2 pieces of dried gluten (kaofu)

3 pieces of dried mushroom

5 pieces dried wood ear (muer)

1/2 of a bamboo shoot, poached, drained, and sliced thin

1 handful of Spanish peanuts, boiled for no more than 5 minutes

4 scallions, cut into 2 cm pieces

3 slices of ginger

1 star anise

4 to 5 Tbs light soy sauce

2 Tbs rice wine

2 to 3 Tbs sugar

Soak the dried gluten and the wood ear in tepid water for at least two hours (but no more than 12 hours). After the gluten has been soaked, cut it into bite size squares and squeeze out water; use paper towels or a wash cloth to soak up any excess water. Then, deep fry the gluten until slightly brown.

Cut each piece of wood ear in half, or more if the pieces are too big.

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice wine and sugar. You can adjust the seasoning to your own liking, this is just an approximate guideline, I just eyeballed it.

Heat 2 Tbs cooking oil on medium flame, add the ginger and scallion.

When the fragrance of the ginger and scallion comes out, add the rest of the ingredients: mushrooms, wood ear, gluten, peanuts and the seasoning. Add just enough water to cover all your ingredients.

Bring it to a boil, then reduce the flame to simmer for about 30 minutes. Just before serving, turn up the flame to reduce the remaining liquid and allow it to thicken a bit more.