I had forgotten people who took this option considering all the other delicious meat dishes on the table. As I got older I became more and more grateful for how satisfying a bowl of this was, and on its own, how satisfying it was to accompany a small plate of steamed rice and a sambalberacan.
My mother’s version includes a stewed cabbage dish made with Wonbok (Napa cabbage). It’s better to use smaller cabbage. The recipe is simplified for daily dinners or concentrated with protein added through fried tofu, mushrooms and lily buds to make a separate vegetarian dish for the Chinese New Year. The Nonya version includes Tau Cheong (Salted Soy Beans), and Hokkiens will add fermented tofu.
My mother used mildly tasted white fermented tofu or fu yee instead of reddish nam yee, but as a general rule, the red one is for cooking and the white one is for eating as accompaniment. She also added fine carrots, both its sweetness and tofu skin and spring.
I like woks to cook this dish. The heat is more uniform so you can easily mix it and see what’s going on. Using a deep pot can cause the heat to rise at the bottom and, unless you stir frequently, what is there can be overcooked. Make sure the cabbage is soft enough and use your taste as a guide.
This dish is easy to make, but can be difficult to master. Flavor balance is important as many of the ingredients can change the flavor. Dried oysters and mushrooms have a strong flavor. Soak and wash the oysters carefully.
Texture is another challenge as cabbage can be too soft when overcooked. The cabbage portion should not fall apart. Even after putting out the fire, don’t forget that the food pan is still cooked.
This dish is suitable for a “all-day” meal as it allows you to continue cooking new batches by adding ingredients to the first lot.
Provides 6-8
material
One big Chinese long cabbage, cut into wide strips
1 liter (4 cups) of water or stock
100 G Bean Vermicelli (Enjoy), fried fried food
4 Dried sweet tofu wafers (Tim Chok), fried and cut into bite-sized pieces
Dried tofu sticks (Fu chok), cut into 7½cm (3 inch) strips and fried fried food
8 dried Chinese mushrooms soaked and sliced
15 small dried oysters (see hou), soaked
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tsp salt
3 TBPS vegetable oil
Two thin slices of inger
4 Cubes (2 cm, 0.8 inches) White Fermented Tofu, Finely Mashed
15 small black fungi, soak and cut into pieces
12 dried lily buds, trimmed, soaked, knotted
Two carrots, finely
30 g (1 oz) Black Moss (fat choy), (optional), soaked
To decorate – coriander leaves
method
Fry the bean bean bean bean bean bean bean bean bean bean bean bean bean bean bean bean bean bean bean bean bean curd waves and bean curd sticks separately aside. Blaze mushrooms and dried oysters are combined in oyster sauce and soy sauce for about 30 minutes and in water for about 30 minutes. Fungi, dried lily shoots, carrots, cabbage, vigorously fry for 2 minutes. Add stock or water, bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes, then simmer with steamed stew, dried oysters, tofu sticks and wafers, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add light soy sauce if necessary, adjust the flavor and adjust it. Finally, add the fried bean spiders and black moss. Stir a little more and turn off the fire. Serve hot in a bowl, garnished with coriander leaves, served with a small plate of sambalberacan and a bowl of steamed rice.
(tagstotranslate) lo hon chai (chap chai)
