Vegetarian recipes from China

Meatless Chinese cooking rests on a simple base: a neutral starch, rice or wheat, and a soy protein that takes on the flavour of the sauce. Rice becomes a long simmered porridge, as in vegetable congee, while wheat becomes leavened filled dough, as in vegetable baozi. The fat is a neutral oil heated very hot, and the aromatic base comes down to three things, ginger, garlic and spring onion, joined by soy sauce, black vinegar and rice wine. Tofu imitates nothing: it works as a sponge, as in vegan mapo tofu, where it soaks up fermented broad bean paste and Sichuan pepper.

A meal is not built as a starter followed by a main course: several dishes arrive together and are shared around rice, which stays central and deliberately plain. The aim is balance between textures and between tastes, which is why a sharp, hot dish such as cabbage with vinegar and chilli sits beside a soft one such as garlic sauce aubergines. Buddhist practice left behind an old and codified vegetarian repertoire, of which Buddhas delight is the best known example, with its dried mushrooms, bean thread noodles and dried lily flowers.