VEGETARIAN STIR-FRIES (con't)

Why not try the following instead of meat in your stir fry?

Other Oriental Ingredients 

These ingredients are available from Chinese supermarkets. They can be used on its own with vegetables in a stir fry but a mix of these ingredients works well in terms of giving the dish an interesting range of texture and visual.

Recommended Zesame stir fry sauce for oriental ingredients: Go well with Sweet & Sour with Pineapple, Szechuan Hot, Soya Chow Mein with Toasted Sesame and Sweet Ginger with Blackbean.

Dried Bean Curd "Stick"

Bean curd stick, like tofu, is made from soybeans and has a "beany" flavour. However, its texture is tougher than tofu and does not break easily and therefore easier to stir fry than tofu. 

To prepare bean curd: Soak in hot water for approx. 30 minutes to hydrate bean curd, drain off water, cut into 3-4cm pieces. 80g dried bean curd will give approx. 180g hydrated bean curd and will serve 2 people. Add the bean curd to the stir fry about 1 minute before the end of cooking, after the vegetables are nearly cooked.

Dried Shiitake / Chinese Mushroom 

Shiitake mushroom has a natural "meaty" flavour and enhances the flavour of a dish. Try to buy Shiitake with thicker "flesh" as they tend to be more flavoursome

*To prepare shiitake mushroom: Soak in hot water for approx. 30 minutes, drain off water, cut off stalk and slice mushroom into thin slices. 30g dried shiitake mushroom will give approx. 60g hydrated mushroom

Edamame / Soy Bean 

Available in tins or frozen. The frozen edamame comes with the pod, which needs to be removed. Tinned edamamne is available from most wholefood stores and the frozen ones are stocked by the larger Chinese supermarkets.

Recommended Zesame stir fry sauce for Edamame: Soya Chow Mein with Toasted Sesame, Sweet & Sour with Pineapple, Sweet Ginger with Blackbean and Lemon & Ginger.

Wood Ear Fungus

Wood Ear fungus is available from Chinese supermarkets in the dried form. It is normally used in dishes for its interesting crunchy texture as it does not have much taste. 

It was said that Wood Ear fungus was first used in Chinese cooking over 2000 years.

To prepare Wood Ear fungus: 
Soak in warm water for 30 minutes, drain off water, wash and rinse with warm water several times. 6g dried Wood Ear fungus will give approx. 50g hydrated Wood Ear fungus.

Cloud Ear Fungus

Cloud Ear fungus is another type of fungus used in Chinese cooking. Compared to Wood Ear, Cloud Ear is smaller and has a less crunchy texture.

Snow Fungus

Snow fungus or White Wood Ear fungus can be used used both in savoury and sweet Chinese dishes. 

Wood Ear fungus

Dried Wood Ear fungus

Stir-fry Cloud Ear fungus

Snow fungus

Buddha's Vegetarian Dish

The legendary "Louhanzhai" (Buddha's vegetarian dish) has 18 vegetarian ingredients, including 3 mushrooms, 6 fungi, bean curds, gluten and other vegetables. However, the spirit of Chinese Buddhism being "take things as they come", the ingredients used tend to depend on what people have on hand, typically around 5-8 ingredients. 
This photo shows a Louhanzhai with Chinese mushroom, button mushroom, Wood Ear fungus, pre-fried bean curd, bean curd stick, bamboo shoot, lotus root, edamame and carrot.

Vegetarian stir-fries

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