Skip to main content

Lucky 8 Stir-Fry

4.2

(3)

stirfried vegetables including mushrooms celery and snow peas

Eight is a lucky number in the Chinese culture, especially at Lunar New Year. The Chinese word for “eight” is a homophone for prosperity, so numbers with consecutive eights in them represent “big money.” This mixed vegetable dish takes its inspiration from Buddhist vegetarian cooking and can include any combination of ingredients that represent good luck, prosperity, happiness, family wholeness, and longevity. The ingredients also should have contrasting-yet-balanced flavors and textures. You can serve this on any day of the week—especially when it’s Lunar New Year.

Read More
The pan-fried tofu is crispy yet pillowy, served with a punchy dressing that is made with the same bold flavors as mapo seasoning.
Reliable cabbage is cooked in the punchy sauce and then combined with store-bought baked tofu and roasted cashews for a salad that can also be eaten with rice.
Oyster mushrooms are a strong all-rounder in the kitchen, seeming to straddle both plant and meat worlds in what they look and taste like when cooked. Here they’re coated in a marinade my mother used to use when cooking Chinese food at home—honey, soy, garlic and ginger—and roasted until golden, crisp, and juicy.
This sauce is slightly magical. The texture cloaks pasta much like a traditional meat sauce does, and the flavors are deep and rich, but it’s actually vegan!
This dish is not only a quick meal option but also a practical way to use leftover phở noodles when you’re out of broth.
For the full effect, enjoy over a bed of rice with a pint of cold beer.
Any variety of mushroom will love this glossy, tangy sauce.
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.