lo hon jai ( 罗汉斋 or Buddha's delight)
The flavors are simple yet the textures are exciting and unpredictable with each bite.
Lo Hon Jai (罗汉斋) is a traditional Chinese dish made with loads of plant ingredients, sauces, and seasonings, and is commonly served during the Chinese New Year. Traditionally, this dish contains 18 plant ingredients to represent the 18 Arhats of Buddhism. However, the recipe varies greatly across different families, cultures, and regions. My version here has dried bean curd, mung bean threads, carrots, wood ear mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms.
Other common ingredients include: baby corn, shiitake mushrooms, lily bulbs, tofu puffs, snow peas, the list goes on. The vast array of ingredients offer a whole variety of textures with each bite. The bean curds are smooth with a bite, wood ears crunchy, mushrooms soft, carrots give a snap, and mung bean threads a bounce.
Ingredients
3-4 sticks dried bean curd
50 g dried mung bean thread
avocado oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
6 oz fresh wood ear mushroom, rinsed & drained
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tsp white pepper powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
10 oz oyster mushrooms, pieces separated
Optional: 1 tsp chili crisp
1 tsp sesame oil
Directions
In a large bowl, soak dried bean curd in warm water for at least 5 hours. Drain, rinse, and drain again. Cut rehydrated sticks into 1.5 inch-long pieces. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, soak dried mung bean threads in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse, and drain again. Use kitchen shears to cut threads into 1 inch-long pieces. Set aside.
While mung bean threads soak, heat and oil a wok/skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onions. Saute until onions soften a bit. Add bean curd slices, carrots, and wood ear mushroom. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes and then mix in soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing wine, white pepper, and black pepper. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and then add in oyster mushrooms. If you prefer a bit of a kick to your dish, add 1 teaspoon of chili crisp here.
Stir-fry until carrots have softened. Add in mung bean threads and constantly stir to prevent threads from sticking to the bottom. You may add water 1 tablespoon at a time if threads stick to the bottom too much and have not cooked enough. When threads and vegetables have softened, stir in sesame oil before removing from heat. Serve hot.
