FRIED CELERY WITH ARROWROOT

This can be a vegetarian dish or a healthy dish with a combination of vegetables.  It is also a colourful dish, at least with five colours said to be good to keep our body healthy.   These days, most companies promoting health supplements will advise that it is good to eat food with a combination of colours [at least five] daily to stay fit and strong.

It is very convincing when you listen but how practical it is to follow is a big question. Anyway, I believe, so long as we eat a variety of food in a day [maybe at times according to the food pyramid], exercise regularly, keep ourselves active and rest well, we should be able to stay well and energetic.

Back to this dish, it has a good combination of ingredients. At times when arrowroot [Ngaku] is in season during Chinese New Year, and when not, you can add it or replace with pork tenderloin fillet.   I prepared this dish during the Chinese New Year for my hubby's siblings who are vegetarians.

Ingredients

2 stalks of celery – cut slantwise pieces

3 bulbs of arrowroot – skinned and sliced

1 red chilli – seeded and cut into pieces

Some black fungus – soaked

1-2 dried mushrooms – soaked and sliced

A handful of tofu puffs – cut halve

 ½ red carrots – sliced

A few slices of ginger and some chopped garlic

1 tbsp oil

Seasoning [combined]

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

½ tsp sugar

150 ml water or chicken stock

1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water

1. Heat up oil in a non stick pan, pan fry arrowroot slices until slightly brown, push aside, add in ginger slices, garlic and mushrooms.
2. Fry until fragrant, add in remaining ingredients except celery.  Stir well to mix and pour in seasoning sauce.
3. Bring to boil, add in celery.   Stir fry quickly and thicken with cornstarch water.
4. Dish up to serve.