How to Cook Simple and Delicious Vegetarian Offal Porridge

How to prepare Vegetarian Pork Intestine Porridge

• 1

  Prepare the mushrooms

  You soak 20g of dried shiitake mushrooms and 20g of dried wood ear mushrooms in water for about 30 – 60 minutes. After soaking until soft, the mushrooms are drained in a basket to remove excess water.

  The wood ear mushrooms only need to be rinsed briefly after soaking, but for the shiitake mushrooms, you need to cut off the stems since they are usually very tough. After cutting off, rinse the mushrooms thoroughly with clean water multiple times.

  Proper way to soak shiitake mushrooms:

  • Method 1 (soaking to expand): Soak the mushrooms in water for about 1 – 2 hours, then rinse with clean water and drain before cooking. To expand the mushrooms faster, you can soak them in warm water at 60 – 80 degrees Celsius, and after 7 – 10 minutes, the mushrooms will expand.
  • Method 2 (boiling the mushrooms): Rinse the mushrooms briefly with clean water, then boil them in a pot of boiling water for about 3 – 5 minutes.

  Note: No matter how you prepare them, you should gently rub the mushrooms with your hands to remove all dirt, then squeeze out the water and let them drain before cooking.

  Proper and safe way to soak wood ear mushrooms:

  • When choosing dried black fungus, you only need to soak it in cold water until it expands, up to a maximum of about 3 hours. If soaked too long, the toxins in the mushrooms will increase, especially the morpholine which appears more over time.
  • Absolutely do not soak in hot water because hot water will stimulate the toxins in the wood ear mushrooms, causing food poisoning.
  • After soaking, you only need to rinse thoroughly with cold water.

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Stir-fry the filling

  First, place a pan on the stove and add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan and wait for the oil to heat up. Then, add 1 teaspoon of minced lemongrass and 1 teaspoon of minced shallots to the pan to sauté until fragrant.

  Add 50g of vegetarian ham and 100g of fresh tofu cut into small pieces along with shredded wood ear mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms into the pan. Stir well for about 2 minutes until the mixture is fragrant, then add 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of vegetarian seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and 1 tablespoon of vegetarian fish sauce. Stir the mixture for another 5 minutes before turning off the heat.

  Add 50g of cooked green beans with skin and 50g of peanuts along with the chopped Vietnamese coriander into the mixture. Mix well for 2 minutes, then add 2g of dry vermicelli and continue to mix for about 5 more minutes before stopping and letting it cool for 15 minutes.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Vegetarian Sausage Wrapping

  First, prepare a piece of banana leaf, then take a piece of dried tofu skin that has been soaked until soft, cut it into a square, and place it on the banana leaf.

  Next, add about 200g of filling onto the tofu skin, spread it evenly, and press it tightly so that the filling sticks closely to the tofu skin.

  Then, roll the tofu skin up and wrap it with a piece of banana leaf on the outside, and cover it with a layer of plastic wrap to secure the sausage when steaming.

  Use string to tie both ends of the vegetarian sausage tightly, to prevent water from getting inside, which could make the sausage wet and mushy. Continue until all the filling is used.

  Tip: To make the vegetarian sausage more beautiful and firmer, you should press the filling inside tightly so that it sticks closely to the tofu skin.

  

  

  

  
• 4

  Steaming Vegetarian Sausage

  Prepare a steamer or use a pot to steam the previously wrapped vegetarian sausage. Steam for about 20 – 30 minutes.

  

  

  
• 5

  Fry vegetarian intestines

  After steaming, take the vegetarian intestines out and remove the outer banana leaf. Then, place a pan on the stove, add the remaining cooking oil, and heat it until hot. Add the vegetarian intestines to the pan, frying for about 5-10 minutes until golden brown, then turn off the heat.

  

  

  

  
• 6

  Roast and cook rice

  First, place a pan on the stove and add 100g of rice to roast for about 5 – 10 minutes. When the rice turns a light yellowish color, it’s done. After roasting, rinse the rice with water until it’s clean.

  Then, add the rinsed rice to a pot along with vegetable broth at a ratio of 300ml of water to 100g of rice. Cook for about 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to let the rice expand on its own. Cook for another 15 minutes, then turn off the heat.

  

  

  

  
• 7

  Sauté mushrooms and tofu

  Heat a pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and the prepared green onions into the pan. Next, add 150g of straw mushrooms and 150g of white tofu to sauté together. With 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vegetarian seasoning, and 1 teaspoon of vegetarian fish sauce, stir evenly for about 5 minutes for the seasonings to be absorbed.

  

  

  

  
• 8

  Completion

  You add the sautéed mushrooms and tofu into the pot of porridge and stir well. Cover the pot and wait for the porridge to boil.

  You can take the vegetarian sausage out and cut it into small bite-sized pieces. When the porridge boils, you should skim off some of the foam to make the porridge look clearer and more appealing. You can also add some green onions and cilantro to enhance the flavor.

  You ladle the porridge into a bowl and garnish on top with a few pieces of vegetarian sausage, a few bean sprouts, a few sprigs of cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. That’s it, you’re done.

  

  

  

  
• 9

  Final Product

  The vegetarian sausage porridge after cooking has a fragrant smell and a rich sweet flavor. The vegetarian sausage is chewy on the outside and creamy and fatty on the inside, extremely enticing. This vegetarian porridge is perfect for those who need to nourish their bodies.