Chinese food is loved by many because of the sauces and their unique recipes. If you are someone who either loves Chinese food or would love to explore Chinese food but you are vegetarian. So we got the list of vegetarian Chinese recipes for you so you could cook them by yourself. Also, you can add salt or spices as per your taste so that it gets even better. Let’s have a look at the 15 best vegetarian Chinese recipes that are easy and good in taste too:
Table of Contents
Vegan gyoza recipe (Boiled)
- Chop the cabbage finely, then season with salt. Allow for a 10-minute rest period before squeezing out any excess moisture. Meanwhile, chop the bamboo, shiitake mushrooms, and chives finely.
- Squeeze the tofu to remove any extra moisture and break it into a basin. Mirin, soy sauce, and sesame oil are used to season. Squeeze the cabbage to remove any excess liquid before adding it to the tofu bowl. Add the remaining chopped veggies, as well as the minced ginger and garlic. After that, add potato starch, salt, and pepper to taste. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and season to taste.
- Place one tablespoon of filling in each wrapper. Fold the sides inside until they are completely sealed (see photos/video). Keep covered on a tray or plate sprinkled with potato starch. Continue with the remaining wrappers (makes about 30-35).
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, then add the gyoza to the pot. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until they begin to float to the surface.
- Serve with a dipping sauce of your choosing, such as rice vinegar sauce, soy sauce, chilli sauce, or a combination of the three.
Steamed Bao buns recipe
- Bring the water to a boil, then add the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes, or until frothy, after mixing thoroughly.
- Mix in the remaining sugar, oil, and 1 cup flour thoroughly.
- Knead in 1 cup of flour at a time until a soft dough forms.
- Knead for 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth.
- Place the dough in a well-oiled, covered container for an hour or until it has doubled in size.
- On a well-floured surface, knead the dough and divide it into little balls.
- Each ball should be rolled into a rough circle with a thick middle and thin edges.
- Drop some filling in the middle, then gather the dough around it to encase it and squeeze the borders together.
- Place the buns on a parchment-lined steamer plate or a bamboo steamer that has been properly greased.
- Allow for a 10-15 minute rising time for the buns.
- Steam buns for 10-12 minutes in boiling water.
- Serve immediately.
Fillings:
- Heat the oil in a wok and add the chopped onion and serrano pepper.
- Continue to mix in the green bell pepper and ginger. Cook for 3 minutes on high heat.
- Cook for 5 minutes on high heat with the veggies. Intermittently stir.
- Continue to whisk in the stir fry sauce and sugar.
- Cook for another 2 minutes on high heat, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Chinese dough fritters (Youtiao)
- Combine sugar, instant dry yeast, and 1/4 cup water in a mixing bowl; set aside to ferment for 5 minutes.
- In a mixing basin, sieve wheat flour, then add 1/2 cup water, salt, and the following ingredients; knead into a smooth dough and cover with a cloth for 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle with baking soda, knead the dough until smooth, and leave to ferment for another 15 minutes.
- Cover the dough with 1 tbsp vegetable oil, knead well, and cover for 30 minutes; repeat once more.
- Cover for another 30 minutes after rolling out the dough into a long rectangle dough sheet.
- In a skillet, heat the oil and slice the dough sheet into wide strips.
- Form a dent in the middle of one dough strip with a soaked bamboo skewer; stack another dough strip on top and press a dent in the middle with a chopstick; pinch both ends, lengthen the stacked strips, dip into the hot oil, roll it with a pair of wooden chopsticks, fry until golden brown, remove and drain on paper towel. Rep until all of the dough strips have been used.
- Serve now.
Steamed Yam cake
- Over medium heat, heat the oil and add the diced shiitake mushrooms and daikon. Stir-fry until everything is nicely mixed.
- Stir in the cubed yam for 5 minutes, or until it begins to colour.
- Stir in the seasonings until everything is fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, thoroughly combine all of the ingredients listed under the batter above. Stir until a smooth batter develops.
- Slowly pour the batter into the wok via a sieve.
- Over low heat, constantly stir. Turn off the heat when the batter begins to thicke
- A spherical metal steaming tray should be greased.
- Pour the yam mixture over the top and level it up.
- Bring the water in the steamer to a boil, then set the steaming tray on top of it.
- Cook for 35 minutes on high heat, or until done.
- Remove the steamer basket from the steamer and set it aside to cool. Before serving, sprinkle with fried shallots, chopped spring onions, sliced chillies, and toasted white sesame seeds.
Spicy sweet potato
- Wash the sweet potato, then cut it into thin strips with a mandolin, immediately immersing the cut potato strips in cold water to prevent oxidation. Garlic and Vietnamese chilis should be minced, and dried chilis should be chopped using kitchen scissors. Remove the seeds from the jalapenos and cut them into long strips. Finally, finely chop the scallions and set them aside.
- In a big skillet, heat some oil on high. Stir in the garlic, Vietnamese chilis, and dried chilis until the garlic is fragrant. Drain the potatoes and combine them with the jalapeos and chilli peppers in a large mixing bowl, swirling to coat all of the potatoes with oil.
- Turn the heat down to medium. Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, and vinegar in a small saucepan and pour over the cooked potatoes. Toss the potatoes once more to coat them in some of the sauce.
- Cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring every 2-3 minutes to ensure that all of the potatoes get a chance to brown on the bottom of the pan. You can tell if they’re done by tasting them. Turn off the heat and stir in the scallions when they’re done. If preferred, serve over rice while still heated.
Crispy tofu recipe
- Cut the tofu into 1/2 cubes and place them in a gallon Ziploc bag.
- Soy sauce and maple syrup are used to marinate the tofu. The combination aids in charring the tofu and imparting a lovely caramelised flavour.
- Drain the entire amount of liquid. Shake the bag to coat it with cornstarch. Cornstarch is essential for a crispier crust.
- In a large pan, shallow fried the tofu.
Vegetarian noodles
- Prepare the Noodles according to the package directions. If the noodles you are using are pre-cooked, clean them by pouring hot water over them and then rinsing them with cold water before using them.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and add some oil. When the pan is hot, add the cabbage first, then the red pepper and carrots, followed by the shiitake mushroom, and finally the noodles. Pour in the sauce, close the lid, and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes.
- After 6-8 minutes, the liquid should have been absorbed into the noodles, and everything should be mixed.
- Increase the heat to high and continue to cook the noodles for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Drizzle on Homemade Chilli Oil, which is optional but very recommended.
Eggplant string bean
- Heat the oil in a flat-bottomed frying pan over medium heat and shallowly fry the green beans. Slowly roll the beans around until they get wrinkled and slightly crunchy.
- Using the remaining oil in the pan, repeat the process with the eggplant, but on higher heat. When the edges are slightly browned and the eggplant is tender, it’s done. Take the eggplant and green beans from the pan and set them aside.
- In a pan over a moderate flame, add one tablespoon of the remaining oil. Cook for a minute after adding the ginger, garlic, and red chilli. The green beans and eggplant are added last, followed by the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, and white pepper. Serve after a quick stir-fry.
Zucchini pancakes
- Clean the zucchini and pat it dry with a kitchen towel.
- Using the coarse grate side of a box grater, shred the zucchini. Combine the grated zucchini and 3/4 teaspoons of salt in a large mixing basin.
- Allow 15 minutes for visible zucchini juice to form at the bottom of the bowl, which we will save. 2 chopped scallions, 14 teaspoons ground white pepper, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 12 teaspoon sugar, and around 12 cups of all-purpose flour should be added now.
- Add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time if you need extra flour. The completed batter should resemble ordinary breakfast pancake batter in appearance.
- Now, heat a flat-bottomed pan over medium heat, lightly oil the bottom, and pour some batter into it. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and cook for 3 minutes on each side, or until softly golden brown. Repeat until all of the batters has been utilised.
- Serve with a simple soy dipping sauce, chile oil, or any other condiments of your choice!
Garlic broccoli fry
- Set aside the broccoli after it has been washed. To make a slurry, combine the cornstarch and water in a mixing bowl and whisk with a spoon until completely dissolved. Garlic should be minced.
- In a wok, bring roughly 6 cups of water to a boil, then add the broccoli. To stop the cooking process, blanch the broccoli for one minute, rinse, and place it in cold water.
- Preheat the wok to high. Add the oil, garlic, broccoli, and wine to the wok once it is extremely hot. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, which should happen quickly due to the high heat.
- Give it another short swirl with salt, white pepper, and sesame oil. As the water separates after a while, ensure your cornstarch slurry is still well-mixed. Half of the slurry should be added now, and the sauce should thicken until it coats the back of a spoon. If the slurry isn’t thick enough, add more. Plate and serve immediately!
Cabbage glass noodles
- 2 small bundles of dry glass noodles, soaked for 5 minutes in cold water until slightly Drain the glass noodles and cut them in half lengthwise. Remove from the equation.
- Thinly slice the cabbage. 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 12 teaspoons dark soy sauce, 12 teaspoons black vinegar, 12 teaspoons ground white pepper, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 14 teaspoon sugar, and 12 cups water combined to make the stir fry sauce.
- In a wok, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Cook the garlic and ginger until the garlic is gently browned. Turn the heat to the highest level and add the cabbage. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes, or until the cabbage has wilted slightly. Add the dried chillies to the pot.
- Combine the prepared sauce and the glass noodles in a mixing bowl. Stir and combine everything thoroughly, lowering the heat if the dish becomes too dry and threatens to burn. Season with salt and pepper, then toss in the scallions. Serve after a last stir to mix everything.
Chilli bamboo shoots
- Using cold water, rinse the bamboo shoots. Drain thoroughly. You can pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel to make sure they’re completely dry.
- Add the chilli oil or Chiu chow oil to taste and transfer to a bowl. Chiu chow oil has a garlicky flavour, whilst our chilli oil has a more pure spicy flavour. We prefer to use only the oil, skimming it off with a spoon to avoid acquiring too much chilli flake. You may make it smooth or thick.
- 1 pinch of salt, 14 teaspoon sesame oil, 18 teaspoons white pepper, and 14 teaspoon sesame oil You can change the quantity to your liking.
- Stir to blend, then set aside for 10-20 minutes to allow the flavours to merge.
Sweet & sour tempeh
- Gather the ingredients for the tempeh.
- To soften the tempeh, braise it in a skillet with vegetable stock and soy sauce for 10 minutes.
- In a skillet, cook the tempeh in vegetable broth and soy sauce.
- Remove the meat from the pan and set aside the braising liquid to make the sweet-and-sour sauce.
- Cook the tempeh in olive oil in a separate skillet over medium-high heat until browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Preparing the Sauce
- In a saucepan, whisk together the reserved pineapple juice, brown sugar, vinegar, and cornstarch with the reserved braising liquid. Over medium-high heat, bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.
- Continue to mix the peppers and onions into the sauce until it has thickened.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the braised tempeh cubes and pineapple chunks until cooked through.
- Serve over rice, couscous, or another whole grain.
Vegetarian potstickers
- Drain the tofu and crush it into cubes. Vegetables should be washed and prepared. Combine the tofu, remaining ingredients, and seasonings in a mixing bowl.
- In front of you, place one of the gyoza wrappers. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with your finger dipped in water.
- Fill the wrapper with a heaping teaspoon of the filling.
- To close the gyoza wrapper, fold it over the filling and pinch the corners together.
- In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, carefully add the dumplings and fry till golden brown on high heat (about 1 minute). Add 1/2 cup of water and cover the dumplings without flipping them over. Cook for 1 minute to simmer the uncooked filling, then cover and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Serve the potstickers with dipping sauce (potsticker dipping sauce or soy sauce combined with minced ginger) on the charred side.
Bok choy and mushroom
- Collect the necessary components.
- In a wok or big skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes after adding the mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes more after adding the soy sauce, bok choy, and scallions.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the veggie broth. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the bok choy is crisp-tender.
- Finally, remove from heat and mix in the sesame oil and optional sesame seeds. Taste and adjust the seasoning with extra soy sauce if necessary.
