This simple vegetarian rice dish is a useful weeknight backup – it needs practically no preparation and uses storecupboard ingredients to make a nourishing, filling meal
Ingreadient
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp medium curry paste (Madras is a good one to use)
- 250g basmati rice, rinsed
- 450ml vegetable stock
- 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- handful of raisins
- 175g frozen leaf spinach, thawed
- handful of cashew nuts
- natural yogurt to serve (optional)
Direction
- Tip the shiitake mushrooms, wood ear fungus and dried bean curd into three separate bowls and pour around 300ml boiling water into each, to cover the contents. Leave for 1 hr, then drain, keeping only the mushroom water.
- Cut the stems away from the shiitake mushrooms, then slice the stems and tops into even strips and set aside. Slice the bean curd into 5cm-thick pieces and set aside, then thinly slice the wood ear fungus into pieces, too, before setting aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil in a pan over a medium-high heat. Add half the garlic and all the ginger, stir in the mushrooms and cook on a medium-high heat for 1 min before adding the shaosing wine. Mix, then tip into a bowl and set aside. In the same pan, still over a medium-heat, add the remaining 1 tbsp vegetable oil and the remaining garlic, then stir in the Chinese celery and cook for 1 min before setting aside.
- Combine the mushroom water with 250ml cold water in the pan and bring to the boil. Add back the mushrooms and bean curd and cook on a medium-low heat for 15 mins. Add the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and ½ tsp salt, then mix well.
- Add the wood ear fungus, cook for 10 mins, then add the Chinese celery and carrot strips and cook for 5 mins.
- Put the glass noodles in a heatproof bowl, then pour over boiling water and soak for 3-4 mins. Drain the glass noodles, add to the pan and mix well, then cook for a further 2-3 mins. Scatter over the spring onions and drizzle over the sesame oil to serve.
