off the hard parts and slice.












a very suitable dish for mothers in confinement



Recipe for stir-fry chicken with wood ear fungus

Ingredients
350 gm free range chicken, cut into bite size
10  gm Wood ears - soaked till double in size, slice
10  gm young ginger  - sliced
3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil  - for frying
1  Tsp Cornflour mixed with 2 Tbsp water
Salt to taste

Seasoning for the chicken
1  Tsp Oyster sauce
1  Tsp Sesame oil
1  Tsp Light Soya sauce
1 /2  Tsp Dark Soya sauce
1/4  Tsp sugar
1/4  Tsp salt

Preparation
Saute the young ginger with the sesame oil
add in the chicken pieces, fry for a while
Add in the 3/4 cup water, simmer for a while
toss in the wood ear fungus, stir-fry
Once the chicken is cooked
thicken the gravy with the cornflour mixture
Add salt to taste, dish up
Serve




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Comments

  1. MaryMohNovember 17, 2009 at 2:46 PM

    I love these fungus cooked with meat. I prefer the smaller thinner ones which are softer. Another lovely dish you have cooked. Love it with rice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Divina PeNovember 17, 2009 at 3:22 PM

    I have a huge pack of wood ear mushrooms in the cupboard and haven't touch it yet. So, this is a good recipe to try. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. penny aka jeroxieNovember 17, 2009 at 7:36 PM

    I can't remember the last time I had wood ear fungus. Your chicken pieces look very generous! Good on you :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brie: Le Grand FromageNovember 17, 2009 at 10:42 PM

    so glad to see wood ear used in a recipe. i haven't been able to find any yet, but recently read about the health benefits and have been interested in trying to cook with it. looks tasty!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousNovember 17, 2009 at 11:08 PM

    An awesome stir-fry! I've been hearing a lot about wood ear fungus lately and would love to find it and try!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sokehah cheahNovember 18, 2009 at 12:04 AM

    Mary
    Think the softer ones are cloud ear fungus, what we call 'wan yee', they're softer and not so crispy. Normally, we use that in steam chicken or cook 'chai choy', vegetarian dish.

    Divina
    Give it a try and if you don't want to feel heaty, fry it with ordinary cooking oil, not sesame oil.

    penny
    Thanks. Can also cook it with pork and nam yee.

    Brie: Le Grand Fromage
    Wood ear fungus is supposed to lower cholesterol. This dish is tasty.

    5 Star Foodie
    Thanks. It's worth trying.

    ReplyDelete
  7. My Little SpaceNovember 19, 2009 at 12:33 AM

    I love wood ear in my recipe very much. Love the crunchy texture! And this looks really yummy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sokehah cheahNovember 19, 2009 at 10:31 AM

    My Little Space
    Ya, very crunchy, cheap and full of goodness.

    ReplyDelete
  9. JacquelineNovember 20, 2009 at 2:37 PM

    A favourite of ours too, though haven't cook it for somewhile! Great that you've presented it here...now I know what to cook for tomorrow. Haha, dining out tonight, so no cooking today!
    Have a wonderful weekend, my friend!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sokehah cheahNovember 20, 2009 at 3:04 PM

    Jacqueline
    Oh, so kitchen closed today, me too. You too have a nice weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  11. lishapisaMay 20, 2010 at 12:53 AM

    Glad i found this post , i love wood ear - it's so much fun with it's crunchy texture! My mom likes to add them to her wine chicken soup

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sokehah cheahMay 20, 2010 at 1:08 AM

    lishapisa
    Thanks for dropping by. Yes, it's delicious when you add in red rice wine chicken soup.

    ReplyDelete

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