Chinese Vegetarian Cooking

The art of Chinese vegetarian cooking is more then just bean curd (tofu). Vegetarian cooking in China dated back a long time. What can be used in Chinese vegetarian cooking? The Chinese have had centuries to perfect vegetarian dishes, from sweet and sour to hot and spicy. The mainstays of Chinese cuisine (rice, noodles, tofu and vegetables) are all present in vegetarian cooking.

For cooking with tofu - bean curd, see our cooking with tofu - bean curd page

Braised Assorted Fungus

Ingredients:

• 50 grams (3 1/2 tbs) button mushrooms
• 50 grams (3 1/2 tbs) straw mushrooms
• 50 grams (3 1/2 tbs) abalone mushrooms
• 2 dried mushrooms
• a few small pieces golden fungus
• a few small pieces black fungus
• a few small pieces white fungus
• 20 grams (about 1 1/2 tbs) dried lily flowers
• 50 grams (3 1/2 tbs) carrot
• 50 grams (3 1/2 tbs) sweet peas/pea pods
• 1 tsp rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 tbs oil
• Stock:
• 500 ml (2 1/8 cups) water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 slice ginger
• 1 stalk spring/green onion
• Seasoning:
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 300 ml (about 1 1/4 cups) vegetarian stock
• Thickening:
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1 tbs water
• 2 tbs oil for stir-frying

Wash and soak the dried mushrooms, fungi and dried lily flowers. Slice the carrot. Wash the sweet peas, and parboil for 1 minute. Drain. Rinse the remaining mushrooms.

Boil the vegetarian stock. Add the yellow fungus, black fungus and the dried lily flowers and cook for 5 minutes. Drain. While the fungus and dried lily flowers are boiling, prepare the seasoning and the cornstarch mixture. Set aside.

Heat wok and add 1/2 tbs oil. When oil is ready, add the carrots and sweet peas and stir-fry on high heat. Remove and set aside. Heat 1/2 tbs oil in the wok. When oil is ready, add all the mushrooms and stir-fry on high heat for 1 minute. Remove and set aside.

Heat 1 tbs oil in the wok. When oil is heated, add the fungus, dried lily flowers and the rice wine and seasoning. Braise for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and braise for another 5 minutes.

Add in the carrots and sweet peas, stirring. Give the cornstarch/water mixture and add in, stirring to thicken. Serve hot.

Steamed eggplant and tofu on brown rice

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 eggplant, cut into thick slices (700g)
• 300g silken firm tofu, cut into thick slices
• 1/4 cup salt-reduced soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1/3 cup unsweetened apple juice
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1 sheet nori (seaweed), cut into fine shreds with scissors, optional

Method

Cook the brown rice in 1 liter of boiling water for 30 minutes or until soft. Drain well.

Put soy sauce, mirin and apple juice in a pan, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes until sauce is reduced by half and alcohol is cooked off. Arrange eggplant and tofu on a large heatproof plate, pour 3 tbss of sauce over eggplant, place plate in a bamboo steamer and cover. Place steamer over simmering water in a wok, making sure base of steamer does not come in contact with water. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until eggplant is tender.

Drizzle eggplant and tofu with reheated sauce, and sprinkle with green onion and shredded nori. Accompany with brown rice.

Chinese white cabbage with fried tofu

• Chinese White Cabbages – 200g
• Carrot – 50g
• Dried Mushroom (Soaked) – 100g
• Japanese Tofu – 1 pack
• Golden Mushroom (Packed or Fresh) – 50g
• Garlic – 15g
• Oil – 3 tbs
• Light Soya Sauce – 1 tbs
• Corn Starch – 1 tbs
• Salt
• A little water

Method

Peel the White Cabbage to get individual stalks. If you prefer to have it as a whole plant, then don’t peel the individual stalks. Cut open the Japanese Tofu, and cut across into small cylindrical pieces. Cut the Carrot into thin slices. Chop the Garlic finely. Mix Corn Starch and Light Soya Sauce with some water. Set aside as item A.

Cure the Japanese Tofu with Corn Starch and set aside as item B. Heat up the oil, and fry the Tofu until it is golden yellow in color. Set aside as item C. Heat up some oil; add in item C, Carrot, Soaked Mushroom, Golden Mushroom, Salt and Light Soya Sauce and fry until it is cooked.

Next, on a separate pan/wok, heat up some oil and fry the Garlic until you can smell the aroma. Add in the Chinese White Cabbages and stir fry until it is cooked. Garnish it around the Tofu to make it appears like a casing or pot.

Stir fried vegetarian meat cakes

Ingredients

• Soft Bean Curd – 400g
• Chinese Turnip – 30g
• Dried Lily Flower – 10g
• Black Jelly Fungus – 10g
• Pickled Cabbage with Chilly – 10g
• Bamboo Shoot – 10g
• Cornstarch – 25g & 1 tsp
• Sesame Oil – ½ tsp
• Vegetarian Oyster Sauce – 1 tablespoon
• Light Soya Sauce – 2 tsp
• Water – 200ml & 1 tbs

Preparation

Squash the Soft Bean Curd and set aside. Finely chop the Chinese Turnip, Dried Lily Flower, Black Jelly Fungus, Pickled Cabbage and Bamboo Shoot. Mix all this with the squashed Bean Curd evenly. Add 25g of the Corn Starch into the mixture and mix evenly. Set this aside as item A.

Mix Vegetarian Oyster Sauce, Light Soya Sauce and Water (200ml) and set aside as item B.

Mix 1 tsp of Cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of Water and set aside as item C.

Method

Take a handful of item A, and make it into cookie shape. Smear it with Cornstarch. Repeat for the rest of the A to get around 10 pieces of the ‘meat cakes’. Heat up some oil and fry the ‘meat cakes’ until it is golden brown. Set aside as item D.

Heat up some Oil, and add in item B to boil. Then add in item C and Sesame Oil. Finally, add in item D to cook for a very short while. Ready to serve.

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