Kanom (khanom) Thai, or Thai sweets, are major players in the culinary landscape that is Thai cuisine. In comparison with European sweets, however, kanom Thai might seem daunting. If European confectionary traditions are characterised by pastries and cream, then Thai dessert culture is portrayed on a canvas of sticky rice…
Vegan Thai Food and Travel
Vegan Thai food and recipes, plus Thailand travel tips, recommendations, and anecdotes
I have spent the past 15 years travelling back and forth to Thailand, with the last ten dedicated to food research. I love to share my knowledge (and opinions, sometimes of which may read accurately like tantrums) about vegan Thai cuisine travel within the Kingdom. Contrary to popular belief Thailand and Thai cuisine can be very vegan accessible, with many naturally plant based foods and others that are easily adapted.
Crispy Dried Agar Jelly Candy
These easy to make dried agar candies are found in many Asian countries. The Japanese wagashi form is called kohakutou, while in Indonesia it is agar agar kering. My recipe is for a Thai version called kanom woon grop. As easy as they are to make, kanom woon grop can take several days…
Kao Ka Moo: Vegan Pork Stew on Rice
Kao ka moo is a dish of Teochew Chinese origin that is now firmly Thai. The flavour profile is salty and rich, with an underlying sweetness (although this recipe isn’t as sweet as many versions you would find in central Thailand). Classed as aahaan jan diao, or a single plate dish for…
A Vegan Fried Egg Recipe, Thai Style – Kai Dao Jay (ไข่ดาวเจ)
In Thailand fried eggs are expected to be crispy and golden, a result of deep frying as the cooking method. The use of bean curd sheets in this vegan fried egg recipe makes it easy to replicate that texture. When the sheets hit the oil they crisp right up.
Vegan Drunken Noodles (Kway Teow Pad Kee Mao – ก๋วยเตี๋ยวผัดขี้เมา)
Kee mao is a noun (not adjective) in Thai language that translates to drunk or drunkard. Prepended with pad or pat, which means stir-fried, the full title of this dish translates to drunk stir fry or drunkard’s stir fry. Somewhere along the road “drunken noodles” becomes the accepted translation and the name stuck.
Hat Yai Vegetarian Festival 2018 เทศกาลกินเจหาดใหญ่
The leading narrative of the Thailand vegetarian festival places its origins in Phuket, but the event has spread across the country. Cities and regions with large Chinese-Thai communities celebrate on the grandest scales. In past years I have divided my time at the festival between Phuket and Bangkok, but in…
Little Good Things Vegan Cafe in Mae Hong Son
There is little demand for the umpeenth review platform and so long gone are the days where I spend energy focussing on individual restaurant and business analyses. Every once in awhile, however, I find myself in a place that leaves enough of an impression that I am compelled to narrate…
Thai Style Tomato Salad with Lemon Basil + What does “Thai Style” Mean?
Picture insalata di pomodori, Italian tomato salad, with a Thai twist and this salad is where you’ll land. The air conditioning in my apartment in Bangkok broke this year, leaving me with weeks of living in both an outdoor and indoor tropical climate. Consequently the last task I wished to…
Thai Herbal Fried Peanuts (Tua Tod Samun Prai )
Tua tod samun prai, or herbal Thai fried peanuts (tua = peanut, tod = deep fried, samun prai = medicinal herbs), are an easy to make snack that pairs consummately with cold, boozy fizz. These knock the socks off your every day roasted peanuts!
Vegan Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen ชาเย็น) + CBD Oil
In Thailand cha yen always refers to sweet, milky Thai iced tea and is probably one of the country’s top drinkable exports. Thai tea is found on Thai menus around the globe, and Thai tea powder is equally not difficult to find outside of the kingdom. My recipe for vegan Thai iced tea is based on the style we know and love, but with a twist: the optional addition of CBD oil.
Vegan Tofu Dok Kajorn Pad Kaprow ดอกขจรผัดกะเพราเต้าหู้
I have previously written about pad gaprao (simply another transliteration of pad kaprow), a star of Thai cuisine that is often misrepresented in Thai restaurants outside of Southeast Asia by their use of horapha (Thai basil) in place of kaprow (holy basil). Here I make kaprow with cowslip creepers (and…
Iced Sweet Thai Lemongrass Drink น้ำตะไคร้
There’s something about sugar in hot climes that is especially enticing, especially in the form of an ice cold glass of syrupy sweet liquid. It comes as no surprise then that this lemongrass drink is a popular refreshment in Thailand! In Britain we are usually much less fortunate with the…
