CHIRAMEN Dried Wood Ear Mushroom Ramen Toppings – Black Fungus Mushroom Slices for Ramen, Cup Noodles, Soups, Hot Pot & Stir Fry – Asian Garnish for Instant Noodle Bowls

These Chiramen wood ear mushrooms are very tasty and a great addition to ramen or any soup where you want a bit more flavor. They are very good quality and are a great addition to homemade ramen or even the instant ramen everyone survives college by eating.They do take a bit longer to cook than the directions say, at least in my experience. You're instructed to cook them with the soup, and since noodles and broth are not generally boiling and you only cook 3-4 minutes, I think you need a bit longer as they're a bit too chewy for me at the recommended times. My recommendation would be to start them in the broth a couple of minutes before adding the noodles or boil them separately and then add them. This latter approach (boiling separately) will affect the flavor, though, so I don't think that's the best way to go.Once cooked, they add a lot to a basic noodle dish, or if you've added other toppings, a refreshing change from the normal rehydrated veggies you get in most basic instant ramens (or even ramen add-on toppings). They're a big hit with the mushroom fans who've tried them with me.According to the package, mushrooms are the only ingredient, and I didn't notice anything that made me think otherwise. These are dehydrated mushrooms, plain and simple.The value is also pretty good. It seems expensive for the weight at first glance, but being dehydrated, a little goes a long way, and they're not really more expensive than most other specialty toppings, and less than some.