STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DISH

• It’s a great dish to make for vegetarians, as there’s lots of different flavours and textures in the dish!
• It also goes well with rice and porridge, making it a great side dish to have as well.

HOW TO MAKE CHAP CHYE?

1. Wash the cabbage and cut into chunks.
2. Wash the mushroom and soak in hot water for 15 mins until it is soft. Wash, squeeze dry the mushroom and cut into half.
3. Soak the black cloud fungus, black wooden ear fungus, tang hoon and golden needle in separate bowls of tap water for about 15 mins or until the fungus doubles in the size.
4. Tear off the hard part of the wooden ear fungus and discard. Then cut rest of the wooden ear fungus into chunks.
5. Wash the golden needle, pluck off the hard end and tie a knot.
6. Remove the skin of the garlic and chop coarsely.
7. Cut the mock goose into 2cm squares.
8. Take out 3 square pieces of red fermented bean curd, including some of the red wine in the jar. Use the back of the spoon to mash it up.
9. In a wok, add 100 ml oil and turn heat to medium. When the oil starts to bubble, deep fry the mock goose, a few pieces at a time.
10. Once it’s golden brown, remove and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process until all the mock goose pieces are done. Once cool, place them in an air-tight container for later use.
11. Pour out the oil from wok leaving behind 3 TBsp of oil. Turn the heat up to high.
12. Add in fermented red bean curd and garlic and fry for a few seconds until aromatic.
13. Add in the cabbage and stir fry, then add in 1 TBsp of oyster sauce and mix well.
14. Add the mushrooms, black fungus, wooden ear fungus and gingko nut. Stir until well mixed.
15. Pour in 250 ml chicken stock and 250 ml of water to it and mix well. Cover the wok and continue to cook for about 40 mins over medium low heat.
16. Lastly, add in the golden needle and tang hoon and continue to cook for another 10 mins.
17. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with crispy mock goose before serving

1. Use the flattish looking cabbage over the round-as-a-ball round cabbage when buying round cabbage for chap chye as the round ones are much softer and will turn limp before they can absorb the gravy.

COOKING TIPS

1. Turn the heat down to medium low as it gets burnt easily when frying the mock goose.
2. Do not add the mock goose to the cooked chap chye until you are ready to serve. Otherwise, it will not be crispy.
3. Cook this dish the day before. This allows the vegetables to soak in and absorb the gravy, making it more tasty.
4. Braise the chap chye for a longer time if you prefer it softer. For the Cantonese, the texture is almost like melting in your mouth. If you prefer a more crunchy texture, 35 mins of cooking time should be good.
5. Tang Hoon should be added last as it turns soft very easily. It also absorbs lots of gravy, making it too soggy while making the chap chye too dry.
6. Do not cook the golden needle for too long or it will lose its crunchiness.

DIETARY MODIFICATIONS

• Egg-Free: No modifications needed.
• Fish-Free: No modifications needed.
• Nut-Free: No modifications needed.
• Shellfish-Free: No modifications needed.
• Vegan: Replace chicken stock with vegetable stock; replace oyster sauce with mushroom sauce.
• Vegetarian: Replace chicken stock with vegetable stock; replace oyster sauce with mushroom sauce.

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Chap Chye

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: chap chye, braised mixed vegetables, chap chye vegetable

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 173 kcal

Chap Chye is a Mixed Vegetables dish braised in a warm, soothing broth. It's a great dish to make for vegetarians and for family gatherings, especially for Chinese New Year! 

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Ingredients

• 450-500 gm Cabbage
• 3 TBsp Oil
• 3 cloves Chopped Garlic
• 3 cubes Fermented Red Bean Curd
• 2 tsp Red Wine from the Fermented Red Bean Curd
• 20 gm Black Cloud Fungus
• 10 gm Black Wooden Ear Fungus
• 6-8 Chinese Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
• 40 gm Gingko Nut
• 50 gm Tang Hoon
• 30 gm Golden Needle
• 1 TBsp Oyster Sauce
• 250 ml Chicken Stock
• 250 ml Water
• 100 gm Mock Goose (Vegetarian Crispy Soya Bean Sheet)

Instructions

PREPARATION METHOD

1. Wash the cabbage and cut into chunks.

2. Wash the mushroom and soak in hot water for 15 mins until it is soft. Wash, squeeze dry the mushroom and cut into half.
   

3. Soak the black cloud fungus, black wooden ear fungus, tang hoon and golden needle in separate bowls of tap water for about 15 mins or until the fungus doubles in the size. 

4. Tear off the hard part of the wooden ear fungus and discard. Then cut rest of the wooden ear fungus into chunks.

5. Wash the golden needle, pluck off the hard end and tie a knot.

6. Remove the skin of the garlic and chop coarsely.

7. Cut the mock goose into 2cm squares.

8. Take out 3 square pieces of red fermented bean curd, including some of the red wine in the jar. Use the back of the spoon to mash it up.

COOKING METHOD

1. In a wok, add 100 ml oil and turn heat to medium. When the oil starts to bubble, deep fry the mock goose, a few pieces at a time.

2. Once it's golden brown, remove and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil. Repeat the process until all the mock goose pieces are done. Once cool, place them in an air-tight container for later use.
   

3. Pour out the oil from wok leaving behind 3 TBsp of oil. Turn the heat up to high.

4. Add in fermented red bean curd and garlic and fry for a few seconds until aromatic.

5. Add in the cabbage and stir fry, then add in 1 TBsp of oyster sauce and mix well.

6. Add the mushrooms, black fungus, wooden ear fungus and gingko nut. Stir until well mixed.

7. Pour in 250 ml chicken stock and 250 ml of water to it and mix well. Cover the wok and continue to cook for about 40 mins over medium low heat.

8.  Lastly, add in the golden needle and tang hoon and continue to cook for another 10 mins.

9. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with crispy mock goose before serving.

Top Tips

MARKETING TIPS

1. Use the flattish looking cabbage over the round-as-a-ball round cabbage when buying round cabbage for chap chye as the round ones are much softer and will turn limp before they can absorb the gravy.

COOKING TIPS

1. Turn the heat down to medium low as it gets burnt easily when frying the mock goose.
2. Do not add the mock goose to the cooked chap chye until you are ready to serve. Otherwise, it will not be crispy.
3. Cook this dish the day before. This allows the vegetables to soak in and absorb the gravy, making it more tasty.
4. Braise the chap chye for a longer time if you prefer it softer. For the Cantonese, the texture is almost like melting in your mouth. If you prefer a more crunchy texture, 35 mins of cooking time should be good.
5. Tang Hoon should be added last as it turns soft very easily. It also absorbs lots of gravy, making it too soggy while making the chap chye too dry.
6. Do not cook the golden needle for too long or it will lose its crunchiness.