Braised Assorted Vegetables with Fermented Red Beancurd . 南乳粗齋

                   Braised Assorted Vegetables with Fermented Red Bean-curd 
                                                     南乳粗齋

In olden days, there was a tradition for Chinese to take only vegetable dishes in the first meal of the Lunar New Year, and I believe this tradition is still carried forward by many Chinese who live in Hong Kong. And the most down-to-earth vegetable dish which most families cook for the first meal is Braised Assorted Vegetables with Fermented Red Bean-curd.

A friend has misplaced the recipe of this veggie dish that I gave to her, so I did it once again to share with her and all who are interested in this dish.

For this braised mixed veggies dish, I tried to make it to my taste as follows:
1. Fermented Red Bean-curd should not overwhelm the taste of the mixed vegetables
2. And the vegetables should not be stained to red
3. I like to put in a little black moss, sweet bean-curd sheet and fried tofu puffs to keep this braised veggies dish more like the traditional one

 仍記得小時候，大年初一吃的是全素食; 我相信現在住在香港的好多朋友仍承傳著這個傳統。而其中南乳粗齋幾乎是大多數家庭都會煑的其中一道素菜。

有朋友遺失了我之前寫給她的食譜，所以我在這裡做一次，也分享一下做法。

我對南乳粗齋有幾個要求:

第一，南乳味不能太搶，要恰到好處，我仍想吃到各式菜蔬的鮮味;

第二，整道菜式不能染上被南乳染得通紅，影响賣相

第三 ，南乳粗齋最好能有少許髮菜，甜腐竹和扁身豆卜，保存南乳齋基本要求

Braised Mixed Vegetables with Fermented Red Beancurd

Ingredients:

Snow Pea, Curly ends removed 12 pc

Long Cabbage, cleaned and sectioned 300g

Shanghai Pak-choi 2 pc

Carrot, peeled and sliced 1/2 pc

Straw mushroom 8 pc

Black Mushrooms 6 pc

Wood Fungus 8 pc

Mini Black Fungus  a little

Lily bud, knotted  12 pc

Ginkgo  8 pc

Red date, seeded  6 pc

Black Moss 20 gm

Sweet Bean-curd Sheet  1 pc

Fried Bean-curd Stick, soaked  2 pc

Fried Tofu Puff, slightly washed, cut into 2  4 pc

Bean Thread, soaked  1 bundle(small)

Ginger  3 slices

Fermented Red Bean-curd, big, crushed with juicy, 1/2 pc

Sugar 1 tsp

Water 1 tbsp

Water (incl water from soaking mushrooms) 1 cup

Marinade for mushrooms:

Vegetarian Oyster sauce 1 tsp

Sugar 1/2 tsp

Tapioca 1/2 tsp

Water 1 tsp

Oil 1 tbsp

Seasoning:

Vegetarian Oyster sauce  1 tbsp

Light Sauce 1 tbsp

Dark Sauce 1 tsp

Salt 1/2 tsp

Sugar 1 tsp

Thickening:

Tapioca  1 tsp

Water  2 tbsp

Sesame Oil 1  tbsp

Method:

1. Clean and soak separately the black mushrooms, wood fungus, black fungus, sweet bean-curd sheet, fried bean curd sticks, bean threads and black moss till soft; reserve water from mushrooms

2. Cut mushrooms in halves or big slices, mix well with marinade, then steam for 15 minutes

3. Soak Fried Bean-curd sticks then cut into sections

4. Trim off the hard ends of the wood fungus and black fungus; cut the fried tofu puffs into halves; skin the ginkgo; tie a knot on each lily bud; then blanch separately and squeeze dry

5. Pinch the curly ends of the snow peas; Trim the ends of the straw mushrooms and cut into halves；and then blanch separately

6. Wash vegetables, drain; section long cabbages and cut each Shanghai Pak-choi into four from top

7. Mash Fermented Red Bean-curd with sauce and mix well with sugar and water

8. Heat a wok over medium high heat, fry ginger, then sauté mushrooms and sweet bean-curd till fragrant; add in sliced carrots, wood fungus and black fungus and toss well. Pour in fermented red bean-curd mixture, fry till fragrant; add in long cabbages, saute till soft, then add in tofu puff and bean-curd stick, and then add in mixed seasonings and toss well; add in water and bring to boil and toss again, put on lid and cook for 10 minutes. Add in bean thread，black moss, lily buds, ginkgo and red dates, mix and cook for another 10 minutes; add in snow peas and straw mushrooms. Pour on top the thickening and toss well, drizzle in sesame oil, sauté well. Serve.

Cooking Tips:

1.   You do not have to get all the veggies ingredients as in the recipe, you could put in whatever veggies you like or those in your kitchen; veggies listed is only for suggestion

2.   If you want to have more sauce, feel free to add in another 1/2 cup or more, just do not make the dish watery

3.   Season to your taste before serve. You may season with some light sauce before adding in sesame oil

4.   If with no religious beliefs, you could add in sliced shallot with ginger at the beginning, and pour in some wine when frying red bean-curd till fragrant; all these will bring additional flavor to the dish.

5.   The above recipe is good enough for 6-8 people

南乳粗齋

材料：

荷蘭豆，去筋  12 pc

津菜 300g

小棠菜 2 pc

紅蘿蔔，去皮切片  1/2 pc

草菇 8 pc

冬菇 6 pc

雲耳 8隻

小木耳  少許

金針，打結  12 pc

白果， 去去殼去衣  8 pc

紅棗，去核   6 pc

髮菜 20克g

甜腐竹  1 pc

炸枝竹，用水浸軟  2 pc

扁豆腐卜，略洗，一開二  4件

粉絲 1小札

薑 3片

大南乳 ，壓碎連汁，用少許水開勻  半磚

糖  1 tsp

水  1 tbsp

水 1杯(連浸冬菇水)

冬菇醃料：

素蠔油 1 tsp

糖  1/2 tsp

生粉 1/2 tsp

水  1 tsp

油 1 tbsp

調味：
素蠔油  1 tbsp

生抽  2 tsp 

老抽  1 tsp

鹽   1/2 tsp

糖   1 tsp

獻汁：

生粉  1 tsp

水  2 tbsp

麻油  1 tbsp

做法：

1. 先把冬菇，雲耳，木耳，甜腐竹、炸枝竹，粉絲，髮菜略洗，再分別用水浸至軟身，浸冬菇水留用

2. 冬菇去蒂切半或切塊，用醃料拌勻。中大火蒸 15分鐘, 留用

3. 浸軟炸枝竹，切段

4. 雲耳和小木耳切先去硬塊。扁豆腐卜，切半；雲耳、木耳、扁豆腐卜，白果、分別用大熱水汆水，瀝乾

5. 荷蘭豆去筋後汆水；草菇去頂，切半；分別汆水留用

6. 津菜、小棠菜洗凈、瀝乾，津菜切段，小棠菜，一開四

7. 南乳連汁壓碎和糖、水先混和

8. 中大燒熱鑊下油 ，爆香薑片，下冬菇、甜腐竹炒香，加入紅蘿蔔，雲耳，小木耳略炒。下南乳漿，炒至有香味；加入津菜段，炒至略軟，再加入扁豆腐卜和炸枝竹，拌入調味炒勻，加水煮滾，加蓋續煮至所有材料軟身約10分鐘。加入粉絲、髮菜、金針、白果和紅棗炒勻多煮10分鐘；放入草菇和荷蘭豆。埋獻，灑上麻油拌勻，供食。

提示：

1.  南乳粗齋食譜內素菜可隨意，可加入自己喜愛的或手頭有的

2.  想齋菜多汁，可多加點水，但不要過多

3.  食前先試味，要惹味點，可加入麻油前再加點淡醬油

4.  若不含宗教原因，起鑊時可加入紅蔥片；爆香南乳漿後可灑點酒，整道南乳齋更加好味道

5.  以上食譜足夠 6-8人份