Category Archives: Vegetarian

Chard (红厚皮菜) with black mushrooms

Posted on January 13, 2014 by TastyAsia

Chard is a sturdy, leafy vegetable that comes in various colors. Red chard (红厚皮菜, hóng hòu pí cài), cultivated in southern China, is especially beautiful with deeply green leaves and strikingly red stems. It tastes quite bitter when raw but … Continue reading →

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Garlic chives (韭菜) with bean sprouts

Posted on June 23, 2013 by TastyAsia

Here we have a great recipe for garlic chives (韭菜, jiǔcài), also known as Chinese chives or Chinese leeks. They grow into long, thin shoots with a delicious garlicky taste which pairs well with earthy vegetables or basically any meat. … Continue reading →

Posted in Garlic chives, Recipes, Stir-fry, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged Asia, Asian food, China, Chinese chives, chinese food, flowering chives, garlic chives | 2 Comments

Long beans (长豆角) with wood ear mushroom slivers, dried chiles, and Sichuan peppercorns

Posted on June 19, 2013 by TastyAsia

Long beans (长豆角, zhǎng dòujiǎo), also called yard-long beans or asparagus beans, are a staple in southern China. Thankfully, their popularity is growing worldwide as well. The beans tend to be a bit thinner and softer than the traditional Western … Continue reading →

Posted in Long beans, Mushrooms, Recipes, Stir-fry, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged Asia, Asian food, China, chinese food, long beans, mushrooms, Sichuan, Sichuan peppers | 1 Comment

Stir-fried chicory (菊苣)

Posted on March 19, 2013 by TastyAsia

Chicory (菊苣, jújù) has only recently arrived in China. Your best bet for finding it is in markets and hotels that cater to Western guests. Still, it’s a tasty herb with a pleasant bitterness that adapts well to traditional Chinese cooking, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicory, Endive, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged Asia, Asian food, chicory, China, chinese food, endive | Leave a comment

Grilled zucchini with chili garlic sauce

Posted on February 23, 2013 by TastyAsia

Vegetables are often done best when they’re done simply. This recipe brings out the fresh taste of zucchini, which is made deeper and richer by grilling and then given a bit of snap with chili sauce. There are many different types … Continue reading →

Posted in Grilling, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Zucchini | Tagged Asia, Asian food, Asian grilling, chili sauce, grill, grilling, zucchini | 4 Comments

Green beans with Tianjin preserved vegetable (天津冬菜)

Posted on February 9, 2013 by TastyAsia

For this recipe, I used thin green beans (actually French haricots verts), which have the diameter but not the length of Chinese long beans. Long beans, also known as yard-long beans (豆角, dòu jiǎo), are ideal for this dish. Long beans have … Continue reading →

Posted in Green beans, Long beans, Recipes, Stir-fry, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged Asia, Asian food, China, chinese food, Green beans, long beans, Tianjin, Tianjin preserved vegetable, yardlong beans | 1 Comment

Stir-fried spinach with shrimp paste and Thai peppers

Posted on January 14, 2013 by TastyAsia

Here’s another easy and comforting recipe. I served it alongside a braised pork dish, and the spiciness of the spinach contrasted quite well with the natural sweetness of the pork. Begin with lots of fresh spinach, about a half-pound per … Continue reading →

Posted in Recipes, Spinach, Stir-fry, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged Asia, Asian food, chiles, China, chinese food, Chinese stir-fry, shrimp paste, spinach, stir-fry, Thai chiles, Thai peppers, wok | Leave a comment

Asparagus with sesame seeds

Posted on October 30, 2012 by TastyAsia

This Japanese recipe is another one that is perfect for its simplicity. In fact, it will almost take you longer to read this and look at the pictures than to actually cook it. All you do is blanch some cut … Continue reading →

Posted in Asparagus, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged asparagus, China, chinese food, Japanese food, suribachi | 1 Comment

New potatoes with soy sauce and spicy bean sauce

Posted on October 29, 2012 by TastyAsia

This is another simple recipe. The potatoes will come out soft and flavorful, and will be all the better for their simplicity. You can easily scale the recipe up or down depending on how many people you are serving and how … Continue reading →

Posted in Potatoes, Recipes, Stir-fry, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged China, Chinese, chinese food, Lao Gan Ma, potatoes, potatoes and soy sauce, soy sauce potatoes, spicy bean paste | 1 Comment

Cucumber with homemade black bean garlic sauce

Posted on September 29, 2012 by TastyAsia

Cucumbers are almost always eaten raw here in the United States. In China, however, they’re almost always cooked, either stir-fried or boiled (as in this recipe). Cooking them gives them a rounder and more subtle flavor, but they still taste … Continue reading →

Posted in Cucumber, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged Asia, Asian food, black bean garlic sauce, China, chinese food, cucumbers, 蒜蓉豆豉酱, 豆豉 | 1 Comment