Free Food Recipes

Ingredients

• 8 medium Chinese dried mushrooms
• 100 g (1/4 lb) Chinese grass mushrooms
• 6 strands golden needles (tiger lily buds)
• 50 g (2 oz) transparent pea starch noodles
• 50-75 g (2-3 oz) French beans (or mange tout)
• 6 asparagus tips
• 4-5 chestnuts
• 50 g (2 oz) bean curd skin
• 60 ml (4 tablespoons) wood ears
• 75 ml (5 tablespoons) vegetable oil
• 90 ml (6 tablespoons) mushroom water
• 7 ml ( 1/2 tablespoon) sugar
• 52 ml (3 1/2 tablespoons) soy sauce
• 75-100 g (3-4 oz) bamboo shoots
• 500 ml (1 pint) stock
• 50-75 g (2-3 oz) broccoli
• 7 ml (1/2 tablespoon) salt
• 50-75 g (2-3 oz) cauliflower
• 22 ml (1 1/2 tablespoon) hoisin sauce
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) corn flour blended in 75ml (5 tablespoons) water
• 15ml (1 tablespoon) sesame Oil
• 10 medium-large button mushrooms

Serve 8-10

** Free Food Recipes **

Method:

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in 125 ml (1 pint) hot water for 30 minutes. Retain the water, remove the mushrooms and cut off the stalks. Clean the button mushrooms, cut the caps into quarters and the stalks into halves, Drain the grass mushrooms.

2. Soak the golden needles for 10 minutes, drain them arid cut the stems into quarters. Soak the pea-starch noodles for 5 minutes, and drain them. Top and tail, the French beans, and remove any tough parts from the asparagus. Boil the chestnuts for 20 minutes, remove the shells and cut each chestnut into quarters. Soak the bean curd skin for 30 minutes and cut it into medium sized sections; soak the wood ears for 10 minutes, and drain them.

3. Heat 45 m1 (3 tablespoons) oil in, a large sauce pan or casserole. When hot add the dried mushrooms. After turning them around a few times, add an the other mushrooms, and stir-fry them together over a high heat for 2 minutes. Add the wood ears, bean curd skin and golden needles, followed by the mushroom water, sugar, soy sauce and bamboo shoots, and bring them to boil.

4. Pour in half the stock, and add the transparent noodles. Stir and mix the ingredients together. When the contents start to boil reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile heat the remaining on in another saucepan.

5. Add the chestnuts, asparagus, French beans and broccoli. Sprinkle them with salt, and stir-fry over a high heat for 3 minutes. Add the cauliflower, hoisin sauce and the balance of the stock. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5  minutes. Stir in the corn flour mixture.

6. When the sauce in the pan has thickened, pour the contents into the saucepan containing the mushrooms. Mix the ingredients of the two saucepans together and allow hem to simmer for 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame oil. Serve in a large tureen or in the casserole in which it has cooked.

Note: This is an excellent dish to consume with rice. In China, the ensemble of vegetables sometimes takes the place of meat, if the latter is not readily available, The dried vegetable particularly the golden needles-give the dish its characteristic, musty, woody flavor.