Cloud Ear Salmon (雲耳鮭魚, Wan4 Ji5 Gwai1 Jyu4)

 

This recipe was updated on 06 Aug 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

I originally called this dish, Black Fungus Salmon, but then I thought about the name and decided that it didn’t make the dish sound too appealing or appetizing. So now it’s called Cloud Ear Salmon and that seems a little more mysterious sounding and won’t immediately put off anyone. If you’ve ever eaten black or cloud ear fungus, you’ll know that it’s pretty tasteless and is eaten more for the texture than anything else. I’m sure there’s some traditional Chinese medicinal value, but I don’t know what that would be.

There is also a noodle dish based on this recipe: Cloud Ear Salmon Chow Mein (雲耳鮭魚炒麵, Wan⁴ Ji⁵ Gwai¹ Jyu⁴ Caau² Min⁶).

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb.	500 g.	Salmon (鮭魚, gwai1 jyu4), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1	1	Fuzzy melon (節瓜, zit3 gwaa1), quartered lengthwise and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
10	10	Whole dried black or cloud ear fungus (雲耳, wan4 ji5), rehydrated with stems removed
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 lb.	500 g.	One package chow mein noodles (炒麵, caau2 min6)
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
2 tsp.	10 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
4 tsp.	20 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Preparation Instructions

1. Take the salmon out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking. Prepare the salmon by removing any bones, and cut the meat into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces. Marinate for at least one hour with the ginger crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil.
2. Pour boiling water over the dried black or cloud ear fungus in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the fungus for at least one hour. Remove the fungus from the rehydration liquid, discard the rehydration liquid, remove the stems from the fungus, and cut them into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces if desired.
3. Scrape off the “fuzz” from the fuzzy melon by holding the melon in one hand and scraping a cleaver or knife in reverse over the skin of the fuzzy melon under running water. This means putting the cleaver at the half way point of the melon with the blade of the cleaver pointing towards you and while holding the cleaver almost parallel to the surface of the fuzzy melon, moving the cleaver away from you, scraping the skin of the fuzz. Reverse the fuzzy melon and repeat the procedure, scraping the fuzz off the other half. Cut the fuzzy melon into quarters lengthwise and then cut each melon quarter into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
4. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
5. Wash and cut the green onions into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal.
6. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil and then the salmon. Stir fry the salmon until brown by placing the salmon skin side down in the wok and leaving the salmon alone for a while before flipping it over to brown the other side. You may have to stir fry the salmon in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the browned salmon to a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the black or cloud ear fungus. Stir fry the fungus and then transfer them to the bowl with the salmon.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the fuzzy melon. Stir fry the fuzzy melon to brown them. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic mixture, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic mixture becomes fragrant. Add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the salmon back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
4. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. If more sauce is desired, add some liquid (stock or water) to the wok. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.