Sherilyn my pernickety eater who does not fancy eating veggie and meat much surprised me about 2 years ago (when she was about 2.5 years old) when she showed keen interest in eating mushrooms and edible fungus. Well, I’d say not many 2.5 year olds would like the texture and taste of mushrooms and edible fungus like moke yue (wood ear fungus) and wan yue (cloud ear fungus) but my wierdo toddler was hooked on them.  Whenever there is a dish that has fresh mushrooms, wood ear fungus or cloud ear fungus cooked with it, she will surely polish off every mushy and jelly-like black stuff in the dish, so much that she’d puke them all out, during her younger days.  Now that she’s a little older, she has outgrown her puking phase.  I used to call her Spitty-Spat as she spat a lot during meal times and Miss Pukey Sherilyn as she puked super easily during meal times and at night (around 12 midnight and I thought it was jinx!)

My fussy eater helping herself to a plate piled up with wood ear fungus.   She singled out most of the fungus from the plate of stir-fried gourd dish with pork and fungus.

I’m glad that this brat loves mushrooms and fungus as they are packed with nutrients and disease-fighting properties. Here’s a little information on the black edible fungus (wood ear fungus and cloud ear fungus):

Its translucent brownish beige flesh is gelatinous but firm, crunchy and relatively tasteless. They absorb the liquid in which they are cooked and take on the taste of the other ingredients.

Also known as cloud ear, tree ear, wood fungus, mouse ear, and jelly mushroom. It grows rapidly on a variety of woods including mango and kapok. Wood ear is prized in Chinese cuisine for its crunchy texture. It is sweet in flavor, mild in nature and absorbs the seasonings it is cooked with.

Nutrition Information:
Wood ears are rich in protein. Each 100g contains 10.6 protein, 357 mg calcium, 201 mg phosphorus, 185 mg iron. It also contains carotene, vitamins B1 and B2, mannan, glucuronic acid, lecithin, and cephalin.

Health Benefits:
A very good blood tonic, contains 7 times as much iron as pig’s liver. It has a reputation in Chinese herbal medicine for increasing the fluidity of the blood and improving circulation. It is given to patients who suffer from atherosclerosis. Recent reports reveal that constant consumption of this fungus is also helpful for the prevention of tumors.

It is also low in calories and are therefore a useful food to include in weight-loss diets.