Kitchen Passport
4 eating
Photograph of the finished Buddha's delight

China · Món chay ninh chao đỏ váng đậu

Buddha's delight

1 hr Hands-on time + 2 hr soaking or marinating first
MediumDifficulty
5 stepsSteps

Method

  1. 1 Soak tofu skin, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and lotus seeds separately for 2 hours; soaking tofu skin with mushrooms will cause it to turn brown.
  2. 2 Mash the red fermented bean curd with 2 tablespoons of mushroom soaking water to make a smooth sauce; the red fermented bean curd is the base flavor of this stew, replacing oyster sauce.
  3. 3 Sauté the ginger, then add the fermented bean paste and stir-fry for 90 seconds until fragrant.
  4. 4 Add lotus root, radish, mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and lotus seeds along with 400 ml of mushroom soaking water, and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
  5. 5 Add the tofu skin during the last 10 minutes to prevent it from breaking apart, drizzle with sesame oil, then turn off the heat.

With an appliance

  • Pressure cooker 40 min

    Replace step 4: simmer lotus root, radish, mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and lotus seeds under high pressure for 10 minutes, then release pressure naturally for 10 minutes; the tofu skin in step 5 should still be cooked with the lid open for 10 minutes to prevent it from breaking apart.