Buddha's Delight ( Loh Hon Jai) ~ 罗汉斋

Buddha's delight or 'Loh Hon Jai' is a popular vegetarian dish in the Chinese and Buddhist cuisine.  Basically it's a dish of mixed vegetables and fungi.  It's a tradition to serve this dish on the first day of Chinese New Year and it's all personal preference what vegetables you would like to use for this dish.  My family loves this dish because it's not too oily and there's a variety of ingredients all lumped into one.

 

Buddha's Delight ( Loh Hon Chai)  ~  罗汉斋 

Ingredients

• 500 gm cabbage
• 1/2 medium carrot, sliced
• 1 green capsicum, cut into wedges
• 40 gm glass noodles
• 8 gm cloud ears
• 50 gm fried beancurd skin
• 6 mushrooms
• 6 beancurd puffs, cut
• 1 piece ginger, smashed
• 1.1/2 pieces of nam yue (preserved red beancurd)
• 2 Tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• Sugar, salt to taste
• Sesame oil
• Cornstarch mixture to thicken

Method

1. Soak the glass noodles in water to soften, but not too long.  If too soft, it will be lumpy when cooked.
2. Soak the cloud ears to soften, discard the hard parts.
3. Soak the mushrooms to soften, stem and cut into halves.
4. In a wok, saute the ginger with some oil.  Add in the mushrooms, shallow fry and add in the cabbage followed by the cloud ears. 
5. Mix the nam yue and vegetarian oyster sauce into a paste and add into the vegetables.  Add in salt, sugar and light soy sauce.  Add in water.  Close the lid and let it simmer for about 20 mins.
6. Toss in the carrot and green capsicum followed by the glass noodles, beancurd puffs.  Test for taste.  Toss in the fried beancurd skin.  Mix well.
7. Add in some cornstarch thickening and drizzle on some sesame oil.
8. Dish out to serve.

Wishing everyone a Happy, Joyous & Peaceful Lunar New Year

Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!