Non-spicy food and Vegetarian Food recommendation in Chongqing
Hello everyone! Chongqing, my hometown, is an incredibly unique and fascinating city that should definitely be on your travel bucket list. However, I know some of you might be hesitant, particularly if you're not a fan of spicy food or meat-heavy dishes. This post is especially for those of you interested in visiting Chongqing but worried about finding vegetarian or non-spicy options. I'll share some general tips and a few special dish recommendations to help you navigate the delicious world of Chongqing cuisine.
While Chongqing, and the entire Sichuan region, is renowned for its fiery flavors, especially hot pot, it's worth noting that Sichuan cuisine wasn't always this spicy. Chilies were only introduced to China from South America relatively recently. And, a little secret – even I can't handle too much spice! So, think of this list as my personal collection of delicious finds that cater to a milder palate.
Generally speaking, any noodle restaurant you can tell the owner/cook that you don't eat spicy, and since the food is made fresh, they will adjust it for you. if you are vegetarian, you can just oder Xiaomian (小面，small noodle), it is the classic chongqing noodle you have to try. The basic version does not have meat.
A. My favorite non-spicy dishes:
Sauerkraut and Shredded Pork Noodles/Rice Noodles （酸菜肉丝面/米线）
Three Fresh Rice Noodles （三鲜米线）
sweet and sour shredded pork (yu xiang rou si, 鱼香肉丝)
Sauerkraut fish pot (suan tang yu, 酸汤鱼）
steamed pork ribs（fen zheng pai gu, 粉蒸排骨）
braised pork belly with preserved vegetable (my personally favorite favorite. 烧白）
deep fried pork (酥肉）
B. My favorite mildly-spicy dishes:
mapo tofu （麻婆豆腐）
twice cooked pork （回锅肉）
braised pork belly with garlic sauce （蒜泥白肉）
C. My favorite vegetarian dishes:
rice with fresh silky tofu (豆花饭)
Stir fry napa cabbage/potato with a bit vinegar (醋溜白菜/土豆丝）
Sauteed water spinach ( 清炒藤藤菜）
mapo tofu （麻婆豆腐）some restaurants top it with some ground pork, you can just tell them no meat.
D. Vegetarian restaurants. If you want to try a only vegetarian food restaurant, there some options too. Since i am not a vegetarian, I had to do some research about this topic, on Xiaohongshu i found the following vegetarian restaurants that looks decent. If you have been to Chongqing and already have experience on vegetarian food there, can you please share your suggestion? 素（su) means vegetarian.
su yi xiang vegetarian buffet (素颐香）
pu ti su (菩提素)
shan jue xing su (山觉行素）
Hua yan si Buddhism vegetarian restaurant. (This place is located inside the temple, the entrance to the temple is free. search 华岩寺 to find the temple)
I put the name in Chinese in the back so you can just show the owner or cook what you want and you can also search it online yourself to take a look. Hope this post will encourage more people to visit Chongqing.
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