Chinese sauces

[Haniska]

Does anyone know if any of the sauces in chinese restuarants can be considered safe ie free of fishes? I'm dying to get back on the wagon!

[harpy]

Think you probably need to ask the people in the particular restaurant to be certain, and even then (as with any omnivorous restaurant) there's a certain amount of faith involved. However for what it's worth I've found fish sauce seems to be more of a problem in Thai restaurants (which are sometimes reluctant to leave it out of otherwise vegan dishes) than in Chinese ones.

Oyster sauce is obviously one to steer clear of in Chinese restaurants. It does exist in a vegetarian form but it seems to be unusual to find that version in restaurants.

[Haniska]

I had the idea that oyster sauce was an ingredient added to chinese sauces.

[harpy]

Yes, as I understand it oyster sauce is an ingredient in some, but not all, Chinese vegetable dishes. Often it's part of the description of the dish isn't it, e.g. our local restaurant lists broccoli in oyster sauce, but you would need to ask the particular retaurant in order to be sure it wasn't included in others.

As I said, though, I don't think it's as ubiquitous as fish sauce is in Thai restaurants.

There was an earlier discussion here:
http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=388

[Haniska]

Thanks harpy. Do you get Chinese Food and what do you get?

[harpy]

Depends on what's vegan in the particular restaurant, but Monks' Vegetables and plain rice seem to be reliable and fairly widespread! The ones here tend to have a variety of tofu dishes most of which are usually OK though some have meat in them as well

We are lucky here because there are some oriental buffet restaurants here in London that are completely vegetarian, which makes life a bit easier.

[Haniska]

I read the label of a bulk box of spring rolls with sauce the other day. The sauce contained anchovies! I was at Sam's club! They sell to restaraunts!

[Benji]

are you certain? I was under the impression that spring rolls are 100 percent vegan?

[Roxy]

Most of the store bought spring rolls that I've seen have egg product in them

[harpy]

Best to check before eating - I've come across ones with bits of chicken in as well unfortunately.

[Haniska]

I'm sure. It was the dipping sauce though.
Too bad you can't always check before ordering.

[Benji]

Best to check before eating - I've come across ones with bits of chicken in as well unfortunately.

Crap. Yeah, a place where i always ate spring rolls at, apparently chucks stuff into them randomly. I was eating one today and found a piece of chicken. You can imagine my surprise.

In another one there was a whole piece of pork.

Swell!

Oh well we all make mistakes i guess.....

Wasn't really my fault.

[Roxy]

That's gross Benji! Ew - I'm so sorry to hear that!

Do these Chinese restaurants think that we're human garbage disposals or something?