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Shi xiang cai (ten-treasure vegetables)
十香菜 shi xiang cai: Shanghai cold New Year stir-fry of ten finely shredded vegetables
Shanghai families make a big tub of shi xiang cai on the last days of the old year, and it sits on the table, cold, through the first fortnight of New Year as a fresh, crunchy counterweight to all the braised meat. Ten ingredients, each shredded as fine as matchsticks and stir-fried separately, are tossed together with soy, sugar and sesame oil: soybean sprouts, carrot, celery, wood ear, shiitake, lily buds, bamboo, pressed tofu, preserved mustard tuber and red pepper. Throwing everything into the wok at once is the mistake; each vegetable cooks at its own speed, and only separate frying keeps them crisp. Chef's tip: the finer and more even the shreds, the more it tastes like the real thing.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 7 oz soybean sproutsroots trimmed
- 1 carrotcut into fine matchsticks
- 5 ½ oz Chinese celerycut into 4 cm lengths
- ⅓ oz dried wood ear mushroomssoaked and finely shredded
- 6 dried shiitake mushroomssoaked and finely sliced
- ⅔ oz dried lily budssoaked, hard tips removed
- 5 ½ oz bamboo shootsdrained and shredded
- 7 oz pressed tofu (dougan)finely shredded
- 1 ¾ oz preserved mustard tuber (zha cai)rinsed and shredded
- 1 red pepperfinely shredded
- 5 tbsp neutral oil
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp 1 tbsp neutral oil in a wok over a high heat and stir-fry 7 oz soybean sprouts with ½ tsp salt for 3 minutes, until they lose their raw beany smell. Tip into a large bowl.
3 minStep 2: Add 1 tbsp 1 tbsp neutral oil and stir-fry 1 carrot, 5 ½ oz Chinese celery and 1 red pepper for 1 minute until bright but crunchy. Add to the bowl.
1 minStep 3: Add 1 tbsp 1 tbsp neutral oil and fry 7 oz pressed tofu (dougan) for 2 minutes until the edges firm up. Add to the bowl.
2 minStep 4: Add the rest of 2 tbsp neutral oil, then 6 dried shiitake mushrooms, ⅓ oz dried wood ear mushrooms, ⅔ oz dried lily buds, 5 ½ oz bamboo shoots and 1 ¾ oz preserved mustard tuber (zha cai). Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add 3 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 ½ tbsp sugar and 3 tbsp water and toss until the liquid is nearly gone.
4 minStep 5: Pour everything into the bowl, add 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil and toss well. Taste and add more sugar or soy as you like.
Step 6: Cool completely and serve cold. It keeps covered in the fridge for 5 days and tastes better on day two.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 13 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shi xiang cai (ten-treasure vegetables) take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
- What can I use instead of chinese celery?
- Fennel bulb, same weight.
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Perfect for:Lunar New Year