“Jai” (Mixed Vegetables in fermented red beancurd)

My mum get requests from us to make this vegetarian dish rather often because we love the taste and find that even if we eat a lot, we don’t feel “Lau” (stuffed). Moreover it is a one dish meal that is very quick and simple to cook.  A bowl of fragrance white rice topped up with “Jai” and soaked in the gravy is all we need for a satisfying meal. As for me, I prefer to eat it with lots of chilli padi (birds chilli) in soy sauce.

Although we eat this quite often, we never get tired of it. In fact, on the first day of each Chinese New Year, my mum will cook a huge pot of “Jai” to serve family and friends who come visit us. They all love it and I have yet to see any of them to stop at one bowl. That’s the reason why a HUGE pot is necessary. Do not worry about left overs because this dish taste better as it aged.

Ingredients:

½ kg Chinese Cabbage

6 cubes of fermented red beancurd (nam yu)

10 shitaki mushrooms (soaked till soft and squeezed dry)

5 florets of wood ear fungus -

(soaked for 30 mins and drained)

5 florets of cloud ear fungus -

(soaked for 30 mins and drained)

3 tsp sugar

2 tbp oil

2 cubes bullion, vegetable stock

Method:

Fry red beancurd in oil till fragrant.  Add Cabbage and stir till it is soft.  Add button mushrooms, shitaki mushrooms, and stir fry for 1 minute.  Add water till it is ½ inches above the vegetables.  Add sugar and vegetable stock and bring it to boil.  Turn down heat and let it stew for about ½ hour or till the cabbage is limp.