Lo hon zai (Buddha's delight)

Buddha’s delight is one of Jen Kwok Lee's favourite vegetarian, plant-based go-tos to whip up. Quick to execute, it utilises nan ru (red fermented soy curd) as the base of the dish as it adds so much complex flavour and savoury umami richness.

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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Ingredients

• 40 g dried mung bean vermicelli noodles
• 250 g wombok, roughly chopped
• 100 g fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 120 g carrot, cut into half-moons
• 4 baby corn
• 40 g fresh wood ear fungus, halved
• 60 g sugar snap peas, deveined, halved on an angle
• 2 tbsp (40 ml) vegetable oil
• 40 g dried bean curd sticks (fu zhu)
• 60 g young ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 pieces nan yu (red fermented soy curd) + 10 g juice from the jar
• Light soy sauce, sugar, to season
• Sesame oil, to serve

Instructions

1. Place the vermicelli into a large bowl and cover with lukewarm water. Allow to soak for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large wok (or saucepan) of water to the boil. Boil the wombok stems for 1 minute, followed by the mushrooms, carrot, corn and wood ear fungus. Cook for a further minute, then add the wombok tops and cook for 10 seconds more, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to a colander.
3. Return the water to the heat, then blanch the sugar snap peas for 1 minute, then remove to a separate small bowl.
4. Drain the wok (or saucepan) of water, then return to the heat with half the vegetable oil. Add the sugar snap peas and stir-fry until lightly charred. Remove to the same small bowl. Fry the bean curd stick until it puffs up, then remove from the pan and set aside.
5. Return the pan to the heat with the remaining oil. Add the ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add the fermented soybean curd to the pan with the juice from the jar and break up with a wok cham or wooden spoon – the idea is you don’t see any large chunks left in the remaining dish. Cook until fragrant, then return the blanched vegetables (except the sugar snap peas, bean curd and mung bean noodles) to the pan and toss lightly to combine.
6. Preheat a medium ceramic pan or dish, then add the seasoned vegetables. Cover with water and season with soy sauce and sugar to your taste. Cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the bean curd and mung bean noodles. Simmer for a further 5 minutes. Stir through the sugar snap peas and a drizzle of sesame oil and remove from the heat. Serve.

Note

Instead of a ceramic saucepan, you can use a donabe – a traditional earthenware pot, for the most authentic experience in making this dish!

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.