Chinese Dried Tree Ear Mushroom

What is black fungus?                                                                                                                                                                                   
Black Fungus, auricularia poiytricha see illustration. Also known as cloud ear, tree ear, wood fungus, mouse ear, jelly mushroom, and so on.
It can refer to a few different closely related species of edible fungus used primarily in Chinese cuisine; these are commonly sold in markets both shredded and dried.

Black fungus is a very common type of edible mushroom which is found in Nigeria and other parts of the world. It grows on trees mostly in the rural areas due to the vast untapped vegetation found there.
It has lots of medicinal benefits due to the nutrients it contains such as Vitamins, Protein, Fat, Iron, polysaccharides and a whole lot more. The mushroom can be found throughout the year in temperate regions worldwide, where it grows upon both dead and living wood. The popularity of this mushroom dates back centuries especially in China were it is extremely popular .

Its applications in traditional medicine include preventing iron deficiency anemia, haematemesis, uterine bleeding, hemorrhoid, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and even cancer prevention.

How to eat black fungus?                                                                                                                                                                            
Dried Black Fungus must be soaked in water before cooking (15 minutes for small size, 30 minutes for large ones) . It swells to many times its dried size . After soaked , the fungus is rinsed thoroughly and trimmed of the tough , gritty part where it was acttached to the wood. Then, particularly if using the large variety, cut them into pieces to a suitable size and shape before cooking. You can fry, cold and dressed with sauce, also add into soaps.