Muer (tree ears)
Muer are black tree mushrooms. They are thin and brittle, outwardly similar to pieces of charred paper. Mushrooms have a pronounced smoky smell and sweetish crispy flesh.
Story
Muer mushrooms are widely used in Thailand, Vietnam, China. They grow on tree trunks. The first mention of muer mushrooms we find in Japanese history. They were used at the most important imperial receptions. Muer mushrooms combined with tiger lily buds were a delicacy of Japanese cuisine. Their sweetish taste and crispy texture were praised by all the guests.
Over time, mushrooms gained their distribution in the West, a little later in Russia. Dried mushrooms, which looked like black pieces of paper, were not very popular until they got into the water at one of the markets, after which they swelled and acquired the usual “mushroom” look. Now in Russia you can buy muer in any store of oriental spices at an affordable price.
Interesting fact
Specially prepared crunchy mushrooms are used as a healthier substitute for chips.
Application
The taste of muer mushrooms is almost neutral, thanks to which they go well with any products. Muer are used to prepare fried and stewed dishes, soups, side dishes, salads and cold appetizers. As a main dish, it is rarely used for the same reason.
Before cooking, these mushrooms must be left in warm water for 3-4 hours. After soaking, they increase their volume by 6-8 times. Next, the hard root part is separated, and in this form they can be cooked.
In Korea, they eat fried muer mushrooms with spices. Ground cilantro, red pepper are placed in a preheated pan, poured with olive oil, fried for about 2 minutes. After that, mushrooms are added and cooked on fire for 7-10 minutes. Cooled crispy mushrooms are served with herbs. If muer is part of the salad, then you need to add spicy and salty sauces. Muer is also used as noodles, they are cut into thin strips and put into the broth, boiled for about 20 minutes.
Mushrooms are often used as a side dish for fried potatoes, pork, or boiled rice. Funchose salad with muer mushrooms is famous in modern Russian cuisine. The composition of the salad includes: rice noodles, muer mushrooms, carrots, herbs and spices. Rice vermicelli is poured with boiling water for 10-15 minutes, meanwhile grated carrots and cabbage stalk with spices are fried, mushrooms cut into strips are added there and fried for about 10-15 minutes. Then cover everything with a lid and let stand for another 10 minutes. After that, mix the noodles with mushrooms, add fresh cilantro, soy sauce, cool for several hours in the refrigerator.
You can store dry muer mushrooms in a cool, dry place for a very long time, and soaked mushrooms in a closed bowl of water are stored for no more than 2-3 days.
Properties
Muer is an excellent antioxidant. It contains substances that prevent the formation of blood clots in the vessels. They are used as a tonic product. It contains nicotinic acid, which regulates redox processes in the body.
Compound
Mushrooms contain polysaccharides and amino acids. Mushrooms are rich in iron, phosphorus, and also have substances necessary to strengthen the immune system.
Muer calorie content
Muer calorie content - 33 kcal.
Asian cuisine surprises gourmets with a variety of unusual dishes. Mushrooms with the unusual name "muer" can be added to salads or cooked with them excellent snacks with a unique taste. Today we will discuss how to cook tree mushrooms and share interesting recipes.
Exotic appetizer for your table
Muer mushrooms are commonly called tree mushrooms. They grow on tree trunks. In supermarkets, such a product is sold dried, so for housewives the question remains how to cook tree mushrooms from a pack.
On a note! Tree mushrooms are a unique source of protein, vitamins, micro and macro elements. They are fortified with iron and are considered very beneficial for human health.
As life practice shows, housewives prepare snacks from dried tree mushrooms, the taste of which is emphasized by spices and spices. To prepare such a fragrant and incredibly tasty salad, you will have to visit a Chinese shop, because in addition to the usual spices, you will also need exotic additives that Asian chefs use.
Compound:
- 4 things. garlic cloves;
- 3 packs of dried wood mushrooms;
- ½ tsp ground black pepper;
- 2 tbsp. l. refined sunflower seed oil;
- ½ tsp seasonings for Korean dishes;
- ½ tsp ajinomoto;
- ½ tsp ground red pepper.
Cooking:
On a note! The longer the tree mushrooms marinate, the tastier the dish turns out.
How to cook dried Chinese tree fungus?
Most often, black tree mushrooms are found on store shelves. However, they are also white and yellow. All species are edible and can be used to make delicious savory snacks and salads. An interesting dish is obtained from porcini mushrooms. Before use, they need to be prepared, since such mushrooms are sold in pressed dried form.
Compound:
- 2 packs of white wood mushrooms;
- 1 tsp paprika;
- 5 pieces. garlic cloves;
- soy sauce - 4 tbsp. l.;
- 1 tsp granulated sugar;
- 1 tsp hot ground red pepper;
- 60 ml refined sunflower seed oil;
- 2 bulbs.
Cooking:
original salad
Let's look at another option on how to cook Chinese tree fungus. In combination with light vegetables from tree mushrooms, delicious salads are obtained. To improve the taste, you will need a couple of unusual ingredients, for example, oyster sauce and sesame seed oil.
On a note! The easiest way to cook fried potatoes with mushrooms. Mushrooms are pre-soaked and then fried. This dish is not only tasty, but also very satisfying.
Compound:
- 100 g dried wood mushrooms;
- 2 pcs. fresh cucumbers;
- 1 ½ tsp table salt;
- 2 pcs. garlic cloves;
- vinegar - 1 tsp;
- oyster sauce - 1 tsp;
- sesame seed oil - 2 tbsp. l.
Cooking:
- As you already know, pre-dried mushrooms must be soaked.
- After half an hour, the mushrooms will swell.
- We wash them with running water and cut them into small cubes.
- We spread the mushrooms in a thick-walled dish, fill it with filtered water and put it on the stove.
- Boil for 30-40 minutes.
- Put the boiled mushrooms in a colander and decant the excess liquid.
- We cool them down.
- We wash fresh cucumbers thoroughly, dry them.
- Cut into cubes or strips.
- Put in a salad bowl, salt to taste.
- We leave cucumbers in this form for a quarter of an hour.
- Pour out the juice that has stood out.
- Grind the garlic cloves.
- We combine these ingredients with mushrooms.
- Mix everything, pour vinegar and oyster sauce.
- Add sesame seed oil.
- Mix again and leave for 10-15 minutes to infuse.
On a note! Before cooking wood mushroom dishes, do not forget to soak them in water. In principle, half an hour is enough, but some varieties take 2-3 hours to soften and swell.
Popular all over the world. They are not only delicious, but also medicinal. A bag or a box with such mushrooms can be bought in our stores. Not only in specialized, but also in supermarkets.
Tree fungus (muer) in Chinese medicine
Chinese medicine uses dried mushroom for a long time muer("firewood" + "ear") for the treatment and maintenance of people's health. "Tree Ears" auricularia auricularis (Auricularia auricula-judae) and hairy (Auricularia polytricha), contain a significant amount of protein, vitamins (C and group B) and trace elements. Iron, calcium and phosphorus in these mushrooms is twice as much as in meat. At the same time, tree ears are the food product that is devoid of fat. It has almost no calories.
Chinese medicine recommends that older people eat muer more often. These mushrooms are also useful for people suffering from anemia, arterial hypertension, diabetes and obesity. Medical articles provide convincing indicators of lowering cholesterol levels, improving the state of the cardiovascular system (high cardioprotective effect) and confirming the antitumor substances contained in the "tree ears". Increased acidity of the stomach normalizes, irritated and inflamed mucous membranes calm down. These mushrooms act as a mild antibiotic, providing an anti-inflammatory effect. The anticoagulant activity of fungi is compared with the action of heparin. Specific recipes are given, among which in the autumn it may be useful advice to treat infections of the upper respiratory tract with a decoction of mushrooms in milk. True, pregnant and lactating women, as well as those trying to conceive a child, should not abuse "tree ears".
Description of the mushroom
We are interested in two types of tree mushrooms: auricularia auricularis (Auricularia auricula-judae) and auricularia hairy (Auricularia polytricha). These mushrooms are also found on the territory of Russia, but are considered a little-known edible mushroom. Hat size Auricularia auricula-judae from 2 to 10 cm, its thickness is up to 0.5 cm. The hat has the shape of a shell that resembles an ear. The underside is wrinkled. The pulp is translucent, gelatinous. The upper side is velvety. The fungus has almost no smell. Hat color is influenced by age and habitat. Young "ears" are more purple in color, with age they turn brown, become light brown, retaining a purple hue. A wet mushroom is reddish-brown in the light, with a barely noticeable purple tint. "Ears" grow in groups, often dense. Sometimes there are solitary mushrooms. Auricularia ear-shaped settles on living and dry trees of deciduous (rarely coniferous) species.
Auricularia hairy ( Auricularia polytricha), or "silver ear", has a pubescent upper surface of a gray-brown color. These mushrooms are lighter, they are even grayish-white.
With aging, the fruiting bodies of tree mushrooms coarsen and become cartilaginous from the very base. Tree ears can be found in forests and parks, more often on alder and elderberry. In China, not only wild mushrooms are harvested, but they are also specially grown. Muer is also cultivated on various wood substitutes, even on straw. Auricularia can be eaten raw (for example, in salads) and dried. Unscrupulous suppliers sometimes offer dried oyster mushrooms instead of these mushrooms. Moreover, they are dried and packed together with hard legs.
Tree mushrooms are incredibly popular in China, Thailand and Vietnam. The Chinese (especially in Taiwan) call the auricularia "muer", in South China (Guangzhou) - "wang ye". The Vietnamese are "mok nhee". In our country, tree mushrooms are more known in Primorye. Europeans do not collect them due to the lack of mushroom smell and taste. They consider it exotic, which is easier to import from Asian countries.
How to cook tree mushrooms?
Dry tree mushrooms "Judas ears" look like lumps of black charred paper. Dry "silver ears" are slightly smaller, with more gray in them. Otherwise, the two species are similar. Soak mushrooms in water before cooking. Gourmets offer a complex scheme, with alternating soaking in cold and warm water, and then keeping the mushroom in the refrigerator for a day. The Chinese (and I) make things easier. The mushroom is placed in a container and filled with cool water. There should be a lot of water, since the swollen "wood ear" will not look much like a small dry lump. Do not pour out the entire package at once. It's enough for a few times. It is enough to take one or two lumps to see the result and appreciate the merits of the mushroom. After soaking, wood ears increase in volume by 6-8 times. The minimum soaking time is 2 hours. Better to soak overnight. After that, the mushroom can be stored in the refrigerator (up to two days) in any container that is suitable in size. The swollen "tree ear" is washed and the place of attachment of the fruiting body to the wood is cut off. Cut the mushroom into pieces suitable for cooking. Grinding is not worth it, if it is not indicated in the recipe. The taste of muer is not at all like mushroom. It is more like seafood. The fruiting body of the fungus is gelatinous, more precisely, gelatinous-cartilaginous. Moreover, the lower part is more similar in taste to cartilage, the upper (wavy) is much softer.
We sell muer not only in bags, but also in packages the size of a matchbox. There is a tree fungus, which was previously crushed to the state of black-gray flakes. After a full soaking cycle, their volume will increase by almost 10 times.
These mushrooms are practically devoid of mushroom taste, but are pleasantly crunchy. They go well with a huge number of products, complementing their taste. Tree ears can be boiled, stewed, salted and pickled. There is no specific time for their preparation, since these mushrooms can even be eaten raw. In order to “feel” the tree fungus, mix it with fried onions, ready-made chicken fillet, cut into pieces, add soy sauce or sour cream, a little ginger (do not shift!) And a few cloves of garlic. Simmer everything for about 10 minutes. Salt, herbs and spices to taste.
In a cool, dry place, a bag of dried tree mushrooms can be stored for a very long time. Soaked mushrooms are kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in a closed bowl. If the edges of the "ear" begin to turn brown, fill the mushroom with water, rinse, and then cook.
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Muer (tree fungus)- a guest from distant Asia, most popular in China, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand. In the people, this mushroom received a different name - "Judas's ear." Outwardly, the muer resembles more charred paper than a mushroom (see photo). In our country, it is often found in the Far East, preferring to settle on alder. These mushrooms love temperate climates and deciduous forests.
In the traditional cuisine of many countries of the Asian region, muer is quite popular, therefore it is grown today in special greenhouse complexes.
Beneficial features
These wonderful mushrooms are not just popular in Asia. In addition to taste, they have many useful and even unique properties. Muer are rich in protein, and in terms of its content they are not inferior even to meat. They contain a lot of vitamin D and B vitamins. Tree fungi also contain amino acids, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. They are ideal for dietary nutrition, help to reduce weight, but at the same time saturate the body with all the necessary trace elements, preventing the appearance of beriberi. Mushrooms strengthen the immune system and prevent the development of infectious diseases.
Use in cooking
In cooking, muer is used everywhere - it is added to sauces, as well as soups, meat and fish dishes as a condiment. These mushrooms are great for salads and pies. They can be baked, fried, boiled, dried, salted, marinated.
The use can be limited only by the chef's imagination - muers have an excellent taste, rich and refined aroma, and can not only be a separate dish, but also decorate any other dish. Dried, these mushrooms act as a condiment for soups, meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables.
They are most popular in Asian cuisine, but recently they are increasingly being used in both European and American dishes.
The benefits of tree fungus muer and treatment
The benefits of wood fungi muer are great. Primarily because they are an excellent natural antioxidant.
Mushrooms have a number of enzymes that prevent the formation of blood clots in blood vessels, and also contain nicotinic acid, known for its beneficial effect on all regenerative processes of the body. In other words, by eating these mushrooms, a person not only protects his body, but also contributes to its renewal. However, this is not all medicinal properties. Tree mushrooms are rich in polysaccharides, which prevent the development of malignant tumors in the body and improve immunity in general. In addition, ointments, extracts and tinctures from these mushrooms, used in traditional oriental medicine, do an excellent job with skin diseases and heal wounds well.
Harm of tree fungus muer and contraindications
Muer do not harm the body, by themselves they non-poisonous and have no toxic counterparts in nature. However, when it comes to wild mushrooms, it is worth remembering that they absorb harmful substances that can lead to poisoning or indigestion. Also, due to the content of a large amount of chitin, they are considered not the best food for children under 14 years of age. The child's body does not yet have enzymes that absorb chitin in such volumes, and it would be better to limit the portion of mushroom dishes. Muer is contraindicated in the presence of individual intolerance to these mushrooms.
Korean salad
Black Mushroom Appetizer Ingredients:
Recipe for Black Mushroom Appetizer:
Foreword:
I went to visit my native Voronezh. Before the return trip, I decided to stock up on local products - I live in Moscow recently, so I still don’t know where it’s better to buy. On one counter I saw something with the inscription "dried black mushrooms." They cost a penny per bundle (340 r per 1 kg). I took a sample of 100g.
Much to my surprise, I found only 1 recipe with them on the cookbook - it did not suit me. I googled, found information that these are Chinese tree mushrooms - the same ones that are sold in the Korean salad department. Based on several recipes, I made my own version. Here's what happened.
We wash the mushrooms with cold water and put them on the bottom of a five-liter saucepan. Fill to the top with warm boiled water (somewhere around 30-40 C). Cover with a lid and leave to swell for 2 hours. During this time, they will fill the entire pan.
After 2 hours, we throw the mushrooms into a colander and pour water again - now cold. We put in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
In some recipes, it is advised to simply steam the mushrooms with boiling water (rinse, pour boiling water, adding salt and vinegar to the water, cover and leave for 2 hours). But opponents argue that with this method, the mushrooms will not open sufficiently. Normally, muers increase by 6-8 times during soaking.
We take the soaked mushrooms out of the refrigerator and drain the water. If desired, you can cut them into strips - I did not. Salt, pour vinegar. I took apple cider vinegar - somewhere around 4 tablespoons.
We cut the onion in half rings.
Now the most crucial moment. Here it is better to take a large frying pan with a thick bottom.
Pour more oil into the pan - any odorless will do. We heat it up, but in no case to smoke! In my opinion, the temperature should be sufficient so that a pinch of salt thrown into the oil dissolves with a characteristic crackle - at this moment, hot pepper should be immediately poured into the oil. Stir quickly and fry for 20 seconds.
Thanks to the roasting of peppers, the finished dish will slightly burn the throat, and not burn in the mouth.
I overheated the oil for the first time and burned the pepper. I had to pour it out and start over.
