Buddha's Delight is traditionally served on the first day of Chinese New Year, a practice stemming from an old Buddhist custom of spiritual cleansing. In fact, the recipe's Cantonese name is simplyjai, meaning "vegetarian food." Some ingredients, such as lily buds and bean thread noodles, may require a special trip to a Chinese market.
Ingredients
serves 4 as part of a multicourse meal
sauce
special equipment
Step 1
1. Soak the shiitake mushrooms and lily buds in a bowl of warm water for 15 to 20 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water. Discard the stems from the mushrooms and thinly slice the mushroom caps. (For extra mushroom flavor, reserve the soaking liquid and add it to the dish.) Slice the rough black ends off the lily buds and discard, cut the lily buds in half, and pull apart the strands.
Step 2
2. Rinse the bamboo shoots and thinly slice them. Trim and discard the hard ends from the snow peas and cut the snow peas lengthwise. Drain and finely chop the water chestnuts.
Step 3
3. In a large bowl, soak the bean thread noodles in enough warm water to cover for 10 minutes to soften them. Drain, shake off the excess water, and set aside.
Step 4
4. Drain and rinse the tofu, then pat dry with paper towels. Slice the tofu into 1-inch cubes.
Step 5
5. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the vegetable broth, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar. Set aside.
Step 6
6. Heat a wok, Dutch oven, or deep 14-inch skillet over medium heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add the peanut oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, lily buds, bamboo shoots, snow peas, water chestnuts, cabbage, and tofu. Add the sauce and the mushroom soaking liquid (if using) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the lid, add the drained bean thread noodles, re-cover the wok, and simmer for about another 5 minutes, or until the noodles are cooked. (Don't worry if the dish looks a little soupy; the noodles will absorb the remaining broth.) Ladle everything into a deep serving dish and serve hot.
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Reviews (2)
Back to TopThis was absolutely delicious. I added more everything: more vegetables, more tofu, more mushrooms, and it still wasn't enough. The recipe requires that all ingredients be prepped beforehand, which means there were quite a few dishes to wash. But I would definitely make it again for a special occasion or any night when I am not rushed to get dinner on the table.
ellenrls
Baltimore
9/23/2019
Made this as written, and would make again with some changes. The tofu needs to be marinated, more vegetables added and much less moisture added. Two cups of broth was far too much, and although the recipe does say that the noodles will absorb the broth the dish was still soupy after sitting for more than 10 minutes.
marmitage
Tsawwassen, BC
2/13/2013