Dietary Considerations

Vegetarian and vegan Chinese food guide

Vegetarian · Vegan · Hidden animal ingredients

Vegetarian Chinese ordering is often possible, but dish names are unreliable. A vegetable dish can contain oyster sauce, meat broth, lard, dried shrimp, egg, or shared fryer risk.

Hidden animal ingredients

Ingredient Where it appears
Oyster sauce Vegetable dishes, broccoli, gai lan, mushrooms, noodles, and brown sauces.
Fish sauce / dried shrimp Some southern, coastal, and Southeast Asian Chinese dishes.
Meat broth Soups, congee, hot pot broth, sauces, braises, and noodle soups.
Lard Pastries, stir-fries, rice dishes, and old-style preparations.
Egg Fried rice, egg noodles, batters, bakery items, custard buns, egg tarts.
Dairy Bakery items, custards, Hong Kong cafe dishes, some modern desserts.

Ordering approach

Ask whether a dish can be made without meat, seafood, oyster sauce, fish sauce, meat broth, lard, egg, and dairy. For vegan ordering, ask about all of these, not only visible meat.

Vegetarian Indian Chinese food

Indian Chinese food has unusually strong vegetarian ordering patterns, including gobi Manchurian, veg Manchurian, chilli paneer, crispy baby corn, vegetarian Hakka noodles, veg fried rice, and Jain adaptations.

Indian Chinese Food Guide

A dedicated guide to Indian Chinese menus, Kolkata and Tangra, Hakka noodles, Schezwan sauce, Manchurian dishes, chilli dishes, soups, street food, and ordering patterns.

Indian Chinese Menu Guide

How to read dry starters, gravy mains, noodles, fried rice, soups, sauces, and vegetarian options on Indian Chinese menus.

Tangra and Kolkata

Why Kolkata and Tangra are central to the history and geography of Indian Chinese food.

Related pages

Practical vegetarian ordering