Dried wood ear mushrooms, also known as cat mushrooms, are an essential ingredient in many dishes such as spring rolls, stuffed cakes, stir-fries, and dried meat. Wood ear mushrooms are enticing to eat because of their crispy texture. However, when preparing dried wood ear mushrooms, many people hesitate to soak them in water because it takes a long time.
Therefore, the chef has a technique to soak wood ear mushrooms for only 5 minutes, and ladies should refer to it:
Ingredients:
– Dried wood ear mushrooms, flour, white sugar, white vinegar
Instructions:
– First, we prepare a bowl of wood ear mushrooms.
– Take a large bowl or basin, put the wood ear mushrooms in, pour half a bowl of warm water, add a tablespoon of flour, a tablespoon of sugar, and a tablespoon of white vinegar. Flour has a strong absorbent property and can absorb hidden impurities in the crevices of the wood ear mushrooms. White vinegar has excellent antibacterial properties. Adding sugar can accelerate the process of water absorption of the wood ear mushrooms.
– Cover with a lid, shake quickly and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Shaking quickly increases the speed of water molecules’ movement. After soaking for 5 minutes, the wood ear mushrooms expand, become soft, and the soaking water becomes dirty.
At this time, wash the soaked wood ear mushrooms with water several times until completely clean.
Now you can proceed with the wood ear mushrooms’ preparation.
Refer to a few other methods of washing and soaking wood ear mushrooms:
Using warm water and baking soda
Since hot water will destroy the nutrients of the wood ear mushrooms, we should only soak them with warm water and baking soda. Warm water and baking soda effectively clean dirt and impurities on the wood ear mushrooms’ surface. Moreover, the combination of warm water and baking soda helps reduce the soaking time of wood ear mushrooms.
Using warm saltwater
Put the wood ear mushrooms in a large bowl, then add an appropriate amount of warm water and a tablespoon of salt. Cover with a lid, shake gently, and soak for 5 minutes, then rinse 1-2 times. Salt helps remove impurities and disinfect, making the wood ear mushrooms clean and good for health.
Using warm water and flour sugar
Put the wood ear mushrooms in a basin, add an appropriate amount of warm water, then add a tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of white sugar. Stir well, soak the wood ear mushrooms for 5-10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
We all know that flour has a strong absorbent ability and it will absorb dirt attached to the surface of the wood ear mushrooms. The combination of flour and sugar enhances the cleaning effect.
Source: Phụ nữ Việt Nam