Asian Celery Beijing Style (Vegan)

This is the dish you want to make when you’re looking for something satisfying that’s not too heavy but still packs an umami-punch. This meal won’t give you food coma, it will make you feel full but in a good way that lets you sleep easy or continue the day without feeling like you need to lay down.

Why you’ll love this recipe

It’s easy and quick. Especially, if you have a rice cooker and your rice is ready, you can have dinner or lunch done in 15 minutes. This Asian Celery Beijing Style (vegan) is a perfect option for quick lunches or weeknight dinners.

It doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. While the celery and soy sauce are the main ingredients everything else is an add-on really. This recipe is a favorite for when you don’t have a lot of ingredients on hand to make a big feast.

It’s affordable and easy to source. Celery is usually a very cheap ingredient to use in a main dish. It’s widely available and inexpensive in Europe and the USA, even in winter months. The other ingredients which dress the celery are also inexpensive. If tofu is a difficult to source ingredient in your area, you can substitute tofu for beans. Read below more detailed notes on this.

It’s healthy. Celery is known to be packed with fibre, which is a heaven sent for your gut. It’s also known to be rich in vitamins and anti-oxidants. If you’re conscious of the amount of oil you use, skip the frying of the tofu and bake it instead. Read below for more details on this.

Flavorful origins

This recipe is my meatless version of a classic Beijing dish, which is traditionally made with pork. It’s a dish that is much loved in Northern China, where celery is used in classic Chinese recipes like savory dumplings, meat pies, or in zhajiangmian.

Chinese celery is a bit different from western celery. It’s usually very thin and a little more tender than it’s a western cousin. This recipe still works really well with the more sturdy western version.

I learned, from Fuchsia Dunlop, that texture and how you feel after eating a certain dish carry a lot of weight in how food is judged in China. This makes a lot of sense to me, since I love this recipe, especially because of the different textures it combines. It also leaves you feeling full but without a food coma – a pleasant experience all around.

Swaps and Alternatives

Make it without smoked tofu. Because this recipe is traditionally made with fired meet I use smoked tofu. Smoked tofu reminds of the flavor profile of smoked meats and works well here. If you can’t source smoked tofu use regular tofu and make sure to fry it until it’s crispy. The frying process really makes a different to the taste and develops some of the umami of the tofu.

Make it soy free. Swap out the tofu for tempeh. This also works really well and can be prepared in the same way as the tofu. Depending on where you live, tempeh is harder to source, which is why I usually grab tofu. Remember to also swap out the soy-sauce for tamari or coconut aminos.

Make it oil free. If you’re limiting your oil intake you can make this recipe by baking the tofu instead. If you do this, you can glaze the tofu with maple syrup and soy sauce. Make sure to keep an eye on the tofu because maple syrup burns in the oven, once it’s reached a certain temperature. If you also want to use very little oil for preparing the celery, use a wok. Woks are great because they require less oil than a traditional skillet and preserve more of the nutrients of the vegetables.

Use lemon juice, if you can’t source chinkiang vinegar. This vinegar has a very specific taste that’s hard to substitute. The purpose of the vinegar in this recipe is to add acidity and give it a little tang. If you can’t source this vinegar, I would use lemon juice as a substitute for the acidity. You won’t get the specific taste, but the recipe will still work without it.

Tips and Lessons for Asian Celery Beijing Style (vegan)

If you have one, use a wok for this recipe. There’s something about woks which just makes stir-fries taste better. Woks allow the ingredients to heat up quickly and brown with less oil, the celery also retains a little more bite, which means more nutrients. However, woks also allow the ingredients to cool down quicker, so if you do use a wok, make sure to serve immediately.

Serve immediately. Textures matter: the crunchy fried exterior of the tofu is a compliment to the fibrous celery. This is why it’s so much better to serve this recipe immediately because both the celery and tofu lose their texture when you combine them and wait before serving.

Cut the celery into small pieces. Celery is a vegetable known for its high amount of fiber. Especially the European celery can be quite sturdy. This is why it’s important to cut it into bite sized pieces to make sure it’s easily edible. If your celery is cut small enough, you won’t have to chew on large pieces of it. Small pieces also soak up more of the sauce, which is what brings the taste in this recipe.

How to pair Asian Celery Beijing Style (vegan)

Pair this recipe with fresh jasmine rice. If you don’t have rice on hand or want another alternative, serve this dish with bao buns. I love serving this recipe with bao buns, because they are so good at soaking up the sauce, if you pair it with the celery dish.

Serve as a main or side dish. This dish can be served as a side dish paired with other side dishes or as the star of the meal if you’re in a rush. I pair this recipe with sesame oil carrot salad for a very quick and healthy meal.

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of Celery
• 2 packets of smoked tofu (this should be roughly 14 ounces of 400g)
• 1 handful of spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp of soy sauce
• 2 dried chilies whole
• 2 slices of ginger, chopped into 2.5 cm strips
• 1 tbsp of chinkiang vinegar
• 1 tbsp of neutral cooking oil, I use sunflower oil
• 1 tsp black beans sauce in chili oil (optional – this adds a little spice) I use the Laoganma brand.
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds to serve

How to make Asian Celery Beijing Style (vegan)

Prepare the celery by slicing it diagonally into two centimeter long strips. Prepare the spring onions and ginger by chopping them into pieces.

Cut the tofu into small cubes. If you don’t have toasted sesame seeds on hand, prepare a small skillet on the side and gently heat the sesame seeds. Toss the seeds frequently to make sure they don’t burn and take from the heat once golden brown.

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and let it heat up. Once heated, add in the tofu cubes and let them fry for roughly ten to fifteen minutes until golden and crispy on the outside. Take the fried tofu out of the wok while keeping the hot oil.

Now add the chilies, cut spring onions, and ginger slices to the wok. Stir until they become soft and fragrant.

Add in the celery to the wok. Stir everything to combine, and then continue to cook until the celery becomes wilted and slightly translucent. You can see this by checking the color, it usually changes from a bright green, to a more muted color. Make sure the majority of the celery has reached this consistency and color. It’s ideal when the celery has a bit of bite but isn’t raw anymore.

Once combined, splash the soy sauce and chinkiang vinegar over the wok. This should lead to a lot of steam, use a ladle, wooden spoon or cooking chopsticks (if you have them) to quickly combine everything.

Finally add in the teaspoon of black bean sauce. Use less if you are sensitive to spicy food or leave out completley. Finally, toss the wok to combine everything and serve immediately.

How to store

This recipe tastes best, when it’s piping hot and served immediately. I generally do not store this recipe unless I make it for lunch and eat the leftovers for dinner. If you do store it, try to eat it as soon as possible. The tofu and celery eventually becomes soggy, which isn’t what you’re looking for.