Salads in the summertime are so common, but have you tried a Chinese salad? This delicious, garlicky, crunchy salad is a must have for those hot summer days! The cooling cucumbers along with the black vinegar makes this salad a refreshing appetizer or snack throughout the day.
What is black fungus mushroom?
This mushroom is packed with fiber and rich in antioxidants. It is crunchy and takes on whatever flavour you add it in. It is usually dried and require rehydrating. Black fungus mushroom has a hard root so make sure you cut around it and discard the root.
Cucumber salad with Chinese black fungus mushroom and asparagus
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp dried black fungus
- 3 English cucumbers
- 4 spears of asparagus - sliced
- 2 tsps salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp Chinese black vinegar
- 2-4 tsp minced garlic
- 1 handful of cilantro - roughly chopped
- 1/2 chili pepper (optional) - minced
Directions
- Rehydrate the dried black fungus with a bowl of hot water for 10-20 min (ensure that there is plenty of water covering the black fungus as they'll expand and soak up the water). Set aside as they rehydrate.
- Cut the cucumbers in half length-wise. Loosely wrap with paper towels or a tea towel. Using the flat side of a big knife or a big spoon, smash the cucumber until they start to split. Then cut the cucumbers into bite-sized pieces (cubes are great). Place them into a mixing bowl.
- Add a tsp of salt and mix. You should see the cucumbers start to extract water.
- Boil a pot of water and blanch the asparagus for 2-3 min. Rinse with cold water and slice them.
- Add the asparagus, cilantro, garlic, and chili pepper into the bowl with cucumbers.
- Once the black fungus has rehydrated, rinse with cold water.
- Boil a pot of water and add the black fungus to blanch for 2 min. Rinse with cold water.
- Trim the hard root of the fungus and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add them into the mixing bowl with the cucumbers.
- Add in the sesame oil, black vinegar, sugar, 1 tsp salt, and soy sauce. Mix until everything is coated with the sauces. Feel free to add more of the sauces until desired taste is met.
- Serve chilled and enjoy!