Prep Time: 10-15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: Resource from https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/04/buddhas-delight-chinese-vegetarian-stir-fry-recipe.html
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 below)
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 liquid 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
Kosher salt
Cooked white rice, for serving
Preparation:
For the sauce:
In a bowl, add reserved mushroom liquid, garlic, sesame oil, kecap manis, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside.
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.
Rinse re hydrated mushrooms under cold running water. Squeeze out excess water and slice thinly.
Drain bean curd stick. Using scissors, cut dehydrated 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.
Drain dehydrated bean thread noodle and rinse under cold water. Using scissors, cut the bundle of noodles in half.
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.
Add Napa cabbage and baby bok choy and stir-fry until vegetables are tender, 1 to 2 minutes.
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.
Note in regards to Kecap Manis: You can either buy Kecap Manis at an Asian grocery store or make it by combining 1 cup soy sauce in a pot with 1/2 cup brown sugar. Cook over medium heat until mixture has thickened (3 minutes) like syrup texture. It will thicken as it cools at room temperature. Keep in refrigerator.