This vegetarian food guide is an easy to use reference guide. It offers an accessible introduction to the wide variety of foods available to those following or considering a vegetarian diet. There are entries for fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, which provide information on how to choose and the nutritional value and how to prepare each food.
Bamboo shoots and water chestnuts: The two queens among mixers are bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. They act as catalysts, marrying the flavors of whatever they’re paired with, without having much of a flavor of their own. It is its texture that is perfect. Bamboo shoots work especially well in stir fry mixes (chao) or in stews (mun). Sliced water chestnuts are a desirable ingredient in chop suey, making the difference, in fact, between a mediocre vegetable dish and a very fine one. Chopped water chestnut is great in meatballs and even better paired with chopped shrimp.
They are followed by Chinese dried mushrooms (and to a large extent fresh ones); because, like bamboo shoot, they mix well with just about anything in chao, mun, and jeng (steamed) dishes. By the way, European dried mushrooms can be used instead of Chinese or Japanese ones; but our homemade fresh mushrooms, to the oriental taste, lack flavor.
Green beans, peas, green bell pepper, broccoli, onion, asparagus tips, rutabaga, and cabbage work well as add-ins to chao dishes.
Peas are a good ingredient with chao-style minced meat and in fried rice (chow fan). Green peas can be added for color.
Turnip and eggplant are an excellent addition to meat or fish stews such as carp, turbot, halibut and cod. Soybean curd is another very good ingredient in fish stews.
Bean sprouts are essential in chop suey and chow mein, and they work just as well with any thinly sliced or shredded, sautéed meat.
Onions, like bean sprouts, are essential in chop suey and are good in chao dishes with thinly sliced or shredded beef, lamb, lamb, pork or veal.
Pickled gai choy, the mustard plant, is most appetizing with thin strips of sautéed beef.
