Black fungus has always been a popular ingredient, both for its health and its culinary appeal.

With its crisp texture and versatile cooking methods, it’s a common dish on our table.

However, fresh black fungus doesn’t keep well; if left out for too long, it becomes soggy and sticky. Therefore, after buying a whole box of black fungus from the market or supermarket, I always prep it.

This extra step not only significantly extends the shelf life of the fungus, but also adds a crisp texture to hot pot or stir-fries.

This little trick involves sun-drying

First, place the black fungus in direct sunlight.

On a sunny day, sun-drying for about three hours will significantly reduce the moisture content.

I usually sun-dry the fungus for an entire afternoon, and when the outer shells are a bit firm, I’ll use it for cooking.

To cook, wash and slice the sun-dried fungus before adding it to your dish.

As you can clearly see from the photos, sun-dried wood ear mushrooms are much crisper than fresh ones.

Sun-dried wood ear mushrooms are also more juicy and less tough than soaked dried wood ear mushrooms, yet still have a much more chewy and crunchy texture than fresh ones. We often use them in scrambled eggs with chives. The crispy wood ear mushrooms paired with the crisp chives are a perfect match for rice.

After an afternoon of sun-drying, I usually store them in a sealed bag with ice in the refrigerator. Because they’re air-dried, they don’t become sticky even after being stored for a long time. I’ve even left them for two weeks and they were still in great condition. You can try this little trick I use.