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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 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!
 Although I’m not vegetarian, I’ve been virtually living as one for the last seven years. As my vegetarian 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. 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 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 vegetarian section (mock vegetarian cuisine)
- any Chinese vegetables stir-fried in garlic and ginger, such as do miao (pea shoots), gai lan (Chinese broccoli) and baby pak choi
 Of course, I don’t want 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. When I finalise my list of restaurants and eateries, which is already very long and needs some thorough editing, I’ll post it in case anyone needs the information too. It won’t be for a while though…
Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide |
