Wood ear mushroom.

Wood ear is a thin, wavy mushroom, brown to almost black, shaped a little like an ear, which is where both its English and Thai names come from. It has very little taste of its own. People cook with it for the texture: slippery on the outside and crunchy as you bite, a springiness that survives a stir fry or a long simmer. In Thai cooking it goes into stir fries with ginger, glass noodle soups, spring roll fillings and spicy salads.

Fresh pieces should be moist, flexible and clean, with no sour smell.

Ways to use it

• Slice into strips and stir fry with fresh ginger, pork or tofu, and a little soy sauce.
• Add to a clear glass noodle soup or a pork bone broth.
• Chop finely into spring roll or dumpling fillings for crunch.
• Blanch briefly, then toss with lime, fish sauce, chilli and herbs for a spicy salad.

Storing it

Fresh wood ear goes into the fridge in a box lined with kitchen paper. Rinse it well before cooking, since grit can hide in the folds, and trim off the hard spot where it was attached. Use it within a few days.

Where it comes from

Grown to certified organic standards. The certificate for each lot is shown when you trace your pack.

Every pack will carry a lot code. Enter it on the Trace your pack page and you will see the farms in that lot, the harvest date and the certificate.