Lover's tears! Are you eating the emerging food ingredient "Yulai Mushroom" correctly?

What do lover's tears taste like? Recently, a new food ingredient called "Yulai Mushroom" has appeared in fresh food stores. It is a blue-green algae. Before it could be artificially cultivated, it only appeared after the rainy season, so it has the romantic title of "lover's tears". Its low calorie content and crisp taste have made many gourmets crazy about it, and those who have never eaten it are also eager to try it. However, nutritionists remind that there are still some things to pay attention to before consuming Yulai mushrooms!

Treasures in the rain! What is the emerging food ingredient "Yulai Mushroom"?

Yulai mushroom is a local delicacy on the tables of residents of Hengchun Peninsula. In the early years, it only appeared on the surface of mountains and forests after rain. It is a kind of "ground vegetable" and the locals call it "grass ear". Because it is low in calories, high in fiber and rich in various vitamins, plant protein and essential amino acids for the human body, it is regarded as a "treasure in the rain."

The yield of wild Yulai mushroom is very small, and many people have never heard of it, let alone tasted it. Fortunately, with the help of artificial cultivation technology in recent years, Yulai mushrooms are no longer restricted to the rainy season and can be produced all year round. With the cooperation of production and sales channels, people all over Taiwan have the opportunity to eat them. However, what exactly is Yulai Mushroom? How to eat it? The following is an explanation from a nutritional perspective:

"Yulai Mushroom" is not a mushroom! The true identity is a blue-green algae

Zeng Miaoru, a nutritionist at Miaoli Daqian General Hospital, said that people who hear about Yulai mushroom for the first time are often misled by the name and think it is a mushroom. In fact, Yulai mushroom is a kind of blue-green algae. It shrinks when there is no water and expands into water droplets when it encounters water. It has little to do with mushrooms.

Is Yulai mushroom's health benefits excellent? First, understand the blue-green algae controversy

The health benefits of blue-green algae have been controversial in recent years. Commercially available blue-green algae products are often advertised as having the ability to adjust the body's pH, keep away chronic diseases, lower blood lipids, enhance immunity, inhibit viruses, and fight herpes and colds.

However, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) of the United States compiled publicly published scientific papers and rated the research quality of blue-green algae on eight functions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, anti-cancer, and weight loss as C, which means "there is no clear scientific evidence to prove that it has health functions"; and the research quality of fatigue syndrome and chronic viral hepatitis was rated D, which means "there is evidence to prove that it does not have such functions."

Nutritionist Zeng Miaoru said that although blue-green algae are said to adjust physical fitness, lower blood lipids and fight viruses, there is currently not enough research to show that it is helpful. However, for vegetarians who want to supplement protein and vitamin B12 at the same time, taking blue-green algae (including Pleurotus eryngii) is a good nutritional supplement.

On average, for every 100 grams of dried blue-green algae, protein accounts for about 60% to 63% of the total net weight, including all essential amino acids. It is also rich in vitamins, with beta-carotene and B vitamins being the highest. The beta-carotene content is about 2 to 5 times that of carrots, and the vitamin B12 content (mostly only found in animal foods) is about 3 to 4 times that of animal liver. It is a good nutritional supplement for vegetarians.

Lover's Tears Healthy Eat! Eat moderate amounts of raw food

The nutritional value of Yulai mushroom is generally not much different from that of blue-green algae. In addition, it tastes soft and crispy, and its taste is between black fungus and seaweed, which makes it deeply loved by gourmets. Nutritionist Zeng Miaoru reminds people not to eat too much Yulai mushroom at one time; before buying Yulai mushroom, pay attention to whether its growing environment is clean and non-toxic; avoid eating it raw. If you want to mix it with cold dishes, you need to blanch it in hot water for 30 seconds and then let it cool before adding the sauce and ingredients for the cold dish. In addition, due to its high water content, the shiitake mushroom has a crisp taste, so it is not recommended to cook it for too long. Short-term cooking methods such as stir-frying over high heat can better preserve its original taste.

【Demonstration cooking: Fried eggs with mushrooms】

• Ingredients: appropriate amount of shiitake mushrooms (about 100 to 200 grams), 2 eggs, and a little chopped green onion.

• practice:

  1. First beat the eggs and chopped green onions together. Put the pan on high heat and add appropriate amount of oil. When the oil starts to smoke, add the beaten scallions and eggs and stir-fry quickly.

  2. Next, add the mushrooms and a little salt, stir-fry for about 20 seconds.