Stir-Fried Wood Ear with Pork (小炒黑木耳 / Xiǎo Chǎo Hēi Mù ěr)

Name: Stir-Fried Wood Ear with Pork (小炒黑木耳 / Xiǎo Chǎo Hēi Mù ěr)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 23 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Hunan
Ingredients: 30 g dried wood ear mushrooms (about 2 cups soaked); 200 g pork shoulder or loin, sliced thin; 2 green peppers, sliced; 1 red pepper, sliced (for color); 5 garlic cloves, sliced; 1 tbsp ginger, sliced; 1 tbsp cooking wine; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tsp dark soy sauce; 1 tsp sugar; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp cornstarch (for pork marinade); 3 tbsp cooking oil; 2 scallions, cut into sections

Stir-fried wood ear with pork (小炒黑木耳, xiǎo chǎo hēi mù ěr) is a humble, satisfying Hunan home-style dish prized for its wonderful texture. Wood ear mushrooms — dark, crinkled, and famously crunchy — are stir-fried with thinly sliced pork, green peppers, and garlic in a quick, savory sauce. The mushrooms have a satisfying snap and a slightly gelatinous surface that holds sauce beautifully, while the pork adds richness and the peppers add freshness. Wood ear (黑木耳, black fungus) is valued in Chinese cooking for its crisp texture and its perceived blood-cleansing, iron-rich health benefits. This is everyday cooking at its best: quick, nutritious, cheap, and more texturally interesting than its simple ingredients suggest. It is a fixture on Hunan family dinner tables.

Wood ear — the everyday medicinal mushroom

Wood ear (黑木耳, hēi mù ěr, black fungus) is one of the most commonly used dried ingredients in Chinese cooking. It grows wild on tree trunks and is harvested, dried, and sold in bags at every Chinese market. When rehydrated, it expands dramatically and develops a unique crisp, slightly gelatinous texture with a satisfying snap. In traditional Chinese dietary therapy, wood ear is believed to cleanse the blood, lower cholesterol, and provide iron — which is why it appears in so many everyday home dishes. Hunan cooks love it in quick stir-fries like this one, where its crunch contrasts with tender pork. It is inexpensive, keeps indefinitely dried, and is a staple of frugal, healthy home cooking across the province.

Ingredients

Dried wood ear mushrooms are sold in bags at all Asian markets. They expand hugely when soaked, so a little goes a long way.

30 g dried wood ear mushrooms (about 2 cups soaked)
200 g pork shoulder or loin, sliced thin
2 green peppers, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced (for color)
5 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp ginger, sliced
1 tbsp cooking wine
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cornstarch (for pork marinade)
3 tbsp cooking oil
2 scallions, cut into sections

Step-by-Step Instructions

Soak and prep the wood ear. Soak the dried wood ear mushrooms in warm water for 20 to 30 minutes until they expand fully and become soft and pliable — they will increase many times in size. Rinse them thoroughly in several changes of water to remove any grit or woody bits, especially at the base. Tear or cut any large pieces into bite-sized pieces, removing any hard root ends. Drain well. Properly soaked wood ear should be pliable with a slight snap when bent. If you are in a hurry, soak in hot water for 10 minutes, but warm water gives a better texture.
Marinate the pork. Slice the pork thinly across the grain — slightly frozen pork is much easier to slice neatly. In a bowl, combine the pork with 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon cooking wine, and 1 teaspoon light soy sauce. Toss well and let it marinate for 10 minutes. The cornstarch (velveting) keeps the pork tender and juicy during the quick stir-fry. Thin slicing ensures the pork cooks in seconds and stays soft.
Stir-fry the pork. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok over high heat. Add the marinated pork and spread it out. Let it sear for 30 seconds without stirring, then stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes until the pork is just cooked through and lightly browned, breaking up any clumps. Remove the pork from the wok and set aside. Do not overcook — the pork will return to the wok later. High heat gives a good sear while keeping the slices tender.
Fry the aromatics and vegetables. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok over medium-high heat. Add the sliced garlic, ginger, and the green and red peppers. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes until the peppers are crisp-tender and fragrant. Add the drained wood ear mushrooms and toss for another minute — they need only brief cooking to heat through and absorb flavor. The wood ear should stay crunchy; do not overcook or it loses its snap.
Combine and season. Return the pork to the wok. Add the remaining light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Toss everything together over high heat for 1 minute so the sauce coats every piece. Taste and adjust — the dish should be savory, lightly sweet, and gently spicy from the peppers. Add the scallion sections, toss for 20 seconds, and turn off the heat. Serve hot with steamed rice. The contrast of crunchy wood ear, tender pork, and crisp peppers in a savory sauce is simple, healthy, and deeply satisfying — a perfect everyday Hunan dinner.

Secrets to crunchy wood ear

Soak until fully expanded. 20-30 min in warm water; under-soaked wood ear stays tough.
Rinse thoroughly. Grit hides in the creases — wash in several changes of water.
Don't overcook the mushrooms. Brief stir-frying keeps the signature crunch; long cooking makes them limp.
Velvet the pork. Cornstarch marinade keeps thin pork slices tender in the fast stir-fry.

Variations

Like most Hunan home cooking, this dish welcomes small adjustments to suit your taste and pantry.

With egg

Add 2 beaten eggs scrambled into the wok after the pork for a heartier, home-style version often served at lunch.

Spicier version

Add a tablespoon of chopped pickled chilies and a teaspoon of doubanjiang for a fierier, more typically Hunan take.

Nutrition

Estimated values per serving (recipe serves 3). Wood ear is very low in calories and rich in fiber and iron; the pork adds protein.

Nutrient	Per serving
Calories	240 kcal
Protein	16 g
Total fat	16 g
Saturated fat	5 g
Carbohydrates	10 g
Sodium	620 mg
Sugar	3 g

Values are estimates. Actual nutrition will vary depending on specific ingredients and portion sizes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is wood ear mushroom and what does it taste like?

Wood ear (黑木耳, hēi mù ěr, 'black wood ear', also called black fungus) is an edible mushroom that grows on tree trunks. It is sold dried and rehydrates into dark, crinkled, slightly gelatinous pieces. Its flavor is very mild — slightly earthy and neutral — but its appeal is almost entirely textural: a distinctive, satisfying crunch with a slight snap, unlike any other mushroom. It absorbs the flavors of whatever it is cooked with, making it a great carrier for savory sauces. In Chinese cooking it is prized as much for nutrition (iron, fiber) as for texture. If you have never tried it, expect a crunchy, sauce-holding texture rather than a strong mushroom flavor — think of it as a textural ingredient, like water chestnut.

Do I need to cook wood ear before stir-frying?

No pre-cooking is needed beyond soaking. After rehydrating and rinsing thoroughly, wood ear can go straight into the stir-fry. It only needs brief cooking — 1 to 2 minutes of stir-frying is enough to heat it through and let it absorb flavor. Overcooking makes it lose its crunch and turn limp, which defeats the purpose. Some recipes blanch the soaked wood ear for a minute before stir-frying, which can remove any residual earthy flavor, but it is not necessary for this quick dish. The key is thorough soaking and rinsing to remove grit, then short, high-heat cooking to preserve the signature snap.

Can I use fresh wood ear instead of dried?

Yes. Fresh wood ear (sometimes sold in sealed packs at Asian markets) skips the soaking step — just rinse and use. The texture is similar, though fresh wood ear is slightly more delicate and cooks even faster. Use about 2 cups of fresh wood ear to replace 30 g dried. Dried wood ear is more common, cheaper, and keeps indefinitely, which is why most recipes use it, but fresh is a convenient option when available. Either way, the cooking method is the same: brief stir-frying to keep the crunch. Avoid canned wood ear, which tends to be soggy and lacks the satisfying snap.

Is wood ear really good for you?

In traditional Chinese dietary therapy, wood ear is highly regarded. It is very low in calories, rich in dietary fiber, and a good source of iron and some B vitamins. Folk wisdom credits it with 'cleansing the blood', lowering cholesterol, and improving circulation — claims that have some basis in its high fiber and polysaccharide content, though it is not a medicine. Whether or not you accept the traditional health claims, it is undeniably a healthy ingredient: low-calorie, high-fiber, and a good texture carrier that lets you eat more vegetables with less oil. This dish, with lean pork and plenty of mushrooms and peppers, is a balanced, nutritious everyday meal. Enjoy it as part of a varied diet.

Related Recipes

If you enjoyed this dish, try these other Hunan favorites next.

Stir-Fried Wood Ear with Pork (小炒黑木耳)