Lo Han Jai, or Buddha's Delight–Revisited

I'm not trying to be cocky but...

Lo Han Jai or Buddha's Delight with Rice

It is the year of the Rooster that's rapidly approaching, so it's allowed. I'm going to highlight and revisit a recipe from last year's Chinese New Years, but with a few adjustments–one of which is to make it truly vegetarian.

Lo han jai, or just jai if you're a member of the Phan household, is commonly referred to as Buddha's Delight. I'm sharing a traditional recipe, where the ingredients may not be the easiest to source (hello, Amazon!), but is filled with rich earthy notes believed to bring you good luck in the upcoming New Year. And let's be honest, with the current state of affairs, we could all use some luck.

You'll find other variations of Buddha's Delight, which will often include common ingredients like snow peas, carrots, baby corn, etc., which isn't wrong and is often delicious, on various menus from Chinese restaurants. But if you're superstitious like any well raised Chinese person (thank you Mamma Li), you'll want to stick with the tried and true traditional, at least for the holidays.

RECAP

Lo han jai stems from the Buddhist belief that the body is best cleansed with a diet of vegetables. Jai is a general term to describe all vegetarian dishes, but for Chinese New Year's, typically the dish will contain dried shiitake mushroom (dong gu) and tree ear fungus (ha mok yi), representing longevity; dried oysters (ho see) representing good luck; black moss (fat choy) representing wealth and prosperity; bean curd sticks (foo juk) representing blessings for the home; and napa cabbage or lettuce representing spring. Not all have to be present (the below recipe is representative of what is typically had in my household)—it's really up to you and which fortunes you want to be #blessed with.

REVAMPED

Prep: 1 hour | Cook: 30 mins

INGREDIENTS (FOR 3)

  
    3 oz bean curd stick
    1 cup napa cabbage
    
    1 cup shiitake mushroom
        2 garlic cloves, minced
    
    1/4 cup daylily bud
      3 slices of ginger
  
    1/2 cup wood ear mushroom
    5 tbsp soy sauce
  
    1/2 cup mung bean noodles
    2 tsp cane sugar
  
    1 lotus root
    + oil for pan

PREPARE

1. Rehydrate bean curd, shiitake mushroom, daylily buds, and wood ear in warm water until softened. The rate at which they soften will vary, but typically all should be done within an hour.

2. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and throw in the mung bean noodles. They take about the same amount of time to cook as dry pasta—around 10 minutes.

3. Peel and chop the lotus root widthwise.

4. Chop napa cabbage.

5. Combine soy sauce and cane sugar, set aside.

COOK

1. Remove the rehydrated ingredients from the water.

2. Grab a large pan and toss in some oil. Add the minced garlic and ginger and wait for it to start sizzling.

3. Toss in the lotus root and stir for about 3 minutes.

4. Add the bean curd, shiitake mushroom, daylily buds, and napa cabbage. Stir for another couple of minutes, then toss in the mung bean noodles.

5. Stir in the soy sauce mixture until well combined with all of the vegetables.

EAT

Lo han jai is served best with a bowl of rice on the side. Enjoy!

*This recipe was featured on the Fluent City website