Chap Chye (Braised Cabbage and Mushrooms)
Published Jan. 26, 2022
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 8large dried shiitake mushrooms
- 8large or 16 small dried wood ear mushrooms (or use more dried shiitakes)
- 4cups boiling water
- 2to 2½ ounces dried glass noodles (mung bean noodles)
- ¼cup fermented soybean paste (taucheo) or Korean doenjang
- 2tablespoons oyster sauce (vegetarian, if preferred)
- 2red fermented bean curd cubes (furu; see Tip), or 2½ tablespoons red miso paste
- 2teaspoons soy sauce
- ½cup peanut oil
- 3ounces/90 grams dried tofu skin, cut into 1-inch-thick strips (see Tip)
- 4large shallots, finely sliced
- 8garlic cloves, minced
- 2pounds green cabbage, cut into 2-inch-thick pieces, leaves separated
- 2large carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1tablespoon palm sugar or dark brown sugar, plus more to taste
- 1teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
507 calories; 28 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 48 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 1169 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large heatproof bowl, cover the dried mushrooms with 4 cups boiling water. In a medium bowl, combine the glass noodles with enough room temperature water to cover. Soak both for 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Combine the fermented soybean paste, oyster sauce, bean curd cubes and soy sauce in a small bowl. Mash the bean curd cubes with a fork, and mix thoroughly to form a paste. Set aside.
- Step 3
Lift the mushrooms out of the water and into a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the soaking water. Squeeze out excess water from the shiitake mushrooms, then trim the shiitake stems and discard. Thinly slice the shiitake caps. With a knife or scissors, trim and discard any tough, craggy bits from the wood ear mushrooms. If they’re larger than 2 inches in diameter, cut them in half. Drain the glass noodles and set aside.
- Step 4
Set a large wok or large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the peanut oil. When the sides of the wok begin to smoke, slide in half of the dried tofu skin and fry until light golden brown, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer the fried tofu skin to a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining dried tofu skin. Reserve the oil in the wok and reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Step 5
When the reserved oil is shimmering, add the shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and cook for 30 seconds. Add the sauce, and toss in the cabbage. Quickly stir to combine so that the sauce completely coats the cabbage. Pour in the reserved mushroom water, leaving behind any grit, and turn the heat up to high. When the mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the wok. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted completely, about 10 minutes.
- Step 6
Add the wood ear mushrooms, glass noodles, fried tofu skin and carrots. Mix, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has absorbed all the liquid and is very tender, 10 to 15 minutes. The dish is done when there is no more liquid pooled at the bottom. Turn off the heat, then stir in the palm sugar and salt, adding more to taste if you’d like. Transfer to a deep serving dish and garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately.
- Red fermented bean curd cube is tofu preserved in rice wine and yeast. It has a creamy, cheeselike quality to it— like a mild Brie. It is sold in Chinese grocery stores and usually packaged in small jars.
- Tofu skin, sometimes labeled beancurd stick or yuba, is the thin film that forms on top of fresh soy milk. It can be found in most Asian grocery stores and is sold in both dried and fresh forms. For this recipe, it is important to buy the dried version.
Private Notes
Comments
The Chap Chye recipe in the superb "Cooking of Singapore" (Chris Yeo & Joyce Jue) is a stir-fry/saute rather than a braise (the veggies are al dente) and uses only one umami source, oyster sauce (+mirin). This recipe' added soy sauce, soy paste cubes & doenjang plus 1 tsp salt may add way too much salt: I like these, just not in the proportions suggested. Other than cabbage (or sub bok choy/napa), improvise with what you have: pan-browned extra-firm tofu subs well for tofu skins.
4 cups (1 quart) of boiling water is rather excessive. 2 cups would suffice to prevent an overly soggy chap chai. Just my 2-cents’ worth.
Lovely recipe, but due to our backwards food supply chain / market dynamics most ingredients here are difficult and expensive to find! Suggestions of substitutes for us unfortunate curious eaters would be awesome. Thanks!
omg this made soooooo much food! def more than 6 portions
Leftovers are fantastic with a fried egg and some chili crisp.
Ahhh this is so good. Made it by the book, with the red miso and doenjang suggested subs. I say this nonchalantly, like the California girl I am, but if you can possibly get the dried tofu skin, DO IT. After that initial fry it is almost...potato chip-like? Irresistible. It softens up a bit once it's been in the braise for 10 mins+ at the end. I took others' suggestions and limited the liquid to 2 generous cups, which worked well. Love the wood ear mushrooms. My carrots were 1 white & 1 purple.