How To Order Chinese Food Dot Com

Vegetarianism is not widespread in China, and with cooking variances from region to region, restaurant to restaurant, and even cook to cook, there is no way to be sure what you ordering will be completely meatless unless you ask. The following dishes should give you a good start, but be sure to tell the waitress 不放肉。我吃素 (bu2 fang4 rou4. wo3 chi1 su4) which means "don't add meat, I'm a vegetarian." Note, even if you ask for food in this matter, it is likely your dish was cooked in the same wok, and possibly the same oil as a meat dish minutes earlier, which may or may not be a problem depending on your degree of vegetarianism. The following dishes can all be cooked without meat, and are great for veggies and carnivores alike. Click here for a printable copy of this guide..
	麻辣豆腐	ma2 la4 dou4 fu2	Mala Tofu is a well-known Sichuan dish consisting of little more than cubes of tofu stir-fried with hot peppers and Sichuan peppers. If you can't take spicy food, don't even bother.
	家常豆腐	jia1 chang2 dou4 fu2	The Chinese have a multitude of methods for cooking tofu, and the interpretation of Homestyle Tofu is often up whoever is behind the wok. Common recipes call for ingredients such as green peppers, wood ear mushroom, and onions, all cooked together in a thick, brown sauce.
	红烧日本豆腐	hong2 shao1 ri4 ben3 dou4 fu2	Red-Cooked Japanese Tofu is not a Japanese dish, but rather a Chinese dish made with tofu made with egg extract. Red-cooked Japanese tofu is another dish whose intricacies can be left up to its preparer, but usually includes ingredients similar to Homestyle Tofu.
	干煸土豆丝	gan1 bian4 tu3 dou4 si1	Spicy Sichuan Style Potato Slices is probably the closest thing to french fries in Chinese food, except they are spicy, very spicy.
	酸辣土豆丝	suan1 la4 tu3 dou4 si1	Hot and Sour Potato Slices is quite simple and usually cheap. It typically consists of no more than potatoes, hot peppers, vinegar, and a dash of salt, sugar, and MSG.
	干遍四季豆	gan1 bian4 si4 ji4 dou4	Spicy Sichuan Style "4 Season Beans" are cooked the same as Spicy Sichuan Potato Slices, but with green beans instead of taters.
	红烧茄子	hong2 shao1 qie2 zi3	"Red Cooked" Eggplant
	鱼香茄子	yu2 xiang1 qie2 zi3	Don't let the name confuse you. Like "Smells Like Fish Pork," "Smells Like Fish Eggplant" tastes nothing like fish. Instead the eggplant cooked in a thick, sweet, and slightly spicy sauce, with onions, peppers and possibly small pieces of pork. If you are a veg, be sure to tell the server 不方肉 (bu2 fang4 rou4).
	鱼香茄子堡	yu2 xiang1 qie2 zi3 bao3	essentially the same as "Smells Like Fish Eggplant" but cooked in a pot and with more sauce
	西红柿炒蛋	xi1 hong2 shi4 chao3 dan4	Stir Fried Egg and Tomatoes is exactly what it sounds like. It is to China what the peanut butter and jelly sandwich is to America, and can be found in nearly any Chinese restaurant.
	韭黄炒蛋	jiu3 huang2 chao3 dan4	Eggs can be quite versatile in Chinese cooking, and are usually served stir-fried with an accompanying vegetable such as in Stir Fried Egg and Chinese Leek.
	炒青菜	chao3 qing1 cai4	No Chinese meal is complete without a token leafy vegetable and 炒青菜 is a general term for Stir-Fried Green Vegetables. Just ask for 炒青菜 and you will get the default vegetable of the day. For more options, consult the leafy vegetable page.
	醋溜大白菜	cu4 liu1 da4 bai2 cai	Bok Choy, which in Chinese is called "big white vegetable," has a tendency to suck up flavor better than green leafy vegetables and Sweet and Sour Bok Choy takes advantage of this by calling for liberal usage of vinegar and sugar. If you like spicy food, ask for it with hot peppers (加辣椒 jia1 la4 jiao1).
	炒空心菜	chao3 kong4 xin1 cai4	Stir-fried Chinese Water Spinach is available mainly during the summer months. Try asking for it with extra garlic (多方一点大蒜 duo1 fang4 yi1 dian3 da4 suan4).
	四川泡菜	si4 chuan1 pao4 cai4	Sichuan Pickled Cabbage makes for an excellent cool appetizer. Don't be fooled by the cold temperature. This dish is quite spicy.
	凉拌金针菇	liang3 ban4 jin1 zhen1 gu1	Enokies are like mushrooms' take on bean sprouts. Served cold, and topped with scallions, they make a great cold appetizer.
	拨丝香蕉	bo1 si1 xiang1 jiao1	Fried Bananas in a Sweet Sauce makes for an excellent dessert. Literally the name means "hand moved string bananas." and comes from the long strings of sauce which hang off the pieces of banana once lifted of the plate with chopsticks.
The following are dishes in which the main ingredients are vegetarian but also contain small amounts of meat.
	麻婆豆腐	ma2 po2 dou4 fu	The division between Mala Tofu and Mapo Tofu can sometimes be up to the discretion of the cook, but in the technical sense, Mapo Tofu should come with meat, and Mala Tofu should be vegetarian.
	干锅烟笋	gan1 guo1 yan1 sun3	(Hunan) Sizzling, spicy, baby bamboo with bits of pork, cooked in a dry wok and topped with scallions
	酸豆角炒肉沫	suan1 dou4 jiao3 chao3 rou4 mo4	Processed beans with mashed up pork, often comes with hot peppers. To make sure it is spicy (recommend) tell the server 我要辣椒 (wo3 yao4 la4 jiao1)