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What to eat

What is low carb Chinese food?

Chinese menus are full of low-carb dishes; they're just next to the rice. Steamed fish, roast meats and stir-fried greens are the section to order from.

Order steamed fish, roast duck or char siu, stir-fried greens with garlic, and any of the soups that are not thickened — then decide about the rice separately rather than accepting it as the base. Chinese cooking has an enormous low-carb repertoire; what makes a takeaway high-carb is usually the rice, the noodles, and the sweet thickened sauces on the dishes designed for a Western menu.

Best choices

  1. 1Steamed whole fish with ginger and spring onionOne of the best things on any Chinese menu and almost entirely protein — the sauce is soy and aromatics, not a glaze
  2. 2Roast duck, char siu, or soy chicken from the barbecue counterRoasted whole-muscle meat; ask for it without the sweet sauce on the side if you want it plainer
  3. 3Stir-fried greens — gai lan, choi sum, water spinach — with garlicReal vegetable volume cooked simply, and every Chinese kitchen does them well
  4. 4Steamed or blanched seafood: prawns, scallops, clams in brothProtein cooked in water or broth rather than batter or a thickened sauce
  5. 5Clear soups rather than thickened onesHot and sour and egg drop soups are thickened with starch; clear broths are not

Watch out for

  • Sweet and sour, orange, lemon and honey dishes are battered and glazed — the sauce is the dish
  • Rice and noodles are the base by default, not a side; they arrive whether or not you chose them
  • Thickened sauces use cornflour, so a 'plain' beef in gravy is not as plain as it looks
  • Crispy anything — crispy beef, crispy chicken, spring rolls — is coated and fried
  • Dim sum is mostly wrapped in dough; steamed prawn dumplings are still a wrapper

Also asked

Can you eat Chinese food on a low carb diet?

Easily, and more comfortably than most cuisines — Chinese cooking is built on steaming, roasting and stir-frying, and the vegetable dishes are real dishes rather than sides. The reason it has a reputation for being carb-heavy is the Western takeaway menu specifically: sweet battered dishes, fried rice and chow mein. Order from the steamed fish, roast meat and greens sections and the same restaurant becomes one of the easier places to eat.

What is the lowest carb Chinese takeaway dish?

Steamed fish, or roast meats from the barbecue counter, with a plate of stir-fried greens. Both are essentially protein and vegetables cooked simply. Beef or chicken with vegetables in a light sauce is close behind — the sauce carries some starch as a thickener, but the dish is still meat and vegetables rather than batter and glaze.

Is there low carb Chinese food beyond just skipping rice?

Yes, and that is the more useful way to think about it. Skipping rice removes the base but leaves you with whatever dish you chose — and if that dish is sweet and sour pork, the sauce is doing most of the work anyway. Choosing a steamed or roasted dish changes what you ordered rather than what came with it, which is the larger of the two decisions.

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