When I started eating vegan, the number of things my husband and I could order from our favorite local Chinese restaurant decreased dramatically, but we still had options. But once I started eating gluten-free though, eating out was all over.

But hold on to your wontons, making Chinese food at home is easy! Here are my tips for creating your own Chinese cuisine:

1. You can easily substitute tofu, tempeh, and mushrooms for the meat and seitan for your non-gluten-free friends.

2. Stock up on the ingredients you need to make your favorite sauces: gluten-free tamari, Hoisin sauce, brown rice vinegar, mirin, toasted sesame oil, chili sauce, agave nectar or Bee Free Honee, cornstarch or arrowroot powder, and Sriracha hot sauce. Just be sure to read those labels and make sure everything is vegan and gluten-free!

3. Some people wonder how you can make your tofu as crispy as they do in restaurants. Here’s how: make sure you drain the tofu really well or use a Tofu Press . The less moisture, the better. Then even if you marinate it, make sure you pat it dry before you get ready to cook it. A thin coating of cornstarch or arrowroot powder will give it a crispy coating when you fry it. Cook it a bit crispier than you would think because once you pour the steaming hot sauce over it, it will lose some of the crunch.

4. Texture is important in Chinese food so don’t overcook the vegetables. They need to retain some crunch. Also adding ingredients like water chestnuts, scallions, sprouts, and chopped nuts will add some crunch and texture to your dish.

So there you go. Now, get busy and polish those chopsticks!

Image Source: Gluten-free Vegan General Tso’s Tofu