MEATLESS DISH-STIR FRY LOUFAH WITH TAU SEE

One lovely meatless dish to savour.  Loufah is a sponge gourd, high is potassium, dietary fibre and sugar.  It is a quick cook vegetable which has a natural sweetness when cooked and high water content.  It is not necessary to add water when frying loufah as it releases liquid when is cooked and soft.

This dish is aromatic, tasty and a tinge of spiciness with the dried chillies and ginger.  Great to serve with rice or porridge.  Lovely dish cooked vegetarian style.  It is alright to use dried prawns  as substitute for mock dried prawns.  Notice the liquid in the dish? 

Ingredients

1 medium size loufah [about 400 gm] - remove the green hard skin, cut into wedges

some red carrots - peeled and cut slices

2-3 dried red chillies - cut small sections and soaked to plump up, drained

some chopped ginger and garlic [I loved more for additional aroma]

1 tbsp dried fermented black beans [tau see] - rinsed and drained

2 tbsp vegetarian mock dried prawns [optional]

1-2 tbsp oil

Seasoning

1 tbsp mushroom sauce

1/2 tsp salt to taste

1/4 tsp mushroom stock granules

1. Prepare the ingredients as mentioned above.
2. Add oil to a non stick wok, put in mock dried prawns.  Turn to low heat, stir fry until golden brown [very quick].  Dish up, leaving oil in wok and set aside.
3. Using the same wok and oil, add in ginger, garlic, dried chillies to fry until aromatic.  Add in tau see and stir fry to mix well.  Dish up.
4. Using the same wok, put in loufah and red carrots.  Continue to stir fry until loufah is tender.  Return fried ginger, garlic ingredients.  Sprinkle some water, continue to fry until loufah is soft and cooked through.
5. Dish up, garnish with fried mock dried prawns.
6. Serve hot.