Philly's Best Vegan Chinese Food

When one thinks about Chinese cuisine, vegan dishes may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But there are plenty of traditional vegan and vegetarian dishes to choose from. In fact, the origin of meat substitutes come from Chinese cooking.  

This type of vegetarian cooking in China came from Chinese Buddhist monks. One key aspect of Buddhism is sticking to a strict vegetarian diet. Not wanting to break tradition when outsiders visited their monasteries, the monks would imitate classic meat-based meals and replace the meat or fish with vegetables, tofu, or gluten.  

Today, vegan Chinese food has evolved so much that you can even order chicken, squid, shrimp, lamb, beef, and pork dishes that contain no meat, but all the flavor. I dare you to be able to tell the difference! 

In Philly, for the best mock meat dishes and colorful veggie platters, you have to check out Unit Su Vege on Hamilton Street in Center City.  

In Mandarin, the word “su” means vegetarian. Unit Su Vege is owned by Nancy Lin and Yi Wu, who migrated to the U.S. 20 years ago from Fujian, China. Lin and Wu also own Su Xing House, the long-running vegetarian Chinese spot on Sansom Street.  

My recommendations? Try the veggie heaven, sticky rice shumai, or the braised “lion head.”