Ashley was home last weekend. Now that she is working in Seattle, I can only see her a couple of times a year. I decided that I should cook a meal and also send her home with some frozen home-cooked food. We were worried that the food would be confiscated at the airport. Thankfully, she reported that she arrived in Seattle safe and sound; the frozen food tucked away safely in her carry-on case 😅.

She requested 3 dishes for the dinner: A salted vegetable soup, a homestyle meatball, and a vegetables with glutens (面筋). As always, I over-delivered and included a glutinous rice, a ketchup shrimp, and a durian puff dessert. We froze the glutinous rice, meatballs, and vegetables so that she can bring them back on the flight.

It was a full-day exercise preparing these dishes. I am so glad I did. It’s good, quality time spent at the dinner table and enjoying the food that she grew up with. Some were grandma’s recipes, some were Yimama’s recipes, and some invented by me, such as this vegetarian delight 😀. It’s 100% vegan, and full of textures in each bite; crunchy (brocollini, cauliflower, bamboo shoots), chewy (shitake mushrooms and gluten), and crispy (fried soy bean curd). It is indeed a delightful dish to be served over and over again.

---

Ingredients

• One bundle of brocollini, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 small head of Cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/4 small Cabbage, cut onto bite sizes
• 4 dried Shitake Mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced
• 1/2 large carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 fresh bamboo shoot, sliced
• 1 stalk dried soy bean curd (腐竹)
• 1/2 can of gluten, drained
• 6 slices of ginger
• 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

1. Break dried soy bean curd into pieces and deep fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove from oil. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in wok over medium high heat. Fry ginger slices until fragrant. Add sliced mushroom and stir fry for a minute.
3. Turn up heat and add carrots, brocollini, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, and cabbage and stir fry over high heat for 2 minutes. Add a splash of water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Check for doneness of the vegetables. I like my vegetables not too soft and still have a little crunch.
4. Remove cover. Stir in the drained gluten, fried soy bean curd, light soy sauce, and sugar. Adjust to taste.
5. Turn of heat and transfer to serving dish. Serve with jasmine rice.