buddhas delight

Buddha's delight, or lo han jai, is a vegetarian dish well-known in Chinese and Buddhist cuisine. Use our family recipe for an authentic take on this dish.

Buddha's Delight (Vegetarian Lo Han Jai)

canola oil

ginger

bean curd ((hong fu ru))

garlic ((sliced))

leek

mushrooms

wood ears ((soaked in warm water; yields about 1 cup))

flowers

Shaoxing wine

Napa cabbage

fried tofu puffs

bean threads ((soaked

sesame oil

soy sauce

sugar

water or vegetable stock

small bundle mung bean noodles

Heat your wok over medium-high heat, and add the oil and ginger. Let the ginger caramelize for about 30 seconds without letting it burn. Add the red fermented bean curd and break it up with your spatula. Add the garlic, the white portions of the leeks (reserve to green portion for later), mushrooms, wood ears, and lily flowers. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add the Shaoxing wine and stir fry for another minute.

Next, add the napa cabbage, fried tofu, and bean threads, and crank up the heat as high as it will go. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the remaining green portion of the leeks, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar and water or vegetable stock. Stir everything together, cover the wok, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Uncover the wok and turn the heat back up to high. Add the mung bean noodles, which should soak up most of the liquid. Keep stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a large bowl and serve with steamed rice!

Made this last night and it was amazing. I do have a couple questions vis-à-vis techniques, just to make sure I’m doing it right. 

For the dried ingredients/noodles: am I supposed to squeeze the water out after soaking? Do they go in wet or toweled dry?

The dried lily flowers say to cut the tips. Is that before or after soaking? And is that both ends?

Thanks again, this is the best mushroom dish I’ve ever had.

Can I use white fermented bean curd instead of red?

I will try to practice this recipee tonight 🤤

We made this twice this week. The second time, we used dark mushroom soy, fresh sliced shiitakes, and puff seitan instead of the puff tofu. We also added ginkgo nuts and blanched broccoli instead of the Napa cabbage.  It really hit the spot, and will be a regular dish for us.

Thanks for the recipe! I made this a few months ago (my very first time) because I always found myself ordering it from restaurants and it is a bit pricey, so decided to do it myself! It turned out okay being my first time, and today I just prepped a bunch of ingredients for my 2nd attempt. I prepped 11 ingredients this time: carrots, shitake mushrooms, black fungus strips, napa cabbage, fried tofu, bean curd sticks, bamboo shoots, lotus root, water chestnuts, bean sprouts and fun see. Will let you know how it turns out! I moved out of home at a young age and did not learn many Chinese recipes from my family, so I am very grateful for your recipes that help remind me of my culture and my youth. Thank you!

Top 1 buddhas delight recipes from across the web

The most viewed buddhas delight recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Buddha's Delight (Vegetarian Lo Han...

Top 1 buddhas delight recipes from across the web

The most viewed buddhas delight recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Buddha's Delight (Vegetarian Lo Han...

The most viewed buddhas delight recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine