Buddha's Delight (Lo Hon Jai): Chinese Vegetarian Stir-Fry Recipe
Buddha's Delight is a celebration of vegetarian textures and flavors. [Photographs: Shao Z.]
Tired of the same old vegetarian stir fry? Buddha's Delight is just what you need. A celebratory mixture of multiple vegetables and protein sources (wheat gluten, bean-curd skin, bean-curd puffs, and more), noodles, and a flavorful sauce infused with mushrooms, it's a reminder that vegetarian stir-fries don't have to be the same old ho-hum dish every time.
Why this recipe works:
- Using the dried-shiitake soaking liquid in the sauce adds lots of flavor with no additional work.
- A mixture of soybean and wheat-gluten proteins add several different textures and flavors.
Note: All of the specialty Asian ingredients in this recipe can be found at good Asian grocers and online.
Read more: Buddha's Delight: The Vegetarian Stir-Fry to Rule All Vegetarian Stir-Fries
- Yield:Serves 2 to 4
- Active time: 30 minutes
- Total time:3 hours
- Rated:
Ingredients
- For the sauce:
- 1/4 cup reserved shiitake mushroom water (see below)
- 1 medium clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce; see note)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- For the Stir-Fry:
- 1/4 pound Napa cabbage (about 4 leaves), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 pound baby bok choy, large ones halved and small ones left whole
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in cold water overnight or hot water for at least 2 hours; mushrooms squeezed of excess liquic and soaking water strained and reserved
- 1 bean curd stick, soaked in cold water overnight or hot water for at least 2 hours (see note)
- 4 tofu puffs (see note)
- 1 3/4 ounces bean thread noodle, soaked in cold water overnight or hot water for at least 2 hours (1 small pack; see note)
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- 5 ounces chai pow yu from 1 drained (10-ounce) can (Chinese braised gluten; see note)
- Kosher salt
- Cooked white rice, for serving
Directions
-
1.
For the sauce: In a bowl, add reserved mushroom liquid, garlic, sesame oil, kecap manis, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside.
-
2.
For the Stir-Fry: Bring a wok or pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add Napa cabbage and baby bok chop and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water until chilled. Pat dry with towels.
-
3.
Rinse rehydrated mushrooms under cold running water. Squeeze out excess water and slice thinly.
-
4.
Drain beak curd stick. Using scissors, cut rehydrated bean curd stick into 1-inch pieces; cut those pieces in half. Cut tofu puffs in half, then cut those halves on a diagonal to form small triangles.
-
5.
Drain rehydrated bean thread noodle and rinse under cold water. Using scissors, cut the bundle of noodles in half.
-
6.
In a wok or non-stick skillet, heat oil until lightly smoking. Add chai pow yu, mushrooms, tofu puffs, and bean curd stick. Season with salt and stir-fry until mushrooms are golden brown, about 4 minutes.
-
7.
Add Napa cabbage and baby bok choy and stir-fry until vegetables are tender, 1 to 2 minutes.
-
8.
Add bean thread noodles to the middle of the wok and cook, tossing and stirring, for 1 minute. Stir sauce and pour into wok. Cook, stirring to coat ingredients, until sauce thickens and the noodles and tofu puffs have absorbed some of it, about 3 minutes. Transfer to plate and serve immediately with rice alongside.
This Recipe Appears In
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