Snow Fungus Salad

Step 1

Soak the white fungus in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. After soaking, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the soaked fungus into the boiling water and cook it for 5 minutes or so. Drain and rinse with cold water. Make sure to rinse off any dirt or residue inside the fungus. Then trim off the button yellow part of the mushroom and save the white curly part (refer to video). Cut the cleaned and trimmed fungus into bite size pieces and set aside.

Step 2

Make the dressing: In a pot, add the crushed palm sugar and water. Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes or until the palm sugar has dissolve. Then turn off the heat and all of the other ingredients in. Mix well. Taste and adjust. For the pickled garlic, make sure to cut off the tip and take out the hard bits in the center when you cut it. Store the dressing in a container (in the fridge) for up to 1 week.

Step 3

Prep and cut your vegetables and proteins. Mix everything and the fungus in a big bowl and add in 1-2 cups of the dressing or until it is to your liking. I like to start with 1 1/2 cups of the dressing and add as I go so I don't overdress it. This salad is best eaten the day of. It will get watery the more it sits.

Step 4

*If you buy the Vietnamese pork roll frozen, make sure to thaw it out before using.