Cuisine Meal Plan

Chinese meal plan: 7 days of Chinese home cooking

This Chinese meal plan follows the way many families cook at home: rice or noodles with two or three shared dishes, plenty of green vegetables, tofu, eggs, fish and a little meat, cooked by steaming, stir-frying or simmering. It is very different from a takeaway menu of battered, sweet and deep-fried dishes.

You'll find seven days of meals, a sample day with every ingredient weighed and its calories, protein, carbs and fat worked out from USDA data, and practical notes on oil, sauces and rice portions.

Updated October 22, 2026

Sample day

1,580 kcal

Protein

97 g · 24%

Carbs

188 g · 46%

Fat

53 g · 30%

What a balanced Chinese week looks like

  • Fill half the table with vegetables. Stir-fried greens like pak choi, choy sum, gai lan and green beans are on most Chinese dinner tables, and they cook in minutes.
  • Steam and simmer more than you fry. Steamed fish, steamed eggs and clear soups take almost no oil; deep-fried and battered dishes are for the odd treat.
  • Watch the sauces. Oyster, hoisin and sweet and sour sauces add sugar, and soy sauce adds a lot of salt. Use them to season, not to coat.
  • Serve rice in a bowl, not a plate. A rice bowl of cooked rice per person with the shared dishes is the traditional portion and easy to keep consistent.

Your 7-day Chinese meal plan

Day 1 is the sample day worked out below. Leftovers from one dinner become the next day's lunch where it makes sense.

  1. Day 1

    breakfast
    Rice congee with egg, ginger and scallions
    lunch
    Tofu and broccoli stir-fry with brown rice
    snack
    A pear and a few peanuts
    dinner
    Steamed cod with ginger and scallion, garlic pak choi and rice

  2. Day 2

    breakfast
    Steamed buns (two small ones) with soy milk
    lunch
    Tomato and egg stir-fry with rice
    snack
    Orange
    dinner
    Chicken and mushroom stir-fry with green beans, rice

  3. Day 3

    breakfast
    Congee with leftover chicken
    lunch
    Beef and broccoli (lean beef) with rice
    snack
    Apple
    dinner
    Mapo tofu (lighter on oil) with stir-fried greens

  4. Day 4

    breakfast
    Boiled eggs and a whole-grain bun
    lunch
    Noodle soup with chicken and bok choy
    snack
    Edamame
    dinner
    Steamed egg custard, stir-fried cabbage, rice

  5. Day 5

    breakfast
    Soy milk and a small baozi
    lunch
    Leftover mapo tofu with rice
    snack
    Mandarins
    dinner
    Kung pao chicken (half the peanuts), cucumber salad

  6. Day 6

    breakfast
    Congee with peanuts and pickled vegetables
    lunch
    Egg fried rice with lots of vegetables
    snack
    Pear
    dinner
    Hot pot at home with fish, tofu and greens

  7. Day 7

    breakfast
    Scallion pancake (one) with an egg
    lunch
    Wonton soup
    snack
    Fruit
    dinner
    Red-braised pork (lean cut) with greens and rice

A sample day with calories and macros

Day 1, weighed ingredient by ingredient. Rice, pasta, beans, lentils and meat are cooked weights.

Breakfast: Rice congee with egg, ginger and scallions

270 kcal
IngredientAmountkcalProteinCarbsFat
White rice, cooked150 g1954.042.30.4
Eggs50 g726.30.44.8
Spring onions10 g30.20.70.0
Ginger3 g20.10.50.0
Soy sauce5 g30.40.20.0
Meal total27511.044.15.2

Lunch: Tofu and broccoli stir-fry with brown rice

580 kcal
IngredientAmountkcalProteinCarbsFat
Firm tofu150 g21625.94.213.1
Broccoli, cooked120 g422.98.60.5
Red pepper60 g160.63.60.2
Garlic5 g70.31.70.0
Ginger5 g40.10.90.0
Soy sauce15 g81.20.70.1
Vegetable oil10 g880.00.010.0
Brown rice, cooked160 g1974.440.91.6
Meal total57835.460.625.5

Snack: A pear and a few peanuts

220 kcal
IngredientAmountkcalProteinCarbsFat
Pear180 g1030.627.40.3
Peanuts, dry-roasted20 g1174.94.39.9
Meal total2205.531.710.2

Dinner: Steamed cod with ginger and scallion, garlic pak choi and rice

500 kcal
IngredientAmountkcalProteinCarbsFat
Cod, cooked160 g16836.50.01.4
Ginger5 g40.10.90.0
Spring onions15 g50.31.10.0
Soy sauce15 g81.20.70.1
Vegetable oil10 g880.00.010.0
Pak choi, cooked150 g182.32.70.2
Garlic3 g40.21.00.0
White rice, cooked160 g2084.345.10.4
Meal total50444.951.512.2

Day total: about 1,580 kcal, with 97 g protein, 188 g carbs and 53 g fat (24% / 46% / 30% of calories). To fit your own target, multiply every amount by your daily calories divided by 1,580; the macro calculator gives you that target.

Figures are estimates calculated from per-100 g values in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Brands, recipes and cooking change the real numbers, so treat them as a guide, not a label.

Chinese staples to keep in your kitchen

  • Jasmine or long-grain rice
  • Dried or fresh noodles
  • Light and dark soy sauce (or a low-sodium one)
  • Shaoxing wine and rice vinegar
  • Fresh ginger, garlic and scallions
  • Firm and silken tofu
  • Eggs
  • Leafy greens: pak choi, choy sum or gai lan

Vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian versions

vegetarian

Swap meat and fish for tofu, eggs, mushrooms and seitan. Mapo tofu can be made with mushrooms instead of pork, and tomato and egg is already vegetarian.

vegan

Use tofu, tempeh, mushrooms and edamame for protein, leave out the egg in congee and fried rice, and check sauces: oyster sauce is made from oysters, but mushroom-based versions exist.

pescatarian

Use fish, prawns and squid in place of meat. Steamed whole fish, prawn and egg stir-fry and fish soup are everyday Chinese dishes.

Allergens to watch in Chinese cooking

  • Soy: soy sauce, tofu, doubanjiang, hoisin and many marinades. A soy allergy rules out a large part of standard Chinese seasoning, so plan swaps such as coconut aminos.
  • Gluten: most soy sauces are brewed with wheat, and noodles, dumpling wrappers and buns are wheat-based. Tamari labelled gluten-free and rice noodles are common swaps.
  • Nuts and shellfish: kung pao dishes use peanuts, and oyster sauce, dried shrimp and XO sauce contain shellfish.

In Meal Planner Pro you can exclude nuts, lactose, gluten, shellfish and soy. If you have a severe allergy, always check the labels of the products you buy.

How Meal Planner Pro plans Chinese meals

  • Choose "Chinese" as one of your cuisines in the quiz. Each day of your plan is cooked in one of the cuisines you pick, and they rotate through the week.
  • Each day is built around a different main protein, and no dish repeats within the week.
  • Your allergies and any health condition you select always come before tradition: a dish is adapted rather than served with an ingredient you've excluded.
  • Your country is used to choose ingredients that are easy to buy where you live.
  • Daily calorie and macro targets come from your age, height, weight, activity and goal. You can swap any meal you don't fancy, and the week's ingredients become one grocery list.
General information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing your diet. Our editorial policy

Get your own Chinese week

Meal Planner Pro builds a 7-day plan in the cuisines you choose, sized to your calorie target, with recipes and a grocery list.

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Frequently Asked Questions

It can be, mostly because of soy sauce and other bottled sauces. Using a low-sodium soy sauce, measuring sauces with a spoon and adding flavour with ginger, garlic and vinegar keeps it down.

Chinese recipes with calories and macros

Tofu and Broccoli Stir-Fry 340 kcal per servingSteamed Fish with Ginger and Scallion 230 kcal per servingTomato and Egg Stir-Fry 260 kcal per servingChicken Congee 270 kcal per serving
Sources: USDA FoodData Central records used