If you do not have any foraged wood ear mushrooms, you can purchase this in the dried form from most Chinese Supermarkets. These mushrooms must be hydrated in warm water for one hour before use. Once hydrated, the wood ear may expand to about 4 times its original size so you only need about 3-4 pieces are to make up a cup. Unfortunately, the Mayan mushrooms are not available commercially so if you can’t hunt for them, you will have to make do with croutons.
Put in a basin:
2 cups of dried red kidney beans
2 litres of cold water
and allow to soak for 4 to 6 hours.
In a 4 litre stock pot add:
1 cup of beef jerky, sliced into 1 cm strips
1 small onion, sliced
15g fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 cup of fresh green leafy vegetables, finely sliced
1 cup of wood ear mushroom, thinly sliced
pre-soaked red kidney beans
2 litres of water
Bring to boiling point and then simmer for 2 hours.
10 minutes before eating add:
1 cup of pasta shells
and simmer for 7-8 minutes in soup.
Just before you are ready to serve, take:
1 cup of Mayan Mushroom (Split Gill)
and fry in oil heated up to 200C until crispy. Use this as a garnish for the soup.
Serves 4