Name: Buddha’s Vegetarian Stew
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 40 g/1½ oz fresh root ginger, grated; 6 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste; 40 g/1½ oz dried cloud ear/wood ear mushrooms; 45 ml/3 tbsp vegetable oil; 30 ml/2 tbsp hoisin sauce; 15 ml/1 tbsp yellow bean sauce; 2 cubes preserved red beancurd, mashed until smooth; 20 ginkgo nuts (vacuum-packed or canned), drained; 200 g/7 oz pak choi/bok choy, cut into 45cm/2in lengths; 8 large dried shiitake mushrooms; 10 mangetouts/snow peas; 100 g/3¾ oz canned straw mushrooms, rinsed and drained; 5 ml/1 tsp salt; 5 ml/1 tsp sugar; 10 ml/2 tsp sesame oil; 20 canned lotus seeds, drained

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

China

By Terry Tan

Published 2020

About

This is one dish that is especially rife with Buddhist symbolism. It originally used 18 different ingredients, representing each one of the sage’s disciples. The noble name for it is 18 Lohan, this being the Sanskrit name of the Buddha. Most families in China will cook a modified version of this dish, as it is very time-consuming to stir up 18 ingredients; however, you should have no fewer than half a dozen if the food is going to taste any good. This is a truly glorious panful, a quintesse