Buddha's delight is a classic Chinese vegetarian dish often served during festivals and special occasions. It is a medley of various vegetables, tofu, and mushrooms simmered together in a savory and flavorful sauce. The dish is typically served with rice or noodles and is not only visually appealing but also carries significant cultural and symbolic meaning in Chinese cuisine. Exploring the best recipe for cooking "Buddha's delight" can be an enriching culinary journey, allowing you to discover the diverse flavors and textures that come together to create this delectable plant-based dish.
Here are our top 7 tried and tested recipes!
BUDDHA'S DELIGHT (VEGETARIAN LO HAN JAI)
Buddha's delight, or lo han jai, is a vegetarian dish well-known in Chinese and Buddhist cuisine. Use our family recipe for an authentic take on this dish.
Provided by Bill
Categories Fish and Seafood
Time 1h15m
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Heat your wok over medium-high heat, and add the oil and ginger. Let the ginger caramelize for about 30 seconds without letting it burn. Add the red fermented bean curd and break it up with your spatula. Add the garlic, the white portions of the leeks (reserve to green portion for later), mushrooms, wood ears, and lily flowers. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add the Shaoxing wine and stir fry for another minute.
- Next, add the napa cabbage, fried tofu, and bean threads, and crank up the heat as high as it will go. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the remaining green portion of the leeks, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar and water or vegetable stock. Stir everything together, cover the wok, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover the wok and turn the heat back up to high. Add the mung bean noodles, which should soak up most of the liquid. Keep stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a large bowl and serve with steamed rice!
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.
CHINESE BUDDHA'S DELIGHT
I always order this dish when we go to Chinese restaurants, so I was so excited to find this recipe in the Jan. 2005 issue of Cooking Light! This is the recipe, with a few of my variations. If you're craving tons of spice, this isn't for you; however, its subtle, healthy flavor is something I quite enjoy. Cook time includes marinating time. (NUTRITION PER SERVING CALORIES 378(28% from fat); FAT 11.6g (sat 1.6g,mono 4.7g,poly 4.7g); PROTEIN 15.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 129mg; SODIUM 698mg; FIBER 9.3g; IRON 4.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 55.9g)
Provided by hannahactually
Categories Corn
Time 1h25m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- Combine first 5 ingredients, tossing to coat.
- Cover and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour.
- Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving marinade.
- Cook broccoli florets, carrot, and broccoli stems in boiling water 1 1/2 minutes.
- Drain these vegetables.
- Plunge into ice water.
- Drain.
- Heat canola oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add tofu.
- Stir-fry 5 minutes or until lightly browned on all sides.
- Stir in onions, ginger, and garlic.
- Stir-fry 30 seconds.
- Stir in broccoli mixture, snow peas, corn, and water chestnuts.
- Stir-fry 1 minute.
- Combine broth and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk.
- Add cornstarch mixture, reserved marinade, and salt to pan.
- Bring to a boil.
- Cook 2 1/2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly.
- Serve over brown rice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 403.7, Fat 12, SaturatedFat 1.6, Sodium 559.8, Carbohydrate 65.4, Fiber 7.9, Sugar 6.9, Protein 14.7
BUDDHA'S DELIGHT (LO HAN JAI 罗汉斋)
This recipe is the secret family recipe of our family, the Buddha's delight. This recipe has passed down from my mother in law who has been cooking this dish during every Chinese New Year for the past six decades.
Provided by KP Kwan
Categories Recipes
Time 30m
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Tie a knot for each dried lily flowers, for better presentation.
- Soak the dry ingredients until they turn soft and fully hydrated.
- Cut the bean curd sheet into smaller pieces. Deep-fried briefly (about 15-20 seconds), remove and drain.
- Cut the carrots and bamboo shoots into thin slices.
- Cut the soaked wood ear fungus into the size similar to the carrots.
- Remove the stem of the Shiitake mushrooms. Cut into two for the smaller one, and slice into three or four for the bigger one.
- Keep the water after soaking the mushrooms. Use it as part of the Braised liquid since it is full of flavor.
- Cut the cabbage into large pieces.
- Ladle two tablespoons of vegetable oil into the wok. Stir fry the cabbage until it starts to turn soft.
- Add the Shiitake mushroom, lily flowers, wood ear fungus, black moss, carrots, the fermented bean curd, sugar, the mushroom water, and some additional water. Braise for two minutes.
- Break the deep-fried bean curd into smaller pieces. Lay on top of the other ingredients.
- Add the mung bean vermicelli on top of the bean curd pieces. Braise with the lid on for five minutes or until the bean curd pieces are soft. Add some water if necessary.
- Add the bamboo shoots, button mushrooms, and baby sweet corns.
- Braise until the vegetables are soft, and the sauce thickens. Serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 392 calories, Carbohydrate 66 grams carbohydrates, Cholesterol 0 milligrams cholesterol, Fat 9 grams fat, Fiber 9 grams fiber, Protein 18 grams protein, SaturatedFat 1 grams saturated fat, ServingSize 1, Sodium 2622 milligrams sodium, Sugar 25 grams sugar, TransFat 0 grams trans fat, UnsaturatedFat 7 grams unsaturated fat
BUDDHA'S DELIGHT
Provided by Diana Kuan
Categories Wok Soy Stir-Fry Vegetarian Dinner Lunar New Year Tofu Advance Prep Required Vegan Pescatarian Kosher
Yield serves 4 as part of a multicourse meal
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- 1. Soak the shiitake mushrooms and lily buds in a bowl of warm water for 15 to 20 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water. Discard the stems from the mushrooms and thinly slice the mushroom caps. (For extra mushroom flavor, reserve the soaking liquid and add it to the dish.) Slice the rough black ends off the lily buds and discard, cut the lily buds in half, and pull apart the strands.
- 2. Rinse the bamboo shoots and thinly slice them. Trim and discard the hard ends from the snow peas and cut the snow peas lengthwise. Drain and finely chop the water chestnuts.
- 3. In a large bowl, soak the bean thread noodles in enough warm water to cover for 10 minutes to soften them. Drain, shake off the excess water, and set aside.
- 4. Drain and rinse the tofu, then pat dry with paper towels. Slice the tofu into 1-inch cubes.
- 5. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the vegetable broth, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar. Set aside.
- 6. Heat a wok, Dutch oven, or deep 14-inch skillet over medium heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add the peanut oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, lily buds, bamboo shoots, snow peas, water chestnuts, cabbage, and tofu. Add the sauce and the mushroom soaking liquid (if using) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the lid, add the drained bean thread noodles, re-cover the wok, and simmer for about another 5 minutes, or until the noodles are cooked. (Don't worry if the dish looks a little soupy; the noodles will absorb the remaining broth.) Ladle everything into a deep serving dish and serve hot.
BUDDHA'S DELIGHT
A buddhist vegetarian dish eaten on the first day of the Chinese New Year. It traditionally contains 18 ingredients that are considered auspicious. The servings are as part of a Chinese banquet for 6-8 people. If you are making just this I have no idea how many people it would feed! Some info about the more Asian ingredients: Dried lily buds aka golden needles. They are the dried flower of the day lily. soak before using. Dried black fungus aka wood ear fungus or cloud ear fungus Tofu puffs = golden squares of fried tofu found in the refrigerator section.
Provided by Missy Wombat
Categories Vegetable
Time 35m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Place the lily buds, black fungus, Shiitake mushrooms and tofu in separate bowls. cover each with boiling water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain the bowls and squeeze the excess water from the tofu. Cut the fungus into bite-sized pieces and halve the shiitake.
- Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry carrot, celery and ginger for 30 seconds. Add soaked ingredients, remining ingredients and 1/4 cups water. Mix well. cover with a lid and cook for 3 minutes or until heated through. Serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 89.9, Fat 6, SaturatedFat 0.8, Sodium 345.1, Carbohydrate 7.9, Fiber 1.4, Sugar 2.7, Protein 2.6
BUDDHA'S DELIGHT VEGAN STIR-FRY
Buddha's Delight or Lo Han Jai is the ultimate vegan stir-fry with delicate flavors and wholesome goodness! Serve with rice.
Provided by VeggieCravings
Categories Main Dish Recipes Stir-Fry
Time 44m
Yield 3
Number Of Ingredients 25
Steps:
- Mix water, fermented tofu blocks, oyster sauce, mushroom seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cornstarch, sesame oil, white sugar, and pepper together in a bowl until fermented tofu has dissolved.
- Cook vegetable oil and ginger in a skillet over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add tofu, lotus root, ginkgo nuts, lily flowers, red dates, shiitake mushrooms, and carrot. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add cabbage, snow peas, black fungus, noodles, goji berries, and salt. Cook for another 3 minutes. Add moss and fermented tofu mixture; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 542.3 calories, Carbohydrate 98.6 g, Cholesterol 0.1 mg, Fat 14.5 g, Fiber 11 g, Protein 13.4 g, SaturatedFat 2.2 g, Sodium 1321.1 mg, Sugar 52.4 g
Tips:
- Mise en place: Before you start cooking, make sure you have all your ingredients and equipment ready. This will help you stay organized and efficient in the kitchen.
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients: The better the quality of your ingredients, the better your dish will taste. If you can, buy organic or locally-sourced produce.
- Don't be afraid to experiment: There are many different ways to make Buddha's Delight. Feel free to add or substitute ingredients to suit your own taste.
- Make it a meal: Buddha's Delight can be served as a main course or a side dish. If you're serving it as a main course, pair it with rice, noodles, or quinoa.
- Enjoy leftovers: Buddha's Delight is even better the next day! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Conclusion:
Buddha's Delight is a delicious and healthy dish that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It's a great way to get your daily dose of vegetables and protein. Plus, it's easy to make and can be tailored to your own taste. So next time you're looking for a healthy and satisfying meal, give Buddha's Delight a try!
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