We've been in China for about 10 days now and it has been so wonderful being back in our apartment, reconnecting with friends (local and foreign) and filling our bellies with delicious, authentic Chinese food.
Usually I share a week of plant based meals on Wednesday, but today we're going to focus solely on Chinese food. While the food in our city is amazing, we usually don't eat out very often due to the oil and salt content which often leaves us feeling pretty "bleh". This past week, however, we've eaten out quite a bit as we've been trying to reconnect with friends. I love to host, but eating out this first week has been a must as our pantry and fridge were both pretty empty.
I didn't document all the meals we've eaten, but here are some delicious highlights. I hope you enjoy seeing snippets of the authentic, Chinese food in our city!
Meal #1
Our friend treated us to lunch at her Aunt's new coffee shop--which is also a restaurant--and this restaurant may be my new favorite place to eat! It was the least oily meal I've ever had in our city and everything was so simple, yet flavorful. As you'll see in some of these photos, meat dishes are often ordered. I just stick to the veggie dishes and pass on the meat ones. Sometimes, if there aren't any fully vegetarian dishes ordered, I'll pick veggies out of meat dishes. Being flexible is what makes a plant-based diet sustainable for me!
My favorite part of this meal was definitely the potatoes, which we dipped in a local blend of dried chili, and the passion fruit juice!
Meal #2
Yet again, another friend treated us to dinner. If you can't tell in this photo, we are all one sweaty mess and Harper started to lose it after this photo was taken. She was still dealing with jet lag and the heat definitely affects her...as it does all of us!
This meal was eaten at our most visited restaurant. It's a larger, well known restaurant in our city that sells lots of the classic Chinese dishes like Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐), Fish Flavored Eggplant（鱼香茄子), Kung Pao Chicken（宫保鸡丁), etc. We usually love every dish we eat from this restaurant and this evening was no exception!
Meal #3
This third meal was actually home-cooked by my old teacher and fellow foodie friend. She invited us over to lunch a few days after we got back into town and Brett and I were both really excited to spend time with her and eat her cooking. She's quite the chef and I've learned so much from her in regards to Chinese produce and cooking!
She prepared four different dishes for us and I got to watch and learn as she cooked. She even helped me overcome my fear of okra and it may be one of my favorite vegetables now! All of these dishes were prepared using the classic stir-fry method...just with lots more oil than I'd ever use!
Snacks
The produce is so fresh and cheap here so we've often been eating fruit as snacks. I've also enjoyed a baked sweet potato as a snack when I needed something heartier.
If you'd like to learn more about authentic Chinese snacks, check out my 11 authentic Chinese snacks post!
I'd love to know if you guys enjoyed seeing more of the Chinese cuisine I eat here in our city. Let me know, have you even been to China? Have you ever had authentic Chinese food?
jac says
As your husband's favourite dish included bacon I assume he is not vegan? I just assumed he was.. my niece is vegan and now her partner is too!
Faith says
Nope, he's not vegan. But thankfully he eats whatever I cook in the house and enjoys eating vegan at home. At restaurants he does often eat meat, but is starting to choose more plant based options! Thanks cool about your niece! It's nice to have a partner who eats the same way!
Emily Swanson says
I love how your friend helped you overcome your fear of okra. I've never cooked it. I would love to learn! Also, all the food looks SOOO good. Oriental food is probably my favorite food in the whole world, and I love that you get to experience so much of Chinese culture through the food. And can I just say that Harper's eyes look so much like Bretts?
Faith says
We really are blessed to live in an area with such amazing cuisine! And it's fun to learn about new-to-me vegetables and cooking techniques. Maybe one day you can visit Asia! And so many people say Harper looks like Brett...she just needs a beard!
Arlene says
This was great to see the foods! Can you post recipes?
Arlene
Faith says
I hope to share how to make more authentic Chinese dishes soon! I have a few on my blog, but want to share basic home-style chinese cooking recipes too. Stay tuned!