Jai

Jai (Buddha's Delight)

Jai is a vegetarian dish and is eaten on the first day of Chinese New Year to bring good luck. According to Buddhist tradition, no animal or fish should be killed on the first day of the lunar new year, thus, a dish with lots of vegetables is considered purifying .   Each ingredient symbolizes weath, health, or luck!

Ingredients:
2 oz dried shatake mushrooms (sliced)
4 oz long rice
6 oz dried bean curd sticks
3.5 oz dried lily buds
1 oz dried black moss (fat choy)
10 pieces black fungus
4 oz firm tofu, sliced (fried )
1/2 cup of sliced water chestnuts
1/2 cup sliced bamboo shoots
1/4 pound Chinese (Napa) cabbage (chopped)
1 cup snow peas
1/2 cup carrots, sliced
5 oz fried gluten balls
1.5 oz can of baby corn
10 dried red dates
1 can of straw mushrooms
4 pieces of red bean curd
4 pieces of yellow bean curd
slivers of ginger
oil for stir frying
1 cup of water or  broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
salt
shoyu
sugar
sesame oil
green onions

Process:
Hydrate bean curd in warm water, drain
Hydrate  bean curd sticks, drain and cut into 1" pieces
Hydrate Dried Shiitake mushroom in warm water (reseve a cup of water)
Hydrate black moss, black ear fungus
Blanch cabbage in salted water for about a minute

 
In a large wok, stir fry ginger, both fermented bean curds, long rice, bamboo shoots, long rice, bamboo shoots, tofu, baby corn, gluten balls, water chestnuts, and lily buds.  After a few minutes, add cabbage.
(You may need to process in batches and combine)
Add corn starch to water or broth and add to wok to thicken.   Add snow peas last.
Season with shoyu, sugar, and sesame oil as desired.
I also add hoisin and smoked oysters.