Wood Ear and Cucumber Salad
Wood Ear and Cucumber Salad is a refreshing, crunchy cold dish popular in Chinese cuisine, featuring thinly sliced cucumbers and rehydrated wood ear mushrooms. It's typically dressed with a savory and tangy sauce made from soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic, often garnished with cilantro or chili oil. This salad is a staple at home-style meals and banquets, especially during warmer months.
🍽️ Nutrition at a glance
This salad is very low in calories, fat, and carbohydrates, making it a light, hydrating side dish. It is an excellent source of dietary fiber and provides key minerals like potassium and iron, with a typical serving containing only about 50-70 calories.
Nutrition breakdown
| Calories | 60 kcal |
| Protein | 2.5 g |
| Carbs | 10 g |
| Fat | 2 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Sodium | 480 mg |
| Iron | 2.5 mg |
| Potassium | 320 mg |
| Vitamin K | 15 mcg |
| Vitamin C | 6 mg |
| Manganese | 0.4 mg |
| Copper | 0.15 mg |
Per 1 cup (180 g) · estimated, varies by recipe
💡 What's interesting
Culturally, this dish is a classic example of Chinese 'liang cai' (cold dishes) that stimulate the appetite. Nutritionally, wood ear mushrooms are prized in traditional Chinese medicine and are uniquely rich in iron and soluble fiber, which can help with digestion and circulation.
