Braised Bean Curd, Cloud Ear and Vegetables

Braised Bean Curd,
Cloud Ear and Vegetables

Serves 4

30 g/1 oz dried black fungus or 100g fresh fungus
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
or 100g fresh shiitake mushrooms
250 g/8oz pressed bean curd
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
250 g/8 oz sliced green beans or asparagus
150 g/5oz matchstick strips of carrot
1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Soak dried fungus and dried mushrooms in separate bowls of hot water for 30 minutes. Save soaking water after squeezing excess water from mushrooms. Discard mushroom stems and cut caps into slices. Trim any tough gritty portions off cloud ear fungus and cut into bite-sized pieces. Cut bean curd into small dice, drop into a pan of boiling water and simmer for a few minutes until bean curd is heated through. Drain in a colander.

Heat a wok, pour in the oil and fry garlic and ginger for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and stir-fry for a few minutes, then add soy sauce, sugar and 1 cup of the mushroom soaking liquid. Stir, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add prepared vegetables, cover and simmer a further 5 minutes. Add fungus and cook for a minute or two longer. Stir in cornflour mixed with a tablespoon of cold water. When sauce boils and thickens, add the sesame oil, toss through and serve at once with steamed rice.

Encyclopedia of Asian Food
By Charmaine Solomon
Periplus Editions
Hardback, $39.95
ISBN: 0-8048-1791-X
Recipe Reprinted by permission.