Buddha's Delight!

Buddha's delight (as cold salad)
Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"The Shun Lee Cookbook," by Michael Tong (William Morrow, 2007)
Photo courtesy of bn.com

In 1965, Michael Tong and Tsung Ting Wang revolutionized Chinese food in America, re-introducing it as haute cuisine. Their restaurant, Shun Lee Dynasty, moved the menu beyond egg foo young and went on to earn multiple four-star ratings. Unfortunately, traditional Chinese banquet food means "big meat and big fish," and there are only a handful of vegetarian-friendly recipes in this book. Introductions to special techniques and uniquely Chinese materials, however, are useful for everyone. -- Evelyn Shih
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Buddha's delight (as cold salad)

* 1 cup baby bok choy or bok choy hearts
* 1/3 cup bean sprouts, brown tips removed
* 4 slices peeled lotus root, cut crosswise to ¼ inch thickness
* ¼ cup canned gingko nuts, drained
* 1 cup trimmed sugar snap peas
* ¼ cup dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked in hot tap water until softened, drained, and torn in half
* ¼ cup canned straw mushrooms, drained
* ¼ cup dried lily buds, soaked in hot tap water until softened, drained
* 1/3 cup sliced water chestnuts
* ¼ of a small red bell pepper, seeds and ribs discarded, cut into strips about 1½ inches long and ¼ inch wide
* 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
* 2 scallions, white part only, trimmed and sliced diagonally into ¼ inch pieces
* 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced ޠinch thick
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1 tablespoon Chinese black or balsamic vinegar

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the bok choy and cook for 10 seconds. Then add the bean sprouts and lotus root, and cook for 5 seconds. Add the gingko nuts, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, dried lily buds, water chestnuts, and bell pepper. Return to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Drain in a colander. Run cold water over the vegetables for 3 minutes. Place the colander on a plate or bowl to catch the excess water, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the sesame oil, then the scallions and garlic, and stir-fry just until the garlic is fragrant without turning brown, about 10 seconds. Transfer to a small bowl.

Place the chilled vegetables in a serving bowl. Add the sesame oil mixture to the vegetables. Combine the soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and pour over the vegetables. Toss well, and serve immediately.

Servings: 4 to 6.

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