Vegan Bak Kut Teh + Iceberg Lettuce Side Dish 🍲🥬 😋

Indulge in a hearty herbal soup packed with flavors, mushrooms, and tofu puffs—a perfect dish to warm your body and satisfy your rumbling tummy! To complement the soup's warmth, my family always orders the iceberg lettuce with garlic oil and oyster sauce. Enjoy the recipe! 💚🌻

🍲 Bak Kut Teh:
1 vegan BKT herbal pack
1.5L water (more if needed)
1 garlic bulb, cleaned and peeled
200g enoki mushrooms, brown stems trimmed
200g shimeiji mushrooms, brown stems trimmed
200g shiitake mushrooms, each cut in half
1-2 cups tofu puffs (豆腐卜) & fried bean curds (豆边)
2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
Mushroom seasoning powder & salt to taste
Optional: Top with fuchuk

1. In a large pot, combine water, herbal pack, and garlic bulb. Bring it to a simmer and let it cook for 10-15 minutes to bring out the flavors.
2. In a separate pot, bring water to a boil and blanch tofu puffs and fried bean curds for 5 minutes to remove excess oil.
3. Add the blanched tofu puffs and bean curds to the large pot (step 1) along with all the mushrooms. Let them cook for 10-15 minutes.
4. Stir in the vegetarian oyster sauce and dark soy sauce. Taste and season with mushroom seasoning powder & salt according to your preference.
5. For deeper flavors, let the ingredients simmer longer. Otherwise, enjoy immediately with rice, the iceberg side dish, and Chinese fried dough (油炸鬼).

🥬 Iceberg Lettuce Side Dish:
- 1 head of Iceberg lettuce, core removed and leaves torn into large pieces
- 2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Oil for cooking
- 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce

1. Prepare garlic oil: In a small pan, heat about 3 tbsp of oil.
2. Add minced garlic to the cold oil and turn on the heat.
3. Stir occasionally to cook the garlic evenly.
4. Once the garlic starts to turn brown, remove it from the heat and set it aside.
5. Bring a pot of water to boil and blanch the iceberg lettuce for about 1 minute. Remove the lettuce as soon as it turns a darker green and drain out the water completely.
6. Plate the greens on a dish and drizzle 1-2 tbsp of garlic oil over them. Season with vegetarian oyster sauce.

Enjoy your meal! 😋