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| Eight Precious Hot Salad ~ A Chinese Vegetarian dish ~ This dish can be eaten hot or cold 4 golden needles ~ tiger-lily buds ~ see below) 2 tbsp wood ears ~ see below ¼ cup bean curd 4 large Chinese dried mushrooms (Shiitake) ¼ cup carrots ¼ cup turnip ¼ cup bamboo shoots ½ cup celery ½ cup bean sprouts 6 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tsp salt ¼ cup vegetarian stock (recipe below) 3 tbsp sesame oil 2 tbsp dark soy sauce (try to get this from your local Oriental market ) 1½ tbsp vinegar (Chinese use rice vinegar ~ red wine vinegar closely resembles rice wine vinegar in flavor and color) ¼ tsp monosodium glutamate ~ Ac'cent is MSG...get "store-brand" MSG as it is cheaper and is the same thing Soak the golden needles for 1 hour in warm water; then cut them into 2-inch segments. Soak the wood ears for 1 hour and rinse in two changes of water. Soak the mushrooms for 30 minutes, discard stems and shred the caps. Shred the carrots, turnip, bamboo shoots, and celery. Cut the bean curd into ¼-inch segments. Heat the wok over high heat, then add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Stir-fry the carrots, turnip, and bean sprouts for 2 minutes; then reduce heat to low and stir-fry for 2 minutes more, adding 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside. Reheat the wok on medium heat; stir-fry the mushrooms, golden needles, wood ears, celery, bean curd, and bamboo shoots in the remaining oil and salt for 3 minutes. Combine the two lots of vegetables and add the vegetarian stock, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and MSG. Toss and "assemble" over high heat for 1½ minutes; serve hot. Serves 6 - 8 Vegetarian Stock This stock is used in the same way as Superior Stock is used in normal cooking. ½ pound fresh mushrooms ¼ cup dried mushrooms ¼ pound dried mushroom stalks 1 pound fresh mushroom stalks 1½ pounds yellow beans ¼ tsp monosodium glutamate (MSG) Boil the the first 5 ingredients in 10 quarts of water for 3 hours. Keep the quantity of liquid constant by adding small amounts of water whenever the level of the stock falls visibly. Add the MSG 5 minutes before the stock is ready. Tiger Lily Buds also known as Golden Needles These are long yellow strips of stem-like vegetables. Small quantities are often used in vegetable and semi-vegetable dishes, as they have a very distinctive (moldy) flavor. Wood Ears The more usual type of fungus (as are all mushrooms) which grows on trees, of which Cloud ears and Silver ears are different varieties. Wood Ears are usually black in color and have to be soaked before use. They have very little taste or flavor, and are usually used in cooking for their color and textural effect. More about mushrooms: Mushrooms Online Asian Recipes |