Wood ear mushroom and asparagus salad with citrus miso dressing
A savory, slightly sweet Asian-inspired salad made with wood ear mushrooms and asparagus, seasoned with citrus miso salad dressing.
Servings 2
Ingredients
For dressing
- 2.5 tbsp fresh citrus juice (We use four ripe calamondin oranges. Tangerine or Meyer lemon juice is best alternative to ripe calamondins.)
- 2 tsp organic mellow white miso
- 1/2 tsp whole sichuan pepper (pan toast then grind)
- 1 tsp coriander (pan toast then grind)
- 1/2 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- pinch of freshly grated ginger
For salad
- 1 cup wood ear mushrooms, measured hydrated not dried
- 4 fresh raw asparagus spears chopped into small rounds (We use combination of purple and green asparagus - note that freshly harvested asparagus is way better than store-bought!)
- 1 green onion leaf cut into small rounds (alternate: onion or garlic chives)
- (optional) few tablespoons of thinly sliced citrus peel (We use peels from ~2 calamondins. Only use peel if using citrus with good edible peels like kumquats, Meyer lemons, calamondins, etc.)
- 4 tbsp cilantro leaves - about a palm full (Also consider using a teaspoon of crushed green coriander if you have it available)
- seasonal edible flowers for garnish (In pictures, we used cilantro, kale, and onion chive flowers)
Instructions
- Start by toasting coriander and sechuan pepper corns in a pan over medium heat until slightly toasted and aromatic (about 2-3 minutes). Transfer to mortar and pestle, let cool, then grind into powder. Juice calamondins. Then combine all salad dressing ingredients and mix. Set aside.
- Bring pot of water to boil then steam-cook your hydrated (*not dried) wood ear mushrooms over boiling water for 10 minutes. While mushrooms are steaming, slice asparagus into small rounds and prep other fresh ingredients (green onions, cilantro). *If starting with dried wood ear mushrooms, rehydrate them in cold water for 30 minutes before steaming.
- Remove mushrooms from heat, pour into bowl, and toss mushrooms in salad dressing. Let come to room temperature then add other fresh ingredients (except for garnish). Stir to combine, then refrigerate for at least one hour. Garnish and serve.