Best Buddhist Vegetable Noodles Recipes

BUDDHIST VEGETABLE NOODLES

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a preheated wok and stir-fry onion until translucent. Toss in garlic, ginger, and mushrooms and stir-fry for another minute. Add oyster sauce and 2 tablespoons soy sauce and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove wok contents to a bowl and set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in the hot wok and stir-fry cabbage, bell peppers, bamboo shoots, and carrot for 3 minutes. Toss in bean sprouts, sugar, ¼ cup reserved mushroom water, salt, and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add onion and mushroom mixture, rice wine, and sesame oil and stir to combine well.
• Cook noodles in plenty of water at a rolling boil for about a minute. Drain thoroughly, rinse under cold running water, and drain again. Toss noodles with remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and remaining 1 teaspoon peanut oil.
• To serve, place noodles on a large warmed serving platter, spoon vegetable mixture on top, and mix lightly. Garnish with green onions sprinkled over the top.

BUDDHA'S DELIGHT (JAI)

Steps:

• Soak Chinese mushrooms in about 1 1/2 cups hot water for at least 3 hours, overnight is best.
• Soak dried bean curd sticks, wood ears, and lily buds in warm water for at least 3 hours.
• Soak bean thread noodles and black moss for 10-15 minutes in warm water, making sure the noodles are completely submerged.
• Remove rehydrated Chinese mushrooms from water, reserving the mushroom liquid for cooking.
• Trim tough stems off mushrooms and cut caps in half or thick slices.
• Drain wood ears and cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Drain bean curd and cut into 1 1/2" lengths (roughly).
• Drain lily buds. Snip off tough tips with scissors or cut off with a knife and tie each lily bud into a knot.
• Cut napa cabbage into 1 1/2" pieces (roughly).
• Cut 2 stalks green onions into 2" lengths.
• Combine Chinese cooking wine, soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and reserved mushroom soaking liquid in a bowl or measuring cup.
• Heat a large pan, wok, or pot over medium-high heat.
• Add neutral-flavored oil to the pan.
• Add sliced ginger and green onions and quickly saute for about 30 seconds.
• Add Chinese mushrooms, bean curd, and wood ears. Mix.
• Add tofu puffs and lily buds. Mix.
• Add the sauce to the pan. Mix.
• Add napa cabbage and mix. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 4-5 minutes.
• Uncover and add drained bean thread noodles and black moss. Use two utensils to help mix the noodles thoroughly into the ingredients.
• Continue tossing and mixing until noodles are well coated in sauce and the sauce has mostly been absorbed.

BUDDHA'S DELIGHT

Steps:

• Soak mushrooms in 5 cups boiling-hot water in a bowl, keeping them submerged with a small plate and turning mushrooms over occasionally, until softened and cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid from caps back into bowl and reserve liquid, then cut out and discard stems from mushrooms. Cut caps into 1-inch wedges.
• While mushrooms soak, carefully break bean curd skins in half crosswise, then halve each portion crosswise again. Transfer to a bowl, then add enough boiling-hot water to cover and soak, turning occasionally, until softened, about 30 minutes.
• If using fresh bamboo, trim bottoms of shoots, then halve shoots lengthwise with a sharp heavy knife. Pull off and discard leaves from shoots, then remove any blemishes with a sharp paring knife (don't worry about natural dotted pattern along base of shoots).
• Cover fresh or frozen bamboo with cold water by 1 inch in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes, then drain in a colander and rinse under cold water. Repeat boiling and rinsing, then arrange bamboo halves, cut sides down, on a cutting board and cut bamboo lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• Soak noodles in cold water to cover until softened, about 5 minutes, then drain in colander and transfer to a bowl.
• Drain bean curd skins in colander. When cool enough to handle, squeeze dry and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces.
• Halve tofu lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
• Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, bean curd skins, bamboo, and ginkgo nuts and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, and sugar and simmer 1 minute. Add reserved mushroom-soaking liquid and bring to a boil. Gently stir in tofu and soybean sprouts, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Gently stir in noodles and simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Add romaine hearts (pot will be full) and turn to coat, then simmer, covered, until romaine is tender, about 5 minutes.