Claypot-Cooked Vegetables with Shiitake and Chinese Five-Spice
Claypot-Cooked Vegetables with Shiitake and Chinese Five-Spice
This recipe uses a traditional Chinese clay pot to bake the vegetables in the
oven, but you can use any covered casserole dish. If using a casserole
dish, there's no need to set it in water--just put it directly into the oven.
Some clay pot manufacturers recommend slowly heating the pot, rather than
placing it into a heated oven in a pan of water. Follow the directions for
your particular pot, heating it up to 400°F.
The sweet, warm, cool, and spicy blend of seasonings in this recipe makes
ordinary vegetables come alive with flavor!
12 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, drained
and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, sliced into half moons
4 cups (20 oz/600 g) mixed fresh vegetables such as pumpkin, cauliflower,
carrot, eggplant, baby corn, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup (8 fl oz/50 ml) clear vegetable stock
2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster (mushroom) sauce
1 bunch (15 oz/450 g) choy sum or bok choy, quartered lengthwise
steamed rice, for serving
Soak a Chinese clay pot in water for an hour before using. Alternatively, use
a casserole dish. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). (Or use the directions
that came with your clay pot for gradual heating.) Mix all the ingredients
together and place in the cooking container. Put the pot in a large baking dish
filled with enough water to reach halfway up the pot. Bake for 1 hour, Serve from
the claypot at the table. Accompany with steamed rice.
Tip: Always set the hot clay pot on a cloth pad
or towel rather than a cold surface when it first comes out of the oven or the
sudden change in temperature may crack the pot.
Note: I think it'd be easy to do this in a crock
pot, 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.
Serves 4-8
Adapted from Vegetarian Asian, by Lynelle Scott-Aitken
Blog
