Li Ying took out a sharp pair of small scissors. She first cut each shiitake mushroom into a long, coiled strip like a mosquito coil, then sliced them into one - inch segments. After wiping off the excess moisture, she dusted them lightly with cornstarch.
She then heated up another pan of vegetable oil and deep - fried the mushrooms twice. The batter became thin, light, and puffy. Then she drained the mushrooms and took them out of the pan.
The fried mushroom shreds were black and white, wrapped in a golden, crispy shell, looking just like deep - fried eel segments.
She sautéed shredded ginger over low heat, seasoned with soy sauce, pepper, sugar, and salt. She splashed a circle of vinegar around the edge of the pan to leave only the aroma of the vinegar without the sourness. Then she thickened the sauce with a thin layer of clear glaze.
While the sauce was still hot, she added the crispy "mushroom eel segments" to the pan and coated them evenly with the sauce. A dish of "Stir - Fried Mushroom Eel Substitute" that could almost pass for the real thing was ready.
"The most important thing about this dish is to use rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms. Only then can it have a unique, delicious flavor. If you use fresh mushrooms, they won't have enough toughness or fragrance," Li Ying said as she pushed the porcelain plate in front of the monks.
The mushroom eel substitute was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The batter soaked in the sauce had a slight chewiness, and the texture was very similar to that of well - fried, firm meat.
With the seasoning of ginger and vinegar, the taste of these "eel segments" was almost indistinguishable from the real thing. They not only looked alike but also tasted alike.
Although most of the monks had grown up in the temple since childhood and had never tasted meat or known what it was like, they could still tell that Li Ying's mushroom eel substitute was much more flavorful than their usual vegetarian dishes. One by one, they took a bite and unconsciously devoured the whole dish.
"Mushrooms already have a texture very similar to meat. After being fried, it's even harder to tell the difference. Following this method, you can make many different vegetarian dishes," Li Ying said. As she spoke, she selected a few other types of mushrooms. She sliced some into large pieces and some into small chunks, coated them with cornstarch, and fried them until crispy.
The long fibers of the hedgehog mushrooms were more suitable for mimicking the texture of lean meat. All you had to do was prepare a bright red sweet - and - sour sauce, roll the fried mushroom chunks in it, and sprinkle with toasted white sesame seeds. Then you had "Sweet - and - Sour Pork Tenderloin".
For the king oyster mushrooms, you peeled off the slightly tough outer skin, blanched them, squeezed out the water, coated them with batter, and fried them. The sauce was a "crab - flavored sauce" made by boiling minced ginger, Chinese vinegar, and vegetarian stock. Garnished with golden fresh chrysanthemum petals, a dish of "Crab - Flavored Mushroom Slices" was fresh and delicious.
"These vegetarian dishes made by mimicking meat with mushrooms are not very difficult to make, and the cost is low. Even ordinary people can enjoy them to their heart's content," Li Ying said. As she spoke, she cooked a pot of plain noodles. She fished them out and put them in the cooked vegetarian stock. Then she just had to blanch two small green vegetables, and a bowl of extremely delicious and rich vegetarian noodles was ready.
She heated up another pan, boiled freshly ground soy milk, sautéed salty bean paste until fragrant, and added it to the soy - milk base. She seasoned it with sugar and salt, then added sliced shiitake mushrooms, deep - fried tofu puffs, dried bean curd sheets, and shredded radish to the pan and cooked them together.
When the porous deep - fried tofu puffs were fully soaked in the rich aroma of the soy milk, she sprinkled a handful of shredded green vegetables for color and then fished in another serving of vegetarian noodles cooked over high heat.
This bowl of "Buddha's Light Vegetarian Noodles", white as snow, seemed to have ordinary ingredients, but the soup had a simple and comforting warmth. After taking a bite, one could feel an indescribable sense of comfort spreading throughout the body.
Li Ying washed her hands, looked at the stunned monks with a gentle smile, and said softly, "You senior brothers have daily tasks, so it's not convenient for you to spend all day in the kitchen. In my opinion, it would be best to mainly serve these two types of vegetarian noodles."
On the other hand, a small dining hall could be opened to serve vegetarian dishes that change according to the seasons. This should be enough to serve the pilgrims in the short term.
She had other elaborate, elegant, and time - consuming vegetarian dishes in mind. It would be better to introduce them grandly after the temple was renovated.
The monks never expected that Li Ying had planned everything so meticulously. Every dish she presented today was amazing, so they had no objections. They just looked at the abbot for guidance.
The old abbot smiled and chanted a Buddhist mantra. "Amitabha. Miss Li has been so dedicated. Everyone in the temple is deeply grateful. We will follow your arrangements."
Li Ying also put her hands together in a respectful salute and bowed to the old abbot. "Thank you, master, for your trust. It's getting late. I'll pay my respects to the Buddha and then go back. I'll carefully write down the recipes for the vegetarian dishes and bring them here myself."
After all, she was in this sacred Buddhist place. It would be disrespectful to the Buddha if she just passed by without paying homage.
The old abbot nodded and personally led her to the main hall.
The kneeling cushion in front of the Buddha statue was a bit old, with some frayed edges.
Li Ying was secretly glad that thanks to Qing Liu's disturbance, she had the opportunity to come and apologize and start this vegetarian - cuisine business.
She composed herself, put aside her distracting thoughts, and knelt on the cushion quite piously. She bowed three times. Just as she was about to get up, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a young novice monk carrying a thick stack of Buddhist scriptures and offering them in front of the Buddha.
Li Ying asked, "Are these scriptures copied by the senior brothers in the temple?"
She was just making small talk, but the old abbot beside her suddenly looked uncomfortable. He waved his hand at the novice monk, signaling him to leave quickly.
Li Ying was a very perceptive person. She immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Master, do you have some hidden reason that you haven't told me? I think I've been doing my best, only hoping to help the temple gain more popularity. But I didn't expect that you still seem to be on guard against me," she said, half - smiling, with her intelligent eyes fixed on the novice monk.
Seeing her like this, the abbot sighed softly and then motioned for the novice monk to bring the scriptures over. "Miss Li is so smart. There's really nothing that can be hidden from you."
Li Ying took the scriptures and stood there, stunned.
The characters in these scriptures were bold and powerful, clearly written by Lu Xunguang.
Wasn't he just recovering from a serious illness, physically and mentally exhausted, and entangled by Qing Liu, unable to extricate himself from her embrace?
"Mr. Lu came to the temple some time ago. He offered a thousand sea lamps and copied the scriptures a hundred times. He also provided vegetarian meals for the monks and paid homage to the Buddha," the old abbot said.
"He knew that Miss Qing Liu's actions had already disturbed the tranquility of the Buddhist temple. He kowtowed a thousand times, only hoping that if there was any divine punishment, it would fall on him alone and not be transferred to Miss Li."
After much thought, the old abbot finally told Li Ying what Lu Xunguang had done.
Only then did Li Ying realize that Lu Xunguang had even anticipated her idea of starting a vegetarian - cuisine business. He had asked the abbot in advance, which was why the abbot had agreed so readily.
As for the other monks in the temple, their initial slight hostility towards her was just because Lu Xunguang had repeatedly told them not to let Li Ying know about his secret good intentions.
Except for the abbot, no one else in the world knew about his scripture - copying and offering. But unfortunately, Li Ying had stumbled upon it.
"Miss Li, please don't mind the disrespectful behavior of the monks in the temple just now. Mr. Lu once said that with your ability, you would surely convince everyone in the temple," the abbot paused for a moment and then continued, "Now that you know the whole story, I'd like to say one more thing. Miss Li, cherish the one in front of you. Seize the day. Don't let the opportunity slip by."
Li Ying composed herself, thanked the old abbot, and then hurriedly took her leave. She went straight to find Lu Xunguang.