i think i have always been a diehard fanatic of vegetarian chinese cuisine. first of all, scrumptious chinese fare naturally lends itself to tasty steamy meat buns/dumplings, peking duck, and other dishes that feature a plethora of meats and fishes but of course being vegetarian at an early age, i remember having to sacrifice my love for all these things in exchange for just plain veggies. it did not occur to me that a major aspect of my whole "beingchineseexperience" is almost hindered by this little sacrifice that i made in exchange for a healthier and more animal loving life. but with all that said, its great to know that places like beansprout allow me to still enjoy familiar childhood chinese dishes that were often seen as things i would not have been able to ever eat again...
one of these dishes that i used to so readily enjoy was rice with meat. it sounds just plain and simple, but the way it is prepared (i'll just say in a taiwanese style.. haha) it just makes the whole plate oh so scrumptious! its one of those things that you must have rice on the side or else the "meat" that is seasoned/prepared/sauteed(??) would be too salty by itself. the plain steamed vegetables that also accompany the meat add a nice balance. also, since this was the lunch special, they also added in their rainbow rolls... i would HIGHLY suggest you order these pseudo healthy sushi alternatives if it is your first time here- it is definitely something beansprout is known for!
for an appetizer, before i get too ahead of myself with my entree, my little sister and i ordered fried radish cakes. fdakfjdls;fadjlkf as a child, my grandmother would ALWAYS make these with little shrimp, pieces of meat, mushrooms, and fried onions. she was even kind enough to make vegetarian versions for me by just omitting the meat/shrimp.. to me this still tasted just as delicious. i fondly remember dipping these little radish babies in chili sauce. soooooooo good. i have to make a mental note to learn how to make these turnip cakes before i go back to risd...
as for my sister's order, she went with a similar style dish but the "meat" is prepared a little differently and placed over a bed of asian noodles instead of rice. you cannot really go wrong with either rice or noodles; both are just equally good! my sister and i both eagerly enjoyed our lunch.. i have lost count of all the times i have been to beansprout; they are truly the closest you can get to authentic tasting taiwanese/chinese cuisine without having to miss out on all the good traditional chinese dishes! a MUST go. (this is a place i ALWAYS try to bring new friends to...)
and there you go. my favorite chinese vegetarian restaurant of all time in san gabriel valley.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bean-sprouts-arcadia
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