This Chinese style vegetarian (and vegan) dish is substantial enough to be a meal on its own or serve it along with other dishes as part of a banquet.
A ceramic pot or tagine is ideal for this dish. In separate bowls soak the dried Shiitake mushrooms and the black (wood-ear) fungus in boiling water until reasonably soft. This will take perhaps half an hour. Drain the mushrooms retaining the liquid and discard the stems. Drain the black fungus and break them into pieces, discarding any hard bits. Finely dice 1 or 2 shallots, 4-5 cloves of garlic and an equal amount of fresh ginger. Heat some oil in the pot over medium heat and fry 2-3 dried chillies and 1 teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant but not burnt. Add the shallots, garlic and ginger and continue to fry a little longer. Now add the mushrooms, black fungus, the liquid from the mushrooms, some Sichuan chilli bean paste to taste and some stock. Cover the pot and cook over gentle heat until the mushrooms and black fungus are soft enough to eat, checking occasionally to make sure you have enough liquid. Add tofu cut into pieces and mix gently. Continue to cook for 5 minutes. Finally, add a little chilli oil, some sesame oil and chopped spring onions. Serve with rice.
michelle picker cooks 