Buddha’s Delight (Jai, Chinese Vegetable Stew)

Method14 steps · about 1 hr 5 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Place the 25 g dried lily flowers, 25 g dried shiitake mushrooms and 10 g dried wood-ear mushrooms in three separate bowls. Pour boiling water into each bowl to cover the ingredient by at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) and press it below the water. Soak for about 20 minutes, until soft throughout. Keep the lily-flower and shiitake liquids for the sauce.

   Dried ingredient soak · 20 minUses 25 g dried lily flowers (about 1/2 cup) · 25 g dried shiitake mushrooms (about 8 medium) · 10 g dried wood-ear mushrooms (about 2 tbsp) · Boiling water, enough to cover the dried flowers, mushrooms and noodles in separate bowls

2. 2

   Step 2: While the dried ingredients soak, wash and prepare the vegetables: chop the 4 green onions, slice the carrot (1), quarter the 4 heads of baby bok choy and chop the 230 g napa cabbage. Measure 1 tbsp minced ginger. Halve each of the 10 already fried tofu puffs. Drain and slice the cooked bamboo shoots (1/2 cup), then measure 1/2 cup. Keep these groups separate for their different cooking stages.

   Uses 4 green onions, chopped · 1 tbsp minced ginger · 1 carrot, sliced · 10 deep-fried tofu puffs, each halved · 4 heads baby bok choy, quartered · 230 g napa cabbage, chopped (about 4 cups) · 1/2 cup drained canned or fully cooked bamboo shoots, sliced

3. 3

   Step 3: Once the lily flowers are soft, lift them from their bowl and remove any tough stem ends. Cut very long flowers in half lengthwise if needed. Set the trimmed flowers aside. Measure and reserve 3/4 cup of their soaking liquid.

   Uses Rehydrated lily flowers and their soaking liquid

4. 4

   Step 4: Gently squeeze the softened shiitake mushrooms, halve them and set aside. Measure 1/4 cup of their soaking liquid and combine it with the reserved 3/4 cup lily-flower liquid, making the one cup of liquid needed for the sauce.

   Uses Rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and their soaking liquid · 3/4 cup reserved lily-flower soaking liquid

5. 5

   Step 5: Drain the rehydrated wood-ear mushrooms and cut them into small bite-size pieces.

   Uses Rehydrated wood-ear mushrooms

6. 6

   Step 6: Put the 40 g vermicelli in another bowl and cover with boiling water. Let it soften for about 3 to 5 minutes, or follow the selected noodles’ package directions, until flexible but still slightly firm. Drain and set aside.

   Vermicelli hot-water soak · 5 minUses 40 g dried mung-bean vermicelli, or the same quantity of another vermicelli · Boiling water, enough to cover the dried flowers, mushrooms and noodles in separate bowls

7. 7

   Step 7: Mix the 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp chosen oyster-style sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp sesame oil with the prepared one cup of combined lily-flower and shiitake soaking liquid. Set the sauce aside.

   Uses 2 tbsp light soy sauce · 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce, or regular oyster sauce · 1 tbsp dark soy sauce · 1 tsp sugar · 1/4 tsp salt · 1 tsp sesame oil · 1 cup combined reserved soaking liquid

8. 8

   Step 8: Mix the 1 tsp cornstarch with the separate 1 tbsp slurry water in a small bowl and set aside.

   Uses 1 tsp cornstarch · 1 tbsp water for the cornstarch slurry

9. 9

   Step 9: Heat the 2 tbsp chosen frying oil in a skillet at least 13 inches wide, or a large Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Once hot but not smoking, add the prepared ginger and green onions and stir briefly until fragrant.

   Uses 2 tbsp peanut oil, or vegetable oil · Prepared minced ginger and chopped green onions

10. 10

    Step 10: Add the sliced carrot, prepared trimmed lily flowers and prepared halved shiitake mushrooms to the fragrant aromatics. Stir-fry for 1 minute.

    First vegetable stir-fry · 1 minUses Fragrant aromatics in frying oil · Prepared sliced carrot · Trimmed rehydrated lily flowers · Halved rehydrated shiitake mushrooms

11. 11

    Step 11: Add the prepared cooked bamboo shoots and chopped rehydrated wood-ear mushrooms. Stir-fry for another 1 minute.

    Second vegetable stir-fry · 1 minUses First stir-fried vegetable and mushroom mixture · Prepared sliced cooked bamboo shoots · Prepared rehydrated wood-ear pieces

12. 12

    Step 12: Add the prepared tofu-puff halves and pour in all the mixed sauce. Add the prepared napa cabbage and bok choy. Cover and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, briefly uncovering to stir a few times so the vegetables cook in the sauce. Check that the vegetables are tender and cooked through.

    Covered vegetable stew · 5 minUses Stir-fried carrot, flowers, mushrooms and bamboo · Prepared tofu-puff halves, napa cabbage and bok choy · Mixed one-batch stew sauce

13. 13

    Step 13: Add the drained, soaked vermicelli to the hot vegetable stew. Stir gently so the noodles absorb some of the sauce and cook for another 30 seconds.

    Finish vermicelli in stew · 1 minUses Covered-cooked vegetable and tofu stew · Drained soaked vermicelli

14. 14

    Step 14: Stir the prepared cornstarch slurry again to disperse the settled starch, then pour it into the hot stew. Stir over the heat until the sauce thickens and coats the vegetables and noodles. Transfer the finished stew to a large platter and serve hot as a main dish for four.

    Uses Hot vegetable, tofu and noodle stew · Prepared cornstarch slurry