Chinese Vegetarian Recipes

One of the world's most famous and sought-after cuisines, Chinese food has spread to all corners of the globe. Actually made up of a variety of regional cuisines that have different ingredients, preparations, and recipes, Chinese food has evolved throughout the centuries around the main food staple - rice. You will find rice at almost every Chinese meal (except in some northern provinces, where the staple is wheat) in some form, steamed, or made into noodles, dumplings or dough.

Sichuan recipes are known for their use of fiery chilis and numbing peppercorns paired with hot bean pastes, ginger, and garlic. Cantonese cuisine is the one with which Westerners have the most familiarity, using soy, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, and fermented black beans as main flavoring ingredients. A "bastardized" version of Cantonese cuisine shows up in "fast food"-style Chinese restaurants all across the West, belying the true depth and form of one of China's most revered regional fares.

Northern Chinese (or Peking-style) cooking incorporates the flavors of Mongolia, employing the famous hot pot, as well as distinctly Northern Chinese dishes, such as Peking duck. Soybeans, corn, and other grains are relied upon more heavily here than in the rest of China, and common seasonings include vinegar, garlic, cilantro, and salt. Beijing cuisine, as it is also called, lays claim to the most refined of China's recipes, with the some of the oldest and greatest recipes being created for the Emperor himself.

Chinese culinary influence extends well beyond its borders, with Sino-European fusion popping up all over the globe, insipired by internationally-minded chefs in locales such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Macau. Chinese recipes have a strong influence on the surrounding region, heavily swaying the cuisines of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and all of Southeast Asia.

Chinese food lends itself particularly well to vegetarian recipes, being the homeland of tofu and tempeh. Tofu can replace almost any protein in any Chinese dish or stir-fry, and many Chinese recipes were specifically created for vegetarians, with a portion of the country prescribing to a vegetarian diet due to their Buddhist or Confucian beliefs.

Check out the menu on your right for our list of Chinese vegetarian recipes!

Chinese Regional Recipes

Beijing (3)
Cantonese (2)
Hunan (1)
Shanghai (1)
Sichuan (5)