Celebrating the best of Chinese produce and flavour, these traditional plant-based dishes bring takeaway classics to your own kitchen
Recipes & food stylingYANG LIUPhotographyKATHARINA PINCZOLITS
Stir-fried aubergine with green beans
A popular home dish from Hunan province, this recipe traditionally uses native yard-long beans, but green beans work perfectly here.
PREP TIME: 15 MINS COOKING TIME: 15 MINS SERVES 2
• 300g aubergine, sliced 4cm long & 1cm wide
• 90ml rapeseed oil
• 200g green beans, cut into 3cm lengths
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp vegan oyster sauce
• 1 spring onion, sliced
1. Fill a saucepan with hot water and place a steam rack in the pot (the water level should not be higher than the steam rack).
2. Place the aubergine on a plate on the steam rack, cover with a lid and let it steam over a high heat for 5 minutes.
3. Heat a wok over a medium-high heat and, once hot, add 60ml of the oil. Add the steamed aubergine, stir for a few minutes until it’s slightly brown and cooked, then remove.
4. Add the remaining oil and the beans and stir for a few minutes until they’re slightly brown and cooked.
5. Add the garlic and stir for one minute, before adding the soy sauce and vegan oyster sauce, stirring for 1-2 minutes until the sauce has been mostly absorbed by the aubergine, then add the spring onion to finish.
Spring onion potato pancake
With a similar taste and texture to hash browns, this pancake is very aromatic and crispy. Salt is sprinkled on the pancake after it’s done, as if it’s added before, it will make the pancake soggy.
PREP TIME: 10 MINS COOKING TIME: 10 MINS SERVES 2
• 500g potatoes, peeled & thinly grated
• ½ tsp ground sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tsp five spice
• 1 spring onion, cut into short lengths
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
• ½ tsp salt
1. In a large bowl, combine the grated potato, sichuan peppercorns, five spice, spring onion and cornflour.
2. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and, once hot, add the oil. Let it heat up a little then add the seasoned potato, using a spatula to form it into a flat pancake.
3. Fry for around 3–5 minutes until the bottom of the pancake is golden and crispy, then carefully flip it to pan-fry the other side.
4. Once both sides are golden, remove the pancake from the pan, sprinkle with the salt and
