Dietary and Allergy Guide
Allium-Free Chinese Food: No Garlic, Onion, Scallion, or Chives
Allium-free Chinese ordering is hard because garlic, ginger-scallion mixtures, onion, leek, chives, and scallion oil are core aromatics in many dishes.
Overview
Allium-free Chinese ordering is hard because garlic, ginger-scallion mixtures, onion, leek, chives, and scallion oil are core aromatics in many dishes. This page is a practical restaurant-ordering guide. It helps identify common risk points, lower-risk starting points, and useful questions to ask before ordering.
Better starting points
- Plain rice
- Steamed vegetables without garlic sauce
- Simple tofu or protein dishes cooked without aromatics
- Buddhist vegetarian restaurants if they clearly avoid alliums
- Home cooking for strict avoidance
What to watch for
- Garlic sauce
- Scallion oil
- Ginger-scallion sauce
- Chives
- Leeks
- Onions
- Premixed sauces
- Broths and marinades
Questions to ask
- Can this be made without garlic, onion, scallion, chives, or leek?
- Is the sauce premixed?
- Does the broth contain onion or scallion?
- Can you use only ginger and salt?
Useful phrase
请不要放蒜、洋葱、葱、韭菜或大葱。
A phrase can help communication, but it cannot verify ingredients, labels, shared equipment, or kitchen practice by itself.
Ordering strategy
Keep the order simple. Prefer dishes with fewer sauces and fewer mixed ingredients. Mention the restriction before asking for dish recommendations. When the restriction is medically important, ask about preparation, not only ingredients.