Chap Chye (Mixed vegetable stew)

Ingredients (Serves 4) 1 tbsp vegetable oil 5 slices ginger 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped 50g red fermented bean curd (aka nam yee or ) 250g napa cabbage (aka Wong Bok or ), cut to smaller pieces Small piece of fat choy (fa cai/) 1 carrot, peeled and sliced 50g bean curd sticks () 15 ginkgo nuts () (use those vacuum packed or canned types) 15g dried lily buds () 5 dried Chinese mushrooms 30g cellophane/glass noodles (aka tang hoon or ) 4 pieces dried black (wood ear) fungus ()

Sauce (A) 2 tbsp vegetarian oyster-flavoured sauce 1 tbsp sesame oil 2/3 cup water Directions 1. Soak Chinese mushrooms, black fungus, fat choy and lily buds in individual bowls of hot water. When softened, drain the water. Remove mushrooms stems, squeeze out excess water and cut to half. Remove the hard portion on the underside of the fungus. Then, cut the rest of the fungus into smaller pieces. For the lily buds, tie each bud in a knot (to prevent fraying). 2. Soak bean curd sticks and tang hoon in individual bowls of water till softened. When the beancurd sticks turn soft and paler shade, cut to smaller pieces. 3. Heat oil in wok. Stir fry chopped garlic & ginger till fragrant. Then add nam yee and mash/chop it to smaller pieces with the spatula.

4. Add cabbage and stir fry till softened (a few minutes). 5. Add Chinese mushrooms, black fungus, lily buds, fat choy and beancurd sticks along with the Sauce (A). Bring to a boil then cover with lid and let the vegetables simmer

for about 5-10 minutes. Anytime the water runs dry, you can top up with hot water. 6. When the vegetables are cooked and the water is reduced, add tang hoon and stir the pot to allow the tang hoon to absorb the sauce. Serve with steamed rice.