Cloud Ear Fungus

On Tuesday 9.aug.2022, went to 126 mixed rice eatery in Sri Petaling to buy lunch for the Elderlies.

11.50 am - his chapfan lunch from 126 mixed rice eatery in Sri Petaling. He took a special dish of salted egg yolk coated deep fried chicken. I asked him how he knows the fried chicken is coated with salted egg yolk and he replied that the eatery put a special label on the fried chicken dish. He bought two packs of chapfan for the Elderlies and total price is about MYR 24 nett.

8.09 am - his breakfast of overnight rolled oats soaked in water with dried cranberries, raisins, walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashew nuts and fresh blueberries toppings. He also poured in some HomeSoy No Added Sugar Soy Drink for more flavours.

We bought a 800g pack of Quaker Rolled Oats at around MYR 10.90 for him to try.

4.11 pm - my meal of all the remaining 3jc hor fun from Saturday.

4.38 pm - on Sunday, we bought a 200g pack of cloud ear fungus MYR 5.90 from Pandamart because he wanted to steam chicken with cloud ear fungus, lily buds and huai shan aka mountain yam for the Elderlies' dinner. I was expecting the cloud ear fungus to be in dried form but it was in wet form, not soaked in liquid but the cloud ear fungus feels wet to touch. He used some cloud ear fungus for the dish and the remaining wet fungus, we kept in the fridge from Sunday until Tuesday.

Cloud ear fungus is scientifically called Auricularia polytricha. Wood Ear Fungus is Auricularia auricula-judae. Cloud ear fungus is smaller and more tender than Wood Ear Fungus but both can be used interchangeably in the same dish.

 

Then I read this article:

Black Fungus Soaked Improperly May Produce Toxic Bongkrekic Acid

https://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/multimedia/multimedia_pub/multimedia_pub_fsf_158_04.html

Bongkrekic acid is produced by the bacterium Burkholderia gladioli pathovar cocovenenans (B. cocovenenans) and cannot be removed by washing and heat. It is tasteless and odourless. There is no antidote for bongkrekic acid poisoning. Treatment involves supportive care in a hospital, and many cases will require treatment in an intensive care unit. 

More info on this:

https://www.sfa.gov.sg/food-information/risk-at-a-glance/bongkrekic-acid-safety-of-fermented-corn-and-coconut-products

Excerpt from the above article:

"What is Bongkrekic acid and how does it end up in food?

During the production of fermented corn and coconut-based products, contamination of the bacterium B. cocovenenans may occur. This bacterium thrives in food that is rich in fatty acids, particularly those found in coconut and corn, and in environments with temperatures between 22 to 33 degrees Celsius and a neutral pH. Under such conditions, B. cocovenenans tend to proliferate rapidly, producing Bongkrekic acid in high amounts. Bongkrekic acid is typically found in Tempeh Bongkrek, a coconut-based fermented product that is popular in Southeast Asia – this is how the toxin got its name.

Besides fermented coconut and corn based products, B. cocovenenans may also be found in snow fungus and black fungus."

So this got me thinking about the risk.  Since his parents are ok, I think this fungus is not contaminated with the bacteria even though it is sold in wet form so I boiled all the remaining cloud ear fungus while steaming sweet potatoes using the same pot and ate all 18 pieces of the cloud ear fungus. They taste like white fungus in sweet potatoes tong sui because the sweet potatoes taste got into the water which is boiling the cloud ear fungus.

The cloud ear fungus is gelatinous and the texture is crunchy and soft at the same time. Quite pleasant to eat with sweet potatoes taste. Luckily I am ok since this fungus obviously is not contaminated with the bacteria. Next time, I will make sure to only buy the dried form of cloud ear and wood ear fungus to minimize the risk of this toxic acid.