This is my dream cookbook. I really struggle to find useful vegetarian cookbooks, but this one really hits the spot. All the recipes look delicious, they are well set out and easy to follow.

I love the guidance given at the beginning of the book regarding tools and ingredients. I have not ventured forth to make anything yet so I cannot give an opinion of the veracity of directions for recipes. I won’t lie, I am daunted to make most of these recipes. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t really know what to expect out of this cookbook, but I half-expected it to be a bit gimmicky. And it definitely, definitely wasn’t.

I’ve complained before about vegetarian cookbooks that are just trying to replicate meat dishes but with tofu, and this is definitely not that. Instead, this cookbook encompasses a wide range of dishes incorporating not just tofu, but mushrooms and all sorts of vegetables, Chinese and otherwise.

And if you’re worried about this cookbook catering to white taste, it definitely doesn’t. While instructions are clear and I already have a list of recipes I’m ready to try, this is definitely a cookbook meant to show you how to cook Chinese recipes. And I love that!

I absolutely recommend this if the intersection of niche cooking interests sounds like what you’re looking for.

Bonus points for a gluten-free dumpling skin recipe!

I received a free copy of this book in exchangr for an honest review. I have been scrolling through the pages looking at all of the recipes I want to try! They look delicious and I can't wait to try a bunch!

I regularly cook Chinese food and was excited to see a book of vegetarian recipes, perfect for these more plant based times. The book is well structured and there are veggie options of old favorites such as wonton, congee, sticky rice and noodle dishes. I loved the Sichuan salt and pepper tofu a great alternative to a meat based dish.
There are also some great notes embedded in the books - the one covering desserts and wine was enlightening, however the section for An Ode to Soy Sauce was excellent, with tasting notes for a variety of soy sauce brands. Genius.
Recommended and my thanks to Netgalley and Sasquatch books for access to the ARC.

Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food is a plant based tutorial and recipe guide for vegetarian Chinese dishes curated and developed by Hsiao-Ching Chou. Due out 19th Jan 2021 from Sasquatch Books, it's 272 pages (print edition) and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is a graphically appealing, well written, and accessible cookbook with an array of vegetarian recipes to appeal to most tastes. I really liked the layout and formatting of this cookbook. The introduction covers the basics, with a good overview of tools, ingredients, techniques, and supplies (which might not be familiar to many western cooks). The recipes which follow are arranged roughly thematically: dumplings (the author is a -virtuoso-), dim sum & small bites, soups & braises, stir-fry, steamed dishes, rice and noodles, tofu, eggs, and salads and pickles. There are a number of gluten-free recipes included (including pot sticker dough!), and these are clearly delineated. As the "egg" recipe section implies, not all the recipes are vegan-compliant. There are some lacto-ovo vegetarian recipes, but they too are clearly labeled. Many of them could be adjusted to become vegan friendly.

Each recipe has its ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. Measurements are given in US standard only. (There's a metric conversion chart in the back of the book). Special tools and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and cooking directions. The ingredients are mostly easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery or international foods store. Nutritional information is not provided.
The recipes and tutorials are well photographed in color. The serving suggestions are very well styled and give visual cooks information about presentation and serving (especially important for cooks who are not familiar with Asian dishes). Essential info, alerts, facts, tips & answers are highlighted in text boxes. The final release version of the book will include an index.

The author's gentle encouragement and wit shine through in the tutorial texts. I am convinced she'd be a really gifted teacher and it would be a lot of fun (and enriching) to be able to take a cooking workshop from her.

Five stars. There are a large number of really tasty recipes here. We've tried a number of them at home and they've all been tasty and error free.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

One of the best cookbooks I've read! I found many recipes I've already tried and loved and discovered even more that I cant wait to try. I love how the author includes a list of all the ingredients explaining what they are and where to find them. That makes this book very beginner-friendly. I can't wait to start cooking!
(I read and reviewed this book for free through NetGalley)

A great clean book with great vegetable recipes. Loved how everything was explained, wished there would have been way more pictures. Overall a great book for cooking great chinese recipes.

Yummy! I think my mouth watered reading every single one of these recipes. It is tough to find good vegetarian Chinese food and this book definitely gave me a handful of new recipes to hold onto. I am so excited to make these delicious dishes!

I enjoyed and have cooked multiple recipes from Chinese Soul Food, this book's non-vegetarian pairing. The recipes are spot on, and although I haven't cooked anything from Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food, I completely trust Hsiao-Ching Chou's recipe writing.

That said, these recipes are almost all what I'd describe as "project" cooking--lots of ingredients that might take some work to source, and lots of assembly or work to do, especially in the case of the dim sum chapter.

For the average home cook, this book has wonderful instruction included, but depending on the commitment of the cook, it might not be frequently used. I appreciate an option that uses less meat, and I'll be trying out some of these recipes when I get a chance.

𝗩𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱: 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀, 𝗧𝗼𝗳𝘂, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗛𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗼-𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝘂
This book had so many recipes!! The recipes mix so many different vegetables creating unique flavors. This book will be my best reference for Chinese cooking. 
The book also explains different noodles used in the cooking, the maintenance of wok that will be used in the cooking and so many other details that will help any one to cook. I did try a few recipes after i got the book and can confirm it tastes yummy
The book is for vegetarians, vegans, eggaterians. There is also an explanation how to include meat in the recipes if you want to!
Thank you publishers and netgalley for my copy!

As a vegan this book is perfect for me I absolutely love it, the author gives an in-depth description of the different types of veg, spices, soya sauces, fish sauces etc used in Chinese recepies and further into the book there are the most amazing veggie recepies... great book and would love to get the hard copy, it would be a worthy edition to my veggie cook book collection.

It is so nice to see a vegetarian followup to this author's last cookbook, one that welcomes non meat eaters in for tasty, authentic Chinese food. You can tell she teaches others how to cook because her recipes include multiple ways of adapting or using equipment/ingredients on hand. An entire section on dumplings include making the dough from scratch! It's an impressive addition, but you will most likely need a place where you can buy specialized ingredients to make the more authentic versions of some of these dishes.

This is an excellent guide for anyone wanting to approach true Chinese cooking at home. The book is beautifully laid out allowing both the informed and uninitiated use the book with ease. I used to test recipes as a home cook for a national food magazine prior to publication. I know where pitfalls can happen with recipes., These are flawless. Ingredients are photographed and described to inform the used of the best way to select and use the product as well as what to anticipate of it's inclusion in each dish. Instructions are clear and concise and never intimidating. The dishes are lovely and will make both vegetarians and as well as meat eaters happy and satisfied. All cookbooks should be this well out. It is a vision for the eyes and a true sensation for the mouth!

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hsiao-Ching Chou's first cookbook, Chinese Soul Food, will always be my favorite cookbook to refer to, and Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food is no different. It's perfect as a standalone cookbook, and as a pair to Chinese Soul Food.

This cookbook is a uniquely Chinese American cookbook. It covers a lot of recipes that tend to be home food for Chinese families, and it also encompasses Chinese chop suey style foods. Chou also knows the American food landscape, and will offer suggestions on where to get ingredients, and what American alternatives can be substituted when the Chinese version is unavailable. I love this, because it is reminiscent of what I ate growing up. In a similar vein, it's a very flexible cookbook. Chow offers examples of different food pairings and a whole page that describes how to mix and match different flavors and veggies so that you can modify the recipes to fit your own needs and taste buds. I love this because it take the pressure off from feeling like you have to cook the exact recipe she offers. Instead, it feels like Chou is a beloved family member that is showing you the way of Chinese home cooking, which like all home cooking, is often a hodge podge of different available ingredients. You just get to learn how a Chinese person would mix and match ingredients to make Chinese style dishes.

The reason this is vegetarian is because some of the recipes have eggs in it. You can easily still use this recipe book as a vegan by omitting eggs, using egg substitutes, or just cooking the dishes that don't include eggs (there's a lot that don't have eggs in them!).

Anyways, as a Chinese American, this book has my stamp of approval! I love it so much. There were so many different dishes I ate growing up that I have no idea how to cook, and Chou has solved that problem for me. I'm also not a chef, so this is easy enough to follow for the non-chef like me. She explains how to clean and prep all the different veggies in here, so there's really nothing she leaves out.

P.S. I did try some of the recipes before I wrote this review, and I can confirm it tastes amazing!

I think there should be more books like this one. 2 years ago I went to China and Taiwan for a few months, it is difficult to find a vegetarian restaurant. Also because my chinese is very limited. I love chinese food. My favorite breakfast is the soymilk with the rice porridge and fried dough. Very typical chinese breakfast. This book covers that recipe as well!

There are some recipes I haven't try, and I'm curious to try them out. Though the meat-replacement from this book mostly using many kinds of mushrooms. I was expecting more than that. Anyway, besides mushrooms, they have a few protein options too in this book, such as tofu.

The author emphasizes how important to use many kinds of soy sauce. Every soy sauce has different effects. She has the cheatsheet for that. Good to know. Also, the pictures are mouth-watering.

So, I would recommend this book to those who love Chinese foods. Because it can be as tasty as with meat.

I thought this book had a lot of drool worthy recipes. However, I found a lot of them to be on the complicated side. A lot of the ingredients would not be something you could pick up at your standard grocery store, That being said, I still think the "advanced" vegetarian would enjoy the recipes in this cookbook. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

I love food. Ever since New Zealand went into Level 4 lockdown in March of this year, I have been trying to expand my own cookbook. I have been experimenting with multiple different cultures cuisines, to varying degrees of success. One that I seem to have gotten the hang of is Chinese. While most people are content to only occasionally have Chinese, I have been determined to expand my cooking skills into this cuisine. Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food is the perfect fit for what I am looking for.

Whilst I am not either a vegetarian or a vegan, I can appreciate that not every dish requires meat to taste good. Some of my favourite dishes do not have any meat in them, so having a cookbook dedicated to vegetarian dishes has opened up a whole new set of dishes that I may not have stumbled across before.

Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food not only gives a plethora of amazing dishes, we also get an explanation as to some key Chinese cooking ingredients that if you are to cook Chinese food regularly then you should have in your pantry.

Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food is split up into the following chapters: Key Ingredients, Techniques and Equipment, Dumplings, Dim Sum and Small Bites, Soups and Braises, Stir-Fries, Steamed Dishes, Rice and Noodles, Tofu, Eggs, Salads and Pickles. Each chapter has a varied selection of dishes (and also for the likes of dumpling a very easy explanation as to how to make your own dumpling wrappers).

If you like Chinese cuisine, then Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food will not disappoint.

I reviewed this book as an ARC through NetGalley -- thank you to the publisher.

This book offers a deep dive into Chinese food and dishes, both familiar from American Chinese restaurants and some less familiar. There are helpful explanations of ingredients and often recommended brands, as well as thoughtful discussions of variations among items like soy sauce. The book is well-organized and the recipes are clearly laid out; a novice cook might be daunted, but a savvy home cook could easily follow along. The photography shows tantalizing glimpses of selected dishes. This book is a great resource for anyone looking to eat more plant-based foods from China, a country with incredible regional diversity and deep culinary history.

This book is a godsend for all vegetarian Chinese food lovers like myself. It's so difficult to find a collection of recipes that wouldn't include meat or fish.

However, as someone who lived in China for 5+ years, I had much higher expectations. The author doesn't differentiate between the regions or cuisines various dishes come from (yes, there are eight main cuisines in China and hundreds of regional sub-cuisines).

There are also not enough pictures - although they are absolutely beautiful and accompany many finished dishes, though not all, I really do need to see step-by-step pictures for folding dumplings, for instance.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.