Luo han zhai

Buddha's delight is a popular dish both in numerous Chinese households and in Buddhist temples, since it is a vegetarian dish, often consisting of more than ten different types of vegetables which are cooked in soy sauce and spices until they develop a tender texture. Some of the more common vegetables used in the dish are bamboo shoots, black mushrooms, carrots, lotus seeds, water chestnuts, and cellophane noodles. Originally, the dish was a staple of Buddhist monks, as all of them are practicing vegetarians, but today, it is an international dish prepared in many Chinese restaurants, satisfying the appetites of vegetarians throughout the world. Buddha's delight is especially popular for Chinese New Year celebrations due to the Buddhist practice of maintaining a vegetarian diet for the first five days of the new year.