• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Messy Vegan Cook
  • Recipes
  • Thai Food + Travel
  • Supper Clubs
  • Subscribe
    • Bloglovin
    • Instagram
    • RSS
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Thai Food and Travel
  • London Vegan Supper Clubs
  • About
    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Articles » Thai Food and Travel » Vegan Thai Recipes

    Thai style vegan chicken rice (khao man gai)

    20 August, 2022 by Kip Leave a Comment

    Ranked highly by tourists to Thailand and locals alike, khao man gai, or Thai style Hainanese chicken rice, is possibly the comfortiest (what? Language evolves) of comfort foods. This recipe for Thai style vegan chicken rice features the rich flavour profile you'd expect and is based on some of my favourite versions of vegan khao man gai I've sampled across Thailand.

    vegan khao man gai
    Fried bean curd skin / fong tau hoo / yuba version of vegan khao man gai (khao man fong taohoo ข้าวมันฟองเต้าหู้)
    Jump to:
    • What does khao man gai actually mean?
    • History
    • Variations & substitutions
    • Equipment
    • 📖 Recipe

    What does khao man gai actually mean?

    The literal translation is "rice oil chicken," but the meaning is oily chicken rice. In this post I sometimes refer to my recipe as khao man fong taohoo (ข้าวมันฟองเต้าหู้), which thus translates as oily yuba rice.

    • Khao ข้าว = rice
    • man มัน = oily
    • gai ไก่ = chicken
    • fong taohoo ฟองเต้าหู้ = yuba (fong means bubble and refers to the process of making tofu skin, while taohoo means tofu).

    An aside: I often see people (including well known authors of Thai cookbooks and food vendors) refer to any vegetarian or vegan Thai food as jay (เจ), but just because food is vegan does not mean it falls under this category. Jay food does not contain garlic and onion, and since this recipe includes both it cannot be classified as jay.

    History

    Chicken rice as it's typically understood on a global scale today likely hails from from the island of Hainan in the city of Wenchang. Migrants from this region to Southeast Asia took the concept of the dish with them and it thus evolved to use local ingredients and suit local tastes. Most people place the origins of the dish in Singapore but Malaysia contests this, insisting the recipe came into creation North of The Garden City's border.

    While this newer concept of the dish originated somewhere in the Southern region of the peninsula, versions of chicken rice are popular throughout Southeast Asia. Thailand is no exception. The vegan chicken rice, or khao man fong taohoo, recipe I've provided is based on the Thai style of this dish.

    Variations & substitutions

    As popular as chicken rice is, it's possible to enjoy an alternative that doesn't lead to the suffering and death of living Beings. Enter vegan Hainanese chicken rice. I've had this dish many times in Thailand and the replacements have varied from mushrooms to soy products like tofu and yuba (my preference, and what I use in the recipe provided).

    Traditionally the protein wouldn't be fried, but over time it became popular to serve the rice with fried chicken (khao man gai tod, where tod means deep fried). Hence I'll provide instructions for both styles.

    Chicken Rice (khao man gai) from ThaiRice4U
    with mock chicken
    Vegan Hainanese Chicken Rice
    with fresh yuba
    Thai khao man gai vegan
    another with fresh yuba

    If you cannot find yuba, feel free to use tofu or mushrooms. Slice the tofu into ½ centimetre pieces and cook it in the soup stock for 10 minutes. If using mushrooms, cook in the soup stock until wilted. Japanese freeze dried tofu (koya-dofu) also works well in fried chicken rice. Rehydrate the tofu in seasoned stock and then batter and fry it (you can also add panko if you'd like).

    Please note the yuba I use is fresh and not not the kind that comes in massive sheets. You can find it frozen in many Korean grocery stores (look in the freezer section with hot pot supplies). If you’re UK based, you can purchase a large pack from Veggie World. If you’re in London, Loon Fung in Chinatown sometimes stocks this exact product.

    • If you don't like spicy food you can omit the chillies from the sauce or use a mild variety (I recommend the latter over the former)
    • An alternative sauce that's more kid friendly is sweet dark soy sauce.

    Equipment

    You will need a steaming mechanism and/or a deep fryer (or the confidence to deep fry in a wok) to make this dish, depending on the variation you wish to make.

    a combination of both steamed and fried yuba vegan chicken rice
    vegan khao man gai / khao man gai tod (chicken rice with both steamed and fried yuba)

    📖 Recipe

    vegan khao man gai
    Print Recipe

    Vegan khao man gai (Thai-Hainanese chicken rice ข้าวมันไก่วีแกน)

    This four part recipe for vegan chicken rice serves 2 generously, but makes more than you need. You can freeze it or use it as a base for another stock or for gravy. If you can't be arsed to steam the tofu you can also cook it briefly in the stock, though the texture will differ slightly.
    Cuisine: Thai
    Servings: 2 servings

    Ingredients

    For the soup

    • 500 millilitres light unsalted stock or water
    • 1 large dried shiitake mushroom or 2-3 small dried shiitake mushrooms
    • 2 large cloves garlic smashed and peeled
    • 1-2 slices ginger
    • 1 rounded packed tablespoon sliced salted preserved turnip
    • 1-2 teaspoons soy sauce
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • Pinch white pepper
    • Handful ½ inch pieces fuzzy gourd you can also use winter melon, daikon or courgette (but may need to adjust cooking times)
    • Coriander to serve

    For the rice

    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 2 tablespoons sliced shallots
    • 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
    • 1 rounded teaspoon chopped coriander stems or chopped coriander roots
    • 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
    • 140 grams about ⅔ cup jasmine rice, washed
    • 200 millilitres stock unsalted or water
    • Leftover sliced shiitake mushrooms from soup optional
    • 1-2 tablespoons ground dried shiitake mushrooms optional
    • 1 teaspoon thin soy sauce see notes
    • ¾ teaspoon white sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1-2 pandan leaves tied (optional)

    For the sauce (nam jim khao man gai)

    • 2 tablespoons salted soybean paste (tao jeow) see notes
    • 2 teaspoons palm sugar
    • 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons white sugar
    • 1 heaped tablespoon minced ginger
    • 1 ½ teaspoons black soy sauce see notes
    • 1-2 Thai bird’s eye chillies roughly chopped
    • 1 tablespoon lime juice or white vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons chopped garlic

    For the yuba

    • 150 grams fresh yuba
    • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
    • ½ teaspoon sugar
    • 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon tempura flour I use gogi brand
    • 3 tablespoons water

    For serving

    • Cucumber slices
    • Fresh coriander

    Instructions

    • To make the soup add all ingredients but the winter melon or daikon to a saucepan. Bring to the boil and reduce heat to a low simmer for 10 minutes. Add melon/daikon and cook another 10-15 minutes until vegetables are knife tender.
    • To make rice, heat oil in a saucepan to medium-high heat. Add the sliced shallots and fry until they begin to brown. Add garlic and coriander stems (or root). Cook, stirring often, for about 30 seconds. Add ginger and cook another 30 seconds. Tip the rice in and stir to coat all grains with oil. Add stock, leftover mushrooms from the soup (optional), ground shiitake (optional), soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Stir a few times until everything is evenly distributed. Toss the pandan leaf in the pot and poke it down into the rice. Bring to the boil and immediately turn to medium low, cover, and leave to cook for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes turn the heat off but keep the lid on.
    • While the rice is cooking, make the dipping sauce. Grind the tao jeow and both kinds of sugars to a smooth paste using a pestle and mortar. Add remaining ingredients stir firmly with the pestle. You can also use a spice grinder for ease or use a store bought chicken rice sauce.
    • To make the steamed yuba: Bring a steamer to a rolling boil. Place the marinated yuba on plate and steam for 5 minutes. When finished you can drain any pooled liquid into the soup. Cut the yuba into slices.
    • To make the fried yuba: combine the water and tempura flour in a bowl. Coat the yuba evenly with the batter. Deep fry until golden and crispy. Shake off excess oil and cut the yuba into slices.
    • Divide the rice between 2 plates and place the yuba over or alongside the rice. Serve with a small ramekin of sauce, a bowl of the soup, a few slices of cucumber, and a sprig or two of coriander.

    Notes

    Please see this Thai seasoning and soy sauce primer for an explanation of the different sauces mentioned in the ingredients.

    More Vegan Thai Recipes

    • Vegan kanom baa bin (Thai coconut pancakes), take two
    • Vegan mee gati – Thai coconut milk noodles
    • Vegan miang kham เมี่ยงคำ
    • Thai fried tofu with sweet peanut dipping sauce

    Reader Interactions

    I reserve the right to improve any malicious and trollish comments left below. Please do not comment about nonvegan products or activities.

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Name's Kip. Some things about me: vegan, Thai food enthusiast, comfortably chaotic and disorganised, information lover, Londoner, cookbook collector, clumsy AF, rarely takes a serious photo, has never been on a diet. This is not a wellness blog.

    More about me →

    • All recipes
    • Thai food + travel
    • General travel
    • Reviews
    • Food facts
    • Thai winged bean salad (yam tua pu)
    • How to Make Vegan Fish with Okara
    Vegan Thai Recipes
    Vegan Travel in Thailand
    Kippysnacks logo

    I run vegan Thai supper clubs at my home in East London.

    Think Like a Vegan

    Think Like a Vegan Book

    A thoughtful read for long time vegans and nonvegans alike, this is one of the best styles of arguing for and discussing veganism I have yet to find. Highly recommended reading.

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Privacy policy
    • Relationships and disclosures
    • Comments Policy
    • PR and Review Policy
    • Freelance and Consultancy

    Contact

    Email me
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Newsletter

    All content on this site, including, but not limited to, text, recipes, and photographs are owned by Messy Vegan Cook and its contributors. No content may be reprinted or reproduced without permission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 Messy Vegan Cook