Buddha’s Delight (Jai, Chinese Vegetarian Stew)
An epic vegetable stew that features colorful vegetables, tender vermicelli noodles and fried tofu braised to perfection in a savory earthy sauce. Whether you’re making this as the centerpiece of your dinner party or Chinese New Year celebration, or you simply want something hearty and healthy for dinner, this is the dish for you! {Vegan, Gluten-Free Adaptable}
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Dried ingredients
- 25 g (1/2 cup) dried lily flowers
- 25 g (8 medium) dried shiitake mushrooms
- 10 g (2 tablespoons) dried wood ear mushrooms
- 40 g (1 small bundle) mung bean vermicelli noodles (yield about 1 cup once rehydrated), or other types of vermicelli noodles
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce (or regular oyster sauce)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup soaking water from the lily flower and mushroom (*Footnote 2)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Slurry
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Stir fry
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 4 green onion , chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 carrot , sliced
- 10 pieces deep fried tofu puffs , halved
- 4 heads baby bok choy , quartered
- 230 g (4 cups) napa cabbage , chopped
- 1/2 cup bamboo shoots , sliced
Instructions
Soak the dried ingredients
- Prepare the dried lily flowers, shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms: Place each ingredient in a separate medium-sized bowl and pour boiling water on top to cover by at least 1” (2.5 cm). Press the ingredients down to submerge into the water. Rehydrate for 20 minutes, until they turn soft throughout.
- After the lily flowers turn soft, remove the tough ends if needed (*Footnote 1). If the lily flowers are very long, cut them in half lengthwise. Drain and set aside. Measure out 3/4 cup of the soaking water for later use.
- For the shiitake mushrooms, gently squeeze the water from the mushrooms, then slice into halves. Measure out 1/4 cup of the soaking water and pour into the same bowl with the lily flower rehydrating water.
- For the wood ear, mushrooms, once rehydrated, cut into small bite-sized pieces.
- Place the vermicelli noodles in a medium-sized bowl and add boiling water to cover. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes (or according to the package instructions), until the noodles turn al-dente. Drain and set aside.
Mix the sauce
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, stir to mix well and set aside.
Mix the slurry
- Mix the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
To cook the stir fry
- Heat the oil in a large skillet (at least 13 inches) or a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. When oil turns hot but not smoking hot, add ginger and green onion. Stir a few times until fragrant.
- Add the carrot, lily flowers, and dried shiitake mushrooms. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Add bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Add fried tofu and pour in the sauce. Add the napa cabbage and bok choy. Cover and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through. Uncover and stir in between, to mix the vegetables with the sauce.
- Add bean thread noodles and let them soak in the liquid. Stir and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir the cornstarch slurry again to dissolve completely and pour into the pan. Stir until the sauce thickens. Transfer everything to a large platter. Serve hot as a main dish.
Notes
- Feel the stem end of each lily flower with your fingers. Sometimes the flowers are picked with a small stem section attached to the flower and it can be quite tough to chew on. You should cut off any tough bits with a knife.
- Use 3/4 cup lily flower soaking water and 1/4 cup shiitake mushroom soaking water. The mushroom soaking water is very strong so I prefer not to use too much. If you only have lily flowers, then use 1 cup lily flower soaking water. If you do not have dried ingredients, use 1 cup vegetable stock instead.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 212kcal, Carbohydrates: 22.6g, Protein: 9.8g, Fat: 10.5g, Saturated Fat: 1.8g, Sodium: 726mg, Potassium: 699mg, Fiber: 4.1g, Sugar: 5.3g, Calcium: 255mg, Iron: 3mg