Easy Vegetarian Balut

Prepare the ingredients
Cut the firm tofu into pieces about 1-5 cm thick. Rinse the mung beans thoroughly in water. Soak the shiitake mushrooms in warm water for about 10 minutes, then rinse well and drain. Trim off the stems and cut the mushrooms into slices about 0.5cm thick.

Peel and finely chop the shallots. Pick off any old leaves from the Vietnamese coriander and wash it. Cut the nori sheets in half, then cut them into four rectangles. Wash the banana leaves as well and cut them into rectangles.

Prepare the tofu skin
Trim off the edges of the tofu skin. Then cut it into rectangles or squares and rinse.

Fry the shallots
Once the shallots are chopped, heat a pan and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the shallots and fry until evenly golden.

Season the fillings
In a small bowl, mix 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, ¼ teaspoon of MSG and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Then put the mung beans in a bowl with half of the fried shallots and ½ of the seasoning mix.

Put on gloves and mix well. In another bowl, combine the shiitake mushrooms, firm tofu and the remaining fried shallots and seasoning. Toss gently so the tofu doesn't break up.

Wrap the vegetarian balut
First, roll the shiitake mushrooms up in a piece of nori to form the shape of the duckling. Next, take about 1 tablespoon of the mung bean mixture, roll it into a ball, flatten it and wrap it around the nori-wrapped mushroom, then place it in the centre of a piece of tofu skin. Add 1 piece of firm tofu on top, then roll it all into an egg shape with your hands.

Finally, wrap it in another piece of tofu skin, then wrap the egg in 2 pieces of banana leaf and tie it with string to hold it in place. That completes the shaping of the vegetarian balut. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up.

Steam the eggs
Once all the vegetarian balut are shaped, it's time to steam them. Bring about 1 litre of water to the boil in a pot. When it boils, turn the heat down to medium, set the steamer basket on top and add the eggs.

The finished dish
Steam the vegetarian balut for about 1 hour and your irresistible eggs are ready. Take them out, cut away the banana leaves and enjoy with everyone.

Enjoy
Vegetarian balut isn't too complicated to make and tastes wonderful. The eggs have a chewy outer layer, a rich, nutty mung bean filling and sweet, chewy shiitake mushrooms. Serve them with Vietnamese coriander and a salt, pepper and lime dip to make them even more delicious.