Jews ear

[gurthang]

Does anyone one know of any recipies for or including the Jews ear fungus other than just using it as an addition for a stew.?

and can you eat it raw?

Thanks for any help you can offer guys

 

[steve a]

imo not really worth bothering with outside of stews and then not very nice,I did come across a recipe for it cooked in milk but never tried it.Jakunen is your man for cookery books etc. he may be able to help.

 

[tomtom]

Food for Free "..it is a good edible species...much prized in china..remedie for inflamed eyes.. name may come.. for anti semetic society in middle ages or may be derived from Judas who reputedly hung himself from an elder tree..such as the jews ear grows on...jews ear should be gathered young while soft and moised (it turns rock hard with age), and cut from the tree with a knife..discard tough stalk..wash well..slice finely..although the translucent flesh is thin it can be tough and indigestible. Stew for good 3/4 of an hour in stock or milk serve with plenty of pepper..make sure..cooked properly otherwise the flesh will be very rubbery. the result is crisp not unlike seaweed. it can be dried, and is best ground to a powder and used for flavouring.
Chinese-style Jew's Ear soup..
25g(1oz)Jew's Ear
800g(2lb) Brown Sugar crystals
500ml(1pint) Water
Method:
1: Clean, soak and roughly chop Fungi
2: Heat the Sugar and water untill Sugar melts and mixture almost boils..
£3: Drain Jew's Ears, bottom to Syrup and steam for 1.5hours. Serve hot or cold.."

all from Food for Free:Richard Mabey p.172/3

 

[hootchi]

There is a recipe for frying them here . And a pic here

 

[tomtom]

Food for Free "..it is a good edible species...much prized in china..remedie for inflamed eyes.. name may come.. for anti semetic society in middle ages or may be derived from Judas who reputedly hung himself from an elder tree..such as the jews ear grows on...jews ear should be gathered young while soft and moised (it turns rock hard with age), and cut from the tree with a knife..discard tough stalk..wash well..slice finely..although the translucent flesh is thin it can be tough and indigestible. Stew for good 3/4 of an hour in stock or milk serve with plenty of pepper..make sure..cooked properly otherwise the flesh will be very rubbery. the result is crisp not unlike seaweed. it can be dried, and is best ground to a powder and used for flavouring.
Chinese-style Jew's Ear soup..
25g(1oz)Jew's Ear
800g(2lb) Brown Sugar crystals
500ml(1pint) Water
Method:
1: Clean, soak and roughly chop Fungi
2: Heat the Sugar and water untill Sugar melts and mixture almost boils..
£3: Drain Jew's Ears, bottom to Syrup and steam for 1.5hours. Serve hot or cold.."

all from Food for Free:Richard Mabey p.172/3

 

[gurthang]

Thanks guys, I found a huge amount of it today and having never tried it before I thought I'd give it a go so thanks for your advice

 

[Realgar]

Briefly stir fried like the related species Auricularia polytricha ( wood ears/black fungus) ought to work well. By the way, the fungi on that recipe page - they do not look like jews ear, for one thing they're growing on compost.
Realgar

 

[hootchi]

Yes you are right the scientific name different aswell- "Auricularia auricula-judae" compared to "Hirneola auricula-judae".

Not sure what the difference between "auricularia" and "Hirneola" types are?

 

[Ed]

Briefly stir fried like the related species Auricularia polytricha ( wood ears/black fungus) ought to work well.

Yep, just slice the thinly into strips and use in a stir fry...... I par-boil mine first though before slicing and frying.


Ed

 

[jakunen]

Cheers Steve A. I guess I'm gonna have to try and do somethign about my reputation!!!

You can eat them raw, but its liek trying to chew a bicycle inner tube.
Best bet is to shred them and either stir fry in Chinese dishes, add to Thai soups or use in stews and casseroles.
I'm not to keen on them just fried, as again - chewing inner tubes.

They do add an extra element to ommelettes and are a good source of protein.

As for the naming, the two are related species and the Auricularia litterally means 'Ear-like". AFAIA all member of this genus are ear-like jelly fungi, where are the other species has varied forms. But don't quote me, I ain't an egg-squirt.

 

[Paganwolf]

Check for maggots as well, the outer membrane covers the inner flesh which is jelly like which some kind of parasitic fly likes, so slicing them before cooking is a good idea, unless you need the extra protein i like them sliced thinly and added to chicken soup made from the leftover chicken on a sunday with plenty of fresh herbs. Not to be eaten alone they can only be described as bland and snotty :shock:

Jews Ear on a frosty morning

 

[tomtom]

Check for maggots as well..

..they are great protine

 

[jakunen]

Forgot to add...

They dry very well (just look in any deli or chinese supplies shop), so it may be worth harvesting extra and making your cooking friends happy this Chrimbo.

 

[R-Bowskill]

I usually cut them into strips, dry them then grind them up into a coarse powder to add to soups and sauces but am trying to find out how they do them in one of the pubs I go to as they seem to be able to cook them whole and get a really good texture.