Braised Chinese Mushroom Beancurd Casserole

I first tasted this vegetarian dish while visiting a Daoist temple in China. The rich and flavourful mushrooms impart their smoky tang to the deep-fried beancurd, while the various spices and sauces add delightful dimensions. It is a typically vegetarian way to experience simple but memorable pleasures – and so easy to prepare. The ‘wok master’ in the temple handled his wok in a way that was poetry in action, but we can all prepare this dish. If you use water instead of stock, the dish is q