Eating Chinese food with allergies
Chinese restaurant cooking depends on soy, oyster and sesame-based seasoning and on a single wok that cooks every order, which makes it demanding for soy, gluten, sesame and shellfish while being one of the easiest cuisines for dairy.
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Chinese guides by allergen
Each guide covers typical dishes, what to ask, and where the allergen hides.
- Chinese food with a soy allergy — Soy is the base of the seasoning system in a Chinese kitchen, not an ingredient in particular dishes — light soy, dark soy, hoisin, bean paste and often the frying oil — so a soy allergy needs a conversation with the kitchen before ordering, not a menu scan.
- Chinese food with coeliac disease — Gluten-free Chinese food hinges on one bottle: standard soy sauce is wheat-brewed, and it seasons nearly every savoury dish — so unless the kitchen keeps and consistently uses a wheat-free soy sauce, most of the menu is out.
- Chinese food with a peanut allergy — Peanut in Chinese cooking is both a garnish and a sauce base — kung pao, some Sichuan dressings and satay-style sauces — and peanut oil is a traditional wok oil, so both the dish and the oil need checking.
- Chinese food with a sesame allergy — Sesame in Chinese cooking is mostly a finishing oil and a paste: a few drops of toasted sesame oil go into dressings, dumpling fillings and soups off the heat, which means it is rarely mentioned when a dish is described.
- Chinese food with a crustacean allergy — Shellfish in a Chinese kitchen is as much a seasoning as a protein — dried shrimp in fried rice and XO sauce, shrimp paste in some bases — and the single shared wok and fryer make equipment the main risk.
Advisory, not medical advice
MealSafe is a planning aid, not medical advice. AI-generated assessments can be incomplete or wrong, and ingredients and kitchen routines change without notice. Always confirm with the kitchen, the producer or the label before you eat, and follow the advice of your own clinician.