What Vegetarian Chinese Food To Order
Jul 27th, 2008 by admin
What do Chinese restaurants offer the discerning vegetarian? I’ve been giving this a lot of thought lately, because we’re going on a two week trip to Hong Kong, Macau and Beijing this October, and I’m going to have to do some serious research to find suitable eateries for the vegetarian husband.
I’ve been thinking about all the Chinese restaurants we’ve visited in London, and what dishes he particularly enjoys, so that I can find similar (or far better!) ones in China. Although I lived in Beijing for two years and have visited Hong Kong many times in the past, it’s been over a decade since my last trip, and I never had to worry about feeding a vegetarian before!
Although I’m not vegetarian, I’ve been virtually living as one for the last seven years. As the husband enjoys cooking and preparing all our lunches and dinners, I’m served delicious vegetarian food all day long. When we eat out, which isn’t very often, I’ll eat as much meat as I can take in one sitting. It’s tricky though, when it comes to finding vegetarian dishes in Chinese restaurants.
It took a while for my Cantonese family to adjust to his diet, as they found it hard to understand the concept, and he would be regularly offered chicken and seafood, neither of which seemed to constitute ‘meat’ in their minds. After many family meals and endless explanations, he is now served separate vegetarian dishes and often has to defend his food from the rest of us!
But vegetarian dishes in Chinese restaurants are a different matter. Nearly twenty years ago, I would eat Chinese food with my best friend, who was both Indian and vegetarian. We mostly stuck to the same things time and time again – tofu, and vegetables stir-fried in garlic and ginger (or preserved bean curd). It was hard to find anything really interesting in London’s Chinatown back then.
Over the last year or so, husband has come across various dishes in London that he enjoys, including:
- Pearl Liang‘s sautéed bean curd with assorted mushrooms in black bean sauce and assorted vegetable fried crispy noodles
- Yauatcha‘s salt and pepper silken tofu , a substantial portion of pieces of tofu deep fried and served with crispy bits and chopped chilli, hand-pulled noodle with shimeji mushroom and beancurd roll with enoki and cloud ear
- Hakkasan‘s stir-fry black pepper vegetarian chicken with sugar snap, which is part of their superb Zai Choi or mock vegetarian cuisine section
- any Chinese vegetables stir-fried in garlic and ginger, such as dou miao (pea shoots), gai lan (Chinese broccoli) and baby bak choi, or morning glory stir-fried with fermented bean curd
Of course, I don’t intend to visit vegetarian restaurants for two whole weeks, as my plan is to eat all kinds of weird and wonderful things in China. On the hand, a starving husband in a bad mood wouldn’t be the ideal travel companion. So I’ve started researching restaurants that will cater for vegetarians properly, but where I can also eat beef noodles, roast duck, seafood and other culinary delights.
I’d like to try a good zai restaurant once though, as I find mock duck particularly tasty if done properly. And an additional problem is what to eat when we’re travelling on the Beijing to Hong Kong express train. That’s two very long train journeys…
I’ve been browsing through Beijing-based Diana Kuans’ Appetite For China, Savour Asia and Chowhound’s China board, which is full of recommendations from local foodies. Time Out launched their weekly magazine in Hong Kong this year, so that will come in handy. I’ll also be turning to Hong Kong-based Cha Xiu Bao and Siu Mai. And I can’t wait to visit Goldfinch, being a huge Tony Leung fan! Of course, I’ve also been asking Hong Kong-based family and friends for advice.
Meanwhile, any suggestions and recommendations in Hong Kong, Macau and Beijing would be most welcome! They don’t have to be specifically vegetarian…
[UPDATE: Here are the three preliminary lists.
The two week foodie trip was subsequently written up as Postcards in November and can be found under Food & Travel - China].
Check out the Useful Info page for more informational posts on Chinese food.
Hardest part in China is that most restaurants cook using pig fat instead of oil, and a lot of vegetable dishes still have bits of meat in them. I tend to mostly eat at Muslim restaurants–try laohu cai for a great spicy veg dish.
For a nice restaurant in Beijing, try Restaurant of Hakka (I’ll look for business card for address later, but it was a little east of Forbidden City). Not sure if the Days Inn that moved across the street will influence the quality though.
Yes, I know! I try not to talk about that too much. It’s the same with dim sum, which is why it’s so tasty… Thanks for the Beijing recommendation, I’ll try and find it. I have an aunt who is Hakka, though I know very little about Hakka food, so it will be interesting to visit it. Have fun on your HK trip!
Helen Yuet Ling
I found it hard in HK. Most of the veggie restaurants that I found had unappealing food. I would eat in ordinary restaurants. At first they did not understand “vegetarian”. Then someone suggested I tell them that I am Buddhist. They do understand that and I had some wonderful mushroom dishes with the wonderful array of Chinese mushrooms and fungi, and tofu dishes, as well as many many vegetable dishes.
There is a wonderful vegetarian Indian in Kowloon in Lock St – Brantos. Wonderful food. Look up the address before you go, if you do, because it is on the first floor and hard to find from the street.
Also, in Soho there is a wonderful vegetarian western food place with rooftop dining. I will look for the address.
And finally, just sometimes, after weeks in HK, I would ache for some non-Cantonese food. Hard to imagine I know. I would just want a wonderful green salad. And I could get it in the pubs in Soho. Great food there, and salads to die for.
There is a great vegetarian restaurant in Yau Ma Tei called ‘Evergreen’ – I used to eat their often with colleagues, and as an avowed carnivore never felt I was missing out. Very delicious.
Here is a link I refer to when entertaining vegetarians in HK:
http://www.happycow.net/asia/china/hong_kong/kowloon/index.html
Hope this helps!
Really sorry to say I can’t find my stash of business cards from around China, which includes the restaurant in Beijing. Just looks for the Days Inn in the hutong neighborhood and it should be across the alleyway.
Also, be sure to try the Xinjiang barbecued eggplant–best eggplant I’ve ever had. No meat added.
VegeYum Ganga – thanks for the tips! I’d like to avoid going to any specifically vegetarian restaurants! Husband will have to make do with what I find suitable either on the menu or by asking the staff. Although we will go to a zai restaurant (at a temple probably) for some monks’ food. As you found out, Buddhist food can be delicious!
DSD – that’s useful to know, especially coming from a fellow carnivore! thanks also for the link, which I will check out…
China-Matt – don’t worry about the address, I’m sure my friends will know where it is. Xinjiang barbecued eggplant sounds heavenly. Thanks for that tip!