Traditionally consumed by Buddhist monks, Buddha’s delight (Lo Han Jai) is now popular around the world as a healthy vegetarian Chinese restaurant option. The dish is also a staple on the first day of Lunar New Year—for lunch or as a side dish for the dinner feast—and is seen as providing a purifying and cleansing start to the new year. In our version, we chose vegetables with texture and flavor in mind, resulting in a pleasant combination of crunchy, tender and crisp elements. (We also included garlic and ginger, which may not align with a strictly Buddhist diet.) Feel free to mix and match with other vegetables, such as bamboo shoots, lotus root, bean sprouts or carrots–to name a few.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 ounces dried bean curd sticks, broken into 2-inch pieces
- 2/3 cup dried wood ear mushrooms (2 ounces)
- 12 medium dried shiitake mushrooms (2 ounces)
- Two 3-ounces packages cellophane noodles (also called bean thread vermicelli)
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oyster sauce (or use vegetarian oyster sauce if you prefer)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 ounces red fermented bean curd (hong fu yu; about 3 pieces)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable, canola or peanut oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 medium head napa cabbage (about 1 1/2 pounds), core discarded, cut into 1-inch pieces, leafy parts and thick stems separated
- 4 ounces snow peas or sugar snap peas, stemmed and strings removed
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Soak the bean curd sticks and wood ear mushrooms in a large bowl of hot water at room temperature until the bean curd sticks are just hydrated, about 1 hour. Drain and rinse under cold water, then drain again. Cut off the tough stems from the wood ear mushrooms and discard; cut the mushrooms into bite-size pieces. Set aside with the bean curd sticks.
- Soak the shiitake mushrooms in a medium bowl of hot water at room temperature until rehydrated, about 1 hour. Remove the shiitakes from the soaking liquid, then pour the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a measuring cup and add enough cold water if needed until it measures 2/3 cup. Cut off and discard the stems of the shiitake mushrooms, then slice the mushrooms into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.
- Soak the cellophane noodles in a separate medium bowl with warm water until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain the noodles and set aside.
- Mix the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, dark soy sauce, white pepper, 1 tablespoon of the Shaoxing wine and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Smash the red fermented bean curd into a paste in a separate small bowl. Set aside.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Blanch the wood ear mushrooms and bean curd sticks until the bean curd sticks are softened, about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Heat a wok over medium heat until it starts to smoke, about 2 minutes. Add the vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Stir-fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the red fermented bean curd (set aside the bowl for later use) and stir-fry until broken down further and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the shiitake mushrooms and napa cabbage stems and cook until the cabbage starts to soften and the red of the bean curd darkens, about 2 minutes.
- Deglaze with the remaining tablespoon Shaoxing, then add most of the reserved 2/3 cup mushroom-soaking liquid (hold back a couple tablespoons) and bring to a boil, covered, over high heat. Once boiling, add the wood ear mushrooms and bean curd sticks, cover and cook over high heat until the cabbage stems are just tender, about 4 minutes.
- Add the reserved sauce, then stir some of the remaining mushroom-soaking liquid into the sauce bowl and the rest into the reserved red fermented bean curd bowl to dissolve any remaining sauce or bean curd, then add to the wok and stir until combined. Taste the liquid for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Shift the vegetables up the wok and add the cellophane noodles and cabbage leaves. Stir to submerge the noodles and cook, covered, until the noodles are softened, about 2 minutes.
- Uncover and toss the noodles to evenly coat in the sauce. Add the snow peas and toss so they are distributed under the hot vegetables to cook slightly. Drizzle over the toasted sesame oil and toss until combined.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 353 |
| Total Fat | 10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 59 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 919 mg |