3 Delicious Recipes from ‘Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food’ Cookbook

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 3 inner stalks celery hearts, cut on the bias 1/4 inch thick
• 4 to 6 medium dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 2 to 3 hours 
• 1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
• 1/2 cup dried lily flowers, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
• 1/2 cup dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes and cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
• 1 cup sliced Chinese cabbage or baby bok choy
• 8 snow peas, trimmed and cut on the bias into 1/2-inch-wide pieces
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine, sherry or dry Marsala wine
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)

Preheat a wok over high heat until wisps of smoke rise from the surface. Swirl in the vegetable oil and heat for a few seconds until it starts to shimmer. Add all of the vegetables: bean sprouts, celery, shiitake mushrooms, carrot, dried lily flowers, wood ear mushrooms, Chinese cabbage or baby bok choy, and snow peas. Stir-fry for about 90 seconds and then add the soy sauce, water and Shaoxing wine. Stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the sesame oil and white pepper powder. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds more to combine. Turn off the heat. Taste for seasoning. If you think it needs a pinch of salt, add the kosher salt and stir to combine. Transfer to a serving dish.

©2021 by Hsiao-Ching Chou. Excerpted from Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food by permission of Sasquatch Books.