Hed Chef: Mixed vegetable stew

Cabbage can lend incredible sweetness to any dish it is cooked in. This week's recipe is a hearty cross between chap chye and luo han zhai.

I incorporated an assortment of ingredients used in both dishes for my souped up version of mixed vegetable stew. I used chicken stock and dried seafood for added flavour.

The quantities given in the recipe below renders one large pot of vegetable stew, approximately 15 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 litres water
• 30g dried fish maw
• 150g boiled bamboo shoots, sliced
• 50g dried "golden needles" (dried lily bulbs), soaked until softened
• 150ml cooking oil
• 60g dried sweet beancurd, cut into 1.5cm by 3cm pieces
• 20g red fermented tofu
• 20g fermented bean paste
• 40g ginger, cut into 3 slices
• 5 garlic cloves (50g)
• 2 red onions (100g), sectioned
• 50g dried baby scallops, soaked until softened
• 50g dried prawns, soaked until softened
• 5 dried shiitake mushrooms (50g), soaked in hot water until softened, sliced
• 30g woodear mushroom, soaked in hot water until softened. Remove hard bits
• 800g cabbage, cut into large pieces of 8cm by 8cm.
• 100g dried beancurd stick, soaked until softened
• 1.5 litres of chicken stock
• 150g oyster mushrooms, halved
• 180g straw mushroom, halved
• 200g canned gingko nuts
• 100g snow peas
• 30g fatt choy (black moss), rinsed and softened
• 100g dried mung bean vermicelli, soaked until softened

METHOD

1. Bring 1.5 litres of water to boil in a pot. Place the dried fish maw in it and boil over medium heat for 15 minutes or until softened.

2. Discard the boiling liquid. Rinse the fish maw. Slice into 1.5cm wide strips.

3. Bring the remaining water to boil in a clean pot. Place the bamboo shoots in the pot and boil for 10 minutes.

4. Discard the water. Rinse the bamboo shoots and set aside.

5. Use a pair of scissors to snip off the end of each dried lily bulb. Tie each lily bulb into a knot. Set aside.

6. Pour 100ml of cooking oil into the wok. Place the pieces of dried sweet beancurd into the unheated oil.

7. Over medium-low heat, fry the dried sweet beancurd for five minutes until bubbles form on the skin. Remove the dried sweet beancurd from the wok and place on kitchen paper to drain off excess oil. Set aside.

8. In a clean wok, heat the remaining 50ml of cooking oil.

9. Add the red fermented tofu and fry for one minute. Add the fermented bean paste. Fry for two minutes then add the ginger and fry for one minute.

10. Add the garlic and fry for one 
minute. (Photo)

11. Add the red onions. Fry for one minute. (Photo)

12. Add the dried baby scallops and dried prawns. Fry for 1½ minutes until fragrant.

13. Add the shiitake mushroom and fry for two minutes.

14. Add the woodear mushrooms and fry for one minute.

15. Add the cabbage and fry for one minute.

16. Add the dried beancurd stick and chicken stock. Fry for three minutes.

17. Add in the fish maw, bamboo shoots and dried lily bulbs. Fry for one minute.

18. Add in the oyster mushroom, straw mushroom and gingko nuts. Fry and mix well. (Photo)

19. Add the sweet pea pods and fry for one minute.

20. Add the fatt choy and fry for 30 seconds.

21. Cover for three minutes or until the mixture begins to simmer, then add the mung bean vermicelli.

22. Stir through and cover to let the mixture reach a simmering boil.

23. Turn off the heat.