Buddha's Delight (Jai)
A traditional dish that is usually served at Chinese New Year family reunion meals, Buddha's Delight is a delicious vegetarian dish full of flavor and textures. It is typically served as one of many dishes at a Chinese New Year meal, but it is hearty enough to eat with some rice or completely on its own!
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 small bundles bean thread noodles
- 10 grams black moss (fat choy)
- 1/4 cup dried wood ears
- 5 medium sized dried Chinese mushrooms
- 2 dried bean curd sticks
- Handful dried lily buds
- 6-8 tofu (soy) puffs (halved)
- 2-3 cups chopped napa cabbage
- 3-5 slices peeled ginger
- 2 stalks green onions
- 2 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil
- 2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce ((use regular if not strictly vegetarian))
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup water, (from soaking the dried mushrooms)
- Sliced lotus root
- Bok choy
- Baby corn
- Celery
- Carrots
- Snow peas
- Bamboo shoots
- Water chestnuts
Instructions
- 1
Soak Chinese mushrooms in about 1 1/2 cups hot water for at least 3 hours, overnight is best.
- 2
Soak dried bean curd sticks, wood ears, and lily buds in warm water for at least 3 hours.
- 3
Soak bean thread noodles and black moss for 10-15 minutes in warm water, making sure the noodles are completely submerged.
- 4
Remove rehydrated Chinese mushrooms from water, reserving the mushroom liquid for cooking.
- 5
Trim tough stems off mushrooms and cut caps in half or thick slices.
- 6
Drain wood ears and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- 7
Drain bean curd and cut into 1 1/2" lengths (roughly).
- 8
Drain lily buds. Snip off tough tips with scissors or cut off with a knife and tie each lily bud into a knot.
- 9
Cut napa cabbage into 1 1/2" pieces (roughly).
- 10
Cut 2 stalks green onions into 2" lengths.
- 11
Combine Chinese cooking wine, soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and reserved mushroom soaking liquid in a bowl or measuring cup.
- 12
Heat a large pan, wok, or pot over medium-high heat.
- 13
Add neutral-flavored oil to the pan.
- 14
Add sliced ginger and green onions and quickly saute for about 30 seconds.
- 15
Add Chinese mushrooms, bean curd, and wood ears. Mix.
- 16
Add tofu puffs and lily buds. Mix.
- 17
Add the sauce to the pan. Mix.
- 18
Add napa cabbage and mix. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- 19
Uncover and add drained bean thread noodles and black moss. Use two utensils to help mix the noodles thoroughly into the ingredients.
- 20
Continue tossing and mixing until noodles are well coated in sauce and the sauce has mostly been absorbed.