Buddha’s Delight
6 servings
In keeping with the Buddhist tradition of cleansing the body with only vegetables, Jai must be eaten on New Year's Day. The dish has been eaten in one form or another for hundreds of years. It contains 18 different ingredients, including dried black moss, dried bean curd and ginkgo nuts, but this simplified version is just as good and much easier to prepare.
- 2 tsp. dark sesame oil
- 1 ½ tsp. sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. ground white pepper
- 8 large dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 oz. dried bean thread noodles, broken into 4-inch pieces
- 1 ½ Tbs. vegetable oil
- 3 scallions (white and light green parts), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
- 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced on diagonal
- ½ cup canned sliced water chestnuts
- ½ cup canned bamboo shoots, julienned
- 15-oz. can baby corn, drained
- 8 oz. snow peas, strings removed
- 8 oz. Chinese (Napa) cabbage (¼ small head), cut into 2 x 1-inch pieces
- 8 oz. firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 Tbs. soy sauce
- ⅔ cup vegetable broth
at a glance
