Recipe - Vegetarian Liver

6 Dried Chinese blk mushrooms
2 3 x 2 x 1inch pieces tofu
cut into 1/2inch cubes
8 cup Water
1 tablespoon Canned preserved vegetable
(Szechwan, minced)
rinsed
5 tablespoon Cold water
2 tablespoon Seasoned Vegetable Broth
4 teaspoon Chili oil
1 tablespoon Brown bean sauce
1 One half teaspoon Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Soy sauce
One half teaspoon Oriental sesame oil
One half teaspoon Sugar
One half teaspoon Ground white pepper
2 tablespoon Vegetable oil
One fourth cup Finely chopped green onions
1 One half tablespoon Minced garlic
2 teaspoon Finely chopped fresh ginger
Three fourths cup Fresh or frozen peas; thawed
One fourth teaspoon Szechwan Peppercorn Powder

Cover mushrooms with hot water and let stand 1 hour. Drain; cut off stems.
Rinse caps well; squeeze dry. Cut into 1/8inch dice. Set aside.

Place tofu in large sieve. Bring 8 cups water to boil. Pour into metal
bowl just larger than sieve. Place sieve gently in water. Let tofu soak 30
minutes.

Drain tofu. Mix mushrooms and preserved vegetable in medium bowl. Mix 5
tablespoons water and next 8 ingredients in small bowl.

Heat vegetable oil in wok or heavy large skillet over high heat 1 minute.
Add green onions, garlic and ginger and stirfry 1 minute. Add mushroom
mixture and stirfry 1 minute. Stir broth mixture. Add to wok with peas and
stirfry until sauce boils, about 1 minute. Add tofu and toss gently to
coat with sauce. Cook 2 One half minutes, tossing gently. Divide between plates.
Sprinkle Szechwan powder over (recipe follows).

SZECHWAN PEPPERCORN POWDER: (Makes about 4 teaspoons) Heat heavy frying
pan or wok over mediumlow heat 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon whole Szechwan
peppercorns and stir until aromatic, about 4 minutes. Transfer to blender.
Cool 10 minutes. Blend to a fine powder. Store at room temperature.

Source: Bon Appetit, November 1988. Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini