Vegetarian Peppercorn-Braised Mushrooms

Put the seasonings for the braising liquid – sugar, soy sauce, vegetarian fish sauce, vegetarian seasoning powder, lightly crushed green peppercorns, chopped chilli and ground pepper – into a bowl and stir until everything dissolves.
Only lightly crush the green peppercorns; crushing them too hard breaks them up. Lightly crushed, they give the braise a fragrant, tingly heat when cooked, whereas crushing them to a pulp can make them release a bitter taste.

Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the white sugar and stir with chopsticks until the sugar melts and turns a deep amber, then add the finely chopped leek and fry until fragrant. Then pour in the braising liquid and bring to the boil.

Add the sliced seitan, straw mushrooms and shiitake, and stir gently with chopsticks so they absorb the seasoning. Finally, lay 3 sprigs of green peppercorns and 5 red chillies on top to make it look pretty. Simmer over low heat for 15–20 minutes until everything is cooked, has absorbed the flavours and the sauce has thickened, then turn off the heat.
Buy ready-fried seitan. Trim the bases off the straw mushrooms and the stems off the shiitake, and carve the shiitake caps into a pattern for decoration. Soak both kinds of mushroom in lightly salted water for about 15–20 minutes before cooking to remove the mushroomy smell.

Vegetarian peppercorn-braised mushrooms are a rustic vegetarian dish with a light flavour that suits most people's tastes. The braised mushrooms become firm and pleasantly crunchy, fragrant and spicy with pepper, alongside the chewy, flavourful seitan. It's sure to give the whole family an appetising vegetarian dish that goes perfectly with rice. Save this mushroom braising tip for your full-moon or first-of-the-month meals!