| Are you into vegetarian recipes? | | | | Bean Curd is soft, tender, nutritious and |
| How about trying out vegetarian recipes in | | | | affordable. It can be easily digested. |
| Chinese style? | | | | It promotes production of bodily fluid to reduce |
| Not sure what to use? | | | | dryness. It also reduces heat and removes toxins; |
| No worries! Here are five most commonly used | | | | reduces blood cholesterol and the risk of heart |
| ingredients you can use to create you own | | | | diseases; and reduces respiratory and digestive |
| Chinese style vegetarian meal! | | | | problems. |
| 1. Mushroom | | | | You can find Bean Curd in many forms - soft, |
| The mushroom you see here is actually the dried | | | | firm, dried, Bean Curd puff, Bean Curd skin (which |
| mushroom, which is also known as Black | | | | we will see next), Jelly form, fermented Bean |
| Mushroom, Chinese Black Mushroom or Dried | | | | Curd, smelly Tofu, and many more! |
| Flower Mushroom. | | | | Because of its wide variety, you'll find it almost in |
| It is an excellent ingredient to add taste and | | | | every meal, cooked in many different methods. |
| aroma to your dishes. It is also an excellent | | | | 4. Bean Curd Skin or Sheet |
| absorbent which takes in the taste and flavor of | | | | Bean Curd Skin, either in long stick form, or in |
| your cooking - thus giving you a pleasurable bite; | | | | sheet form, is as popular as Bean Curd. |
| exploding the splendor in your mouth as you | | | | This is because it can either be soaked and fry |
| chew! | | | | together with the vegetables, or cooked in soup, |
| Because of it's ability to add taste and aroma to | | | | or in sweet soup. And the sheet form can be |
| the dishes, it is commonly added into vegetarian | | | | used for wrapping in many recipes, e.g. Wanton, |
| dishes to add more flavor to the otherwise plain | | | | Chinese vegetarian sausage etc; or even used to |
| vegetables. | | | | create the popular Chinese vegetarian duck! |
| 2. Chinese Wolfberry | | | | Another indispensible ingredient for Chinese |
| These tiny red seeds has sweet and plain taste, | | | | vegetarian meals! |
| and has found its way into many Chinese soup | | | | 5. Bean Thread |
| and dishes. In fact, it is considered to be one of | | | | Bean Thread or Mung Bean Vermicelli which is also |
| the medicine used in Traditional Chinese medicine. | | | | known as Glass Noodles, Cellophane Noodles, or |
| It is also used to improve lung functions, | | | | Fenzi in Chinese or Fun See in Cantonese. |
| strengthen lower limbs, reduce headache and | | | | It is commonly used in many Asian countries, and |
| fainting, improve premature ejaculation etc. | | | | in particular - Chinese vegetarian dishes. |
| Current researches have proven that Chinese | | | | Althought it is a form of noodle, and may be |
| Wolfberry have anti-oxidant ability, increasing | | | | eaten as noodle, when these slender and |
| immunity, anti radiation, anti aging and other health | | | | gelatinous noodles are soaked, they become soft |
| effects. | | | | and slippery, springy and translucent. They're |
| It is commonly known to have helps improve | | | | almost flavorless, but they are a good absorbant |
| eye-sight. | | | | which absorb the taste of their accompanying |
| Because of its benefits, Chinese vegetarian | | | | sauce or broth. |
| practitioneer use it widely to enhance nutritional | | | | Because of that property, it is added into dishes |
| value of their meals. | | | | for more bite and flavor, and is commonly found |
| 3. Bean Curd (Tofu) | | | | in the famour vegetarian meal - Luohan Zai (The |
| Bean Curd was created by the Chinese, | | | | Dish of The Arahant) |
| accidentally, in the Eastern Han dynasty. Initially, | | | | So, here you are - the 5 most commonly used |
| only monks and priests ate them. However, | | | | ingredients which you can also use to create your |
| slowly it was accepted by the masses, and now, | | | | own Chinese vegetarian meal today! Enjoy your |
| it is an indispensible ingredient for most of the | | | | meal today! |
| Chinese meals, be it vegetarian or not. | | | | |