Crispy Noodles

Buddha's Delight, a.k.a. Luo Han Zhai! This is a classic dish with a ton of different variants - in this video, we wanted to teach you a bit about the history, the context of the dish within the overarching category of Chinese vegetarian food, as well as teach you a Cantonese restaurant version which's smothered over fried noodles.

INGREDIENTS

For the quick stock:

* Dried Shiitakes 15g
* Dried Kelp ~8g
* Water, 1L; plus the shiitake soaking liquid
Buddha's Delight Components:
* Snow fungus 5g
* Wood ear 5g
* Dried shiitake mushroom 20g
* Button mushrooms 60g
* Carrot, 60g
* Baby corn 60g
* Baby bok choy 60g
To fry:
* Ginger, ~1 inch, minced
* Liaojiu, a.k.a. Shaoxing wine 1 tbsp
* Quick stock from above, ~2 cups
* Oyster sauce or- vegetarian oyster sauce, 2 tbsp
* Sugar, 1/2 tsp
* Seasoning: salt, 1/4 tsp; MSG 1/8 tsp; white pepper powder 1/8 tsp
* Slurry of 1 tbsp cornstarch - or preferably potato or tapioca starch - mixed with 2 tbsp of the shiitake soaking liquid
* Toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp
For the noodles:
* Dried noodles, 60g
* Oil for frying, ~1.5 cups (for a round bottomed wok, you will likely need a good bit more if using a pot)

PROCESS:

*For the quick 'stock':*

1. Soak the shiitake mushrooms and the kelp in cool water, in the fridge overnight (for reference, the kelp actually only needs 30 minutes, but longer is no problem).
2. Thoroughly rinse the kelp, and give the mushrooms a quick rinse as well. Add the mushrooms, kelp, the mushroom soaking liquid, and the water to a pot. Get up to a boil then down to a simmer, quickly skim, and cook at a heavy simmer - covered - for 30 minutes.
3. Strain, reserve.

*For the Buddha's Delight:*

1. Soak the snow fungus, wood ear, and shiitake in the fridge overnight.
2. Squeeze and rinse the shiitake, reserving the soaking liquid, and cut into 1/2 cm sheets. Slice off the hard 'root' of the snow fungus, and cut into ~8 pieces. Slice off the hard 'root' of the wood ear, and cut each ear into 2-3 pieces. Slice the button mushrooms into 1/2 cm sheets. Slice the carrot into 3mm sheets. Slice the corn into ~1cm sections along a biased wedge. Chop the bok choy into ~1.5 inch sections.
3. Blanch the ingredients: 30 seconds for bok choy, 1 minute for the carrot and corn, 1 minute for button mushrooms, 2 minutes for snow fungus and wood ear.
4. Add about 2 tbsp of peanut oil to a pot, and fry the ginger over a medium low flame. Once fragrant, ~30 seconds, add in the shiitake mushrooms and the button mushrooms. Up the flame to high. Stir fry for ~1 minute, the swirl in the wine. Add in the snow fungus and the wood ear, and ~30 second fry. Add in the stock, the oyster sauce, and the sugar. Get up to a boil and down to a simmer, and let that simmer - covered - for 15 minutes.
5. Add in the carrot and the corn. Simmer for ~5 minutes, covered.
6. Add in the bok choy and the seasoning and mix. Over a medium low flame, add in the slurry bit by bit, until it's reached a thickness that's *just* before a spoon coating consistency. Drizzle in the sesame oil, out.

TO FRY THE NOODLES:

1. Boil your noodles until they're done. To cool them down, transfer to a strainer and pull/jostle the noodles until they're no longer hot to the touch. Arrange the noodles in a 'cake' on a plate.
2. Heat up your oil until it hit ~180C. Slide in the noodles, and fry each side for ~2 minutes, or until good and golden brown.