ChinaReadyCheck

Before You Go · Food allergies

Make a Chinese allergy card that names the hidden ingredients

Chinese kitchens build flavour from sauces you can't see on the plate: soy sauce, oyster sauce, chilli bean paste, sesame paste. This card tells staff what you can't eat, lists those ingredients by their Chinese names and asks for a clean wok. Choose your allergies and how serious each one is, then save it to your phone as an image or print it.

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At the restaurant

How to use the card

  1. Show it before you order. Hand the card over first and ask staff to pass it to the chef. A spoken request is easy to lose in a busy kitchen.
  2. Point at a dish and ask if it can be made. Ask about one dish at a time. If the answer is a shrug, choose something simpler.
  3. Prefer plain cooking when unsure. Plain steamed rice, steamed (清蒸) or blanched (白灼) dishes and simple stir-fries with salt carry fewer hidden sauces.
  4. Check when the food arrives. Ask whether this is the dish made for your card. Sauces are often added at the last moment.
  5. Carry your own medication. The card is a way to explain, not a guarantee. Follow your doctor's plan for reactions.

Checked ingredients

Why naming the sauces matters

Telling staff is not always enough, and the allergen is often inside a sauce. These are the checked facts behind the card's ingredient list.

  • In US registry data, 53.9% of restaurant allergic reactions happened even though the diner had told staff about the allergy; Asian restaurants were among the most frequently implicated places, and peanut, tree nuts and milk the most common foods. Source
  • Oyster sauce contains oyster extract and, in Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce, wheat flour (allergen declared: wheat). Source
  • Lee Kum Kee Hoisin Sauce contains a fermented soybean paste made with wheat flour, plus sesame paste; it declares soybeans, wheat and sulphites. Source
  • Shacha (sha cha) sauce, used in hot pot dips and stir-fries, contains dried fish, dried shrimp and sesame on the Bull Head label checked. Source
  • XO sauce is built on dried scallop and dried shrimp; some recipes add salted fish. Source
  • Chinese kitchens often 'velvet' meat before stir-frying: a coating of cornstarch, often with egg white, sometimes with Shaoxing wine and soy sauce. Source

FAQ

Which allergies and diets can the card cover?

Peanut, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, egg, milk, soy, sesame and coeliac disease (gluten); mango, no alcohol and no MSG; and vegetarian, vegan and halal. Choose any combination; the card merges the ingredients to avoid into one list.

What does the Chinese say?

Each choice adds one plain sentence in simplified Chinese, followed by the Chinese names of the ingredients to leave out and a line asking staff to say so if they are unsure. For each allergy you choose severe or mild. Severe adds a red warning, says it can be life-threatening, asks for a clean wok and fresh oil, says picking it out is not enough, and adds a line asking people to call 120. Mild asks staff to leave it out without the warnings. The English sits under each line so you know what you are showing.

Why does it list sauces and not just the food I am allergic to?

In Chinese cooking the allergen is often inside a sauce you cannot see: oyster sauce, hoisin, sha cha sauce, XO sauce, or egg white used to coat meat. Naming them in Chinese lets the cook check the bottles they actually use.

Should I avoid peanut oil?

Some kitchens cook with peanut oil, so the peanut card asks for none. Whether highly refined peanut oil is a risk for you is a question for your allergist.

Can a Chinese kitchen avoid cross-contact?

Woks, ladles and frying oil are usually shared. The card asks for a clean wok, clean utensils and fresh oil, but a busy kitchen may not manage it. Choosing simpler dishes and quieter times lowers the risk.

Is the card free?

Building the card and the preview are free. A one-time unlock (US$4.99) removes the preview watermark from the image, print and phone view and adds the China Dining Pack: hidden ingredients, about 40 common dishes sorted for your needs, swap phrases and scripts for hot pot, malatang and breakfast stalls. Full refund on request within 7 days.

Does the card work in Hong Kong and Taiwan?

It is written in simplified characters, used across mainland China. Staff in Hong Kong and Taiwan usually read them, but traditional characters are standard there, so ask staff if anything is unclear.

Is anything I choose sent to your server?

No. The card and the saved image are made in your browser. If you unlock the card, Stripe handles the payment and we only check that it was paid; there is no account.

Sources · checked 2026-10-17

This card helps you explain your needs; it does not make any dish safe. Kitchens, sauces and brands vary, and staff may misunderstand. Keep your own medication with you and follow your doctor's advice. See the disclaimer.