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 every Chinese meal in some form, steamed, or made into noodles, dumplings or dough.

Szechuan 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 most Westerners are familiar with, using soy, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, and fermented black beans. A "bastardized" version of Cantonese recipes show up in "fast food"-style Chinese restaurants across the West, belying the true depth and form of one of China's main 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.

China's food culture extends well beyond the major regional varieties, and even its borders, with European fusion popping up in places like 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 to to their Buddhist or Confucian beliefs.