• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Messy Vegan Cook

Mostly Asian inspired & Vegan Thai Recipes + travel notes from a klutz

  • All Recipes
    • Baked Goods
    • Breakfast
    • Coffee & Drinks
    • Dessert Recipes
    • How to Guides
    • Ideas & Suggestions
    • Kitchen Staples
    • Mains
    • Snacks and Sides
    • Sunday Roast
  • Thai Food + Travel
    • Vegan Thai Recipes
    • Vegan in Thailand
  • Travel
    • Cambodia
    • Canada
    • England
    • Ethiopia
    • Indonesia
    • Laos
    • Malaysia
    • Myanmar
    • Thailand
    • USA
    • Taiwan
  • Restaurants & Businesses
    • Restaurants
    • Cookbook Reviews
    • Products
    • London
  • Food Facts
  • Supper Clubs
    • Gap Khao: Authentic Family Style Vegan Thai Supper Club
    • London Vegan Thai Noodle Supper Club
    • ITHAILIAN: Thai + Italian Vegan Supper Club for Charity
    • London Vegan Japanese Thai Fusion Supper Club

25 September, 2014

Traveling Vegan in Thailand

My first steps on Thai soil occurred in the autumn of 2003, fresh out of university, when a friend said “come with me.”

Okay, why not?

I knew everything back then, but in hindsight not so much. Especially when it came to food. Yes, I was that tourist who ordered pasta every night, because in my air filled head it was not possible to be vegetarian in Thailand. I thought that and so it was.

Speaking of my education years, I went to uni with divas and the social elite. Among the conversations I was privy to? Hair cuts that cost less than £30 are bad. Spending an hour taking passport photos because none of them looked good enough. Hating boyfriends for farting on them and thinking it was funny (I was abandoned by that group faster than I could, well, you know).

Anyway my student self may have been a clueless know-it-all, but I love that I was the only one among my peers who wore the same thing days in a row, brought sandwich lunches, and found farting hysterically funny (still do, always will).

Back to vegetarian food in Thailand, my assumption couldn’t have been further from the truth. Thailand is one of the easiest countries in which to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet, but here are a few tips to make Thai vegan travel a little clearer.

Stock phrases

These phrases will come in handy for vegetarians and vegans who are visiting Thailand. Further into the post are explanations about the terms as well as about cultural norms with regards to these concepts.

  • Jay เจ: vegan without onion, garlic, and some other strongly flavoured ingredients (but not a compromise on flavour)
  • Kin jay กินเจ: literally translates to “eat jay” and is easily understood by food vendors.
  • Mangsawirat มังสวิรัติ: vegetarian
  • teet-sa-kan kin jay เทศกาลกินเจ: the name of the annual vegan festival
  • mai kin nuua sat ไม่กินเนื้อสัตว์: I do not eat meat
  • mai kin bplaa ไม่กินปลา: I do not eat fish
  • aaharn อาหาร: food (so a sign that reads อาหารเจ would mean jay food).

Vegetarian doesn’t always mean vegetarian

Pun Pun restaurant, Chiag

A meal at a vegan restaurant I later found out uses oyster sauce by the bucketful (Pun Pun, Chiang Mai)

Fish sauce, oyster sauce, and shrimp paste are fair game in vegetarian items, and you may not be able to communicate enough to explain exactly what you want. This is just like back home, where items specifically marked as vegetarian on Thai menus often include one or more of these three ingredients. To Thais these are often considered vegetarian, so be sure to specify if you order mangsawirat (vegetarian) food that you also don’t consume shrimp paste (gapi), oyster sauce (sot hoi naag rom), and fish sauce (nam bplaa).

Jay food

The easiest and most accurate way to communicate veganism is to follow a jay diet, which translates as vegan. Thailand hosts an annual national vegetarian festival called teet-sa-kan kin jay, which is a merit-making and cleansing festival consisting of ten days of vegan eating and other things like no booze and no periods allowed (*flips the off flow switch*).

Symbol for jay (vegan) in Thai

Symbol for jay (vegan) in Thai

The only seemingly negative point about jay food is it is devoid of garlic and onions. Don’t let this put you off though – Thais are adept at making anything taste good – it’s just part of the spiritual cleansing package (I don’t know what that means). Hit up any Thai city with a large Chinese population in the autumn during the festival and you will have vegan jay food coming out your ears.

But there are jay restaurants year round. You will find them in almost every city, and in larger cities there will be dozens or even hundreds. Look for yellow flags with เจ written in red.

Jay (vegan) eateries are easily distinguished by the yellow flags with เจ in red

Jay (vegan) eateries are easily distinguished by the yellow flags with เจ in red

Dedicated vegan and vegetarian restaurants

Most jay food proprietors operate out of a Thai style shophouse restaurant (or street food cart). The process is one of choosing the already cooked food you want while they either plate or bag it up. Rice will accompany sit down meals, which often take place on the street or in a room open to the street furnished with a lot of colourful plastic things to sit on. Sometimes they will cook other food freshly as well.

Typical shophouse style Thai eatery

Typical shophouse style Thai eatery. Often these food cases will be out front on the street.

Should you catch word of a jay restaurant on the internets and there’s mention of limited hours of operation (e.g. 7am ‘til 2pm), then go as early as possible. Take the times as indication this will be a shophouse affair, which more often than not means when the food runs out that’s it for the day. Most of the dishes are prepared prior to opening and sold until there is nothing left, which there won’t be if I got there before you.

Non jay vegetarian and vegan restaurants are plentiful in larger cities and often offer the comfort of sitting down at a table where you can take your time over a menu, if that’s your thing. Also, garlic.

Another point worth noting: if you go to a vegetarian (but not fully vegan) restaurant, Thais do not utilise dairy in day to day cooking, so your concern at a vegetarian restaurant will mainly involve the use of eggs.

Omnivore restaurants

Avoid curries because they will contain gapi (shrimp paste). You can ask the chef or server if there is shrimp paste and they will likely say no. The chances are very high they did not make the curry pastes themselves (most Thais purchase them at markets), so as far as they are aware the ingredient is curry paste and not shrimp. If you want curries, eat them at jay stalls or vegetarian/vegan restaurants.

Ask for substitutions. That pad kaprow? See if they will make it with tofu and use soy sauce instead of fish sauce. Most stir fried dishes and salads are prepared on the spot with fresh ingredients, so replacing one ingredient with another should never be a problem. And yes, always assume there is fish sauce. In everything. If you specifically don’t want it then ask. Often the response will be “is soy sauce okay?” which to me is a great indication that they understand what I do and don’t want.

Whatever you do, don’t be an insufferable entitled vegan about it. Thais are some of the most hospitable people on the planet and will do just about anything to both please and avoid that sort of confrontation. You will embarrass both parties when there is no need. If you can’t communicate your needs to a degree that makes you comfortable, you can politely decline and move on to another location. There may be some confusion, but everyone will smile and that’s dandy.

A note for the chili averse

Thais who are used to cooking for the Western palate will often greet you with “not spicy.” If you are averse to chili, that’s a good indicator the meal won’t burn your face off. Otherwise remember that “a little bit spicy” to a Thai could translate to “I need a throat transplant now thanks” in your home language. If in doubt, ask for no chili.

Filed Under: Food and Travel, Vegan in Thailand Tagged With: Thailand, Thailand Vegetarian Festival, Vegan Mofo 2014, Vegan Travel

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Primary Sidebar

Thai Vegan Supper Clubs in London Vegan Thai Recipes Vegan Travel in Thailand

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

A Vegan Fried Egg Recipe, Thai Style – Kai Dao Jay (ไข่ดาวเจ)

Thai Vegan Fried Egg recpie

Vegan Drunken Noodles (Kway Teow Pad Kee Mao – ก๋วยเตี๋ยวผัดขี้เมา)

Vegan Pad Kee Mao Drunken Noodles

Hat Yai Vegetarian Festival 2018 เทศกาลกินเจหาดใหญ่

15 Vegan Thai Foods in hat Yai

Korean Braised Tofu (Dubu Jorim)

Vegan Korean Braised Tofu

Footer

About Me

  • About
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Comments Policy
  • PR and Review Policy
  • Freelance and Consultancy
  • Browse by Ingredient
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact

Connect with me:

I love hearing from my readers, whether via comment, email, or social media. If you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to say hello then please get in touch.
  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs
Foodies100

Recipes

Disclosure:

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.

Read more about my relationships and disclosures.

You can also view the privacy policy.

  • Discover a sliver of the world of Thai noodles beyond pat thai and pat see ew at my Thai vegan noodle supper club on February 23. The meal begins with kuay teow reua, or boat noodles, a bold noodle soup fragrant with cinnamon, pandan, and star anise. The main course will be coils of kanom jeen noodles served with two different types of curry. Nam Ya is a rich, bright, spicy red curry aromatic with the rhizome krachai, which has a pleasant eucalyptus-like flavour. Nam prik, on the other hand, is a sweet, sour, smoky, and salty curry with nutty richness from toasted mung beans. These curries will be served with heaps of fresh herbs, vegetables, and condiments. Finally, for dessert, is salim. These are homemade jasmine and pandan scented mung bean noodles served in sweet iced coconut milk.

To book tickets see the link in my bio.

#vegansupperclub #vegan #veganthaifood #vegansofldn #veganlondoner #londonvegan #londonvegancommunity #eatwith #vegansoflondon #veganfoodlondon #londonveganfood #londonsupperclub #londonveganevents #noodlestagram #kanomjeen #boatnoodles #vegan #vegannoodles #salim #ขนมจีน #น้ำยา #ขนมจีน้ำพริก #ซ่าหริ่ม #อาหารไทย #วีแกน  #veganfoodspot #bestofvegan #feedfeedvegan #thaifoodlondon #veganfoodshare
  • I forgot to share this vegan fried egg recipe I posted last week. As I mention in my post, which you can find on messyvegancook.com, Rocky Shepheard of @thevegg deserves credit for so much of the groundwork laid for making vegan eggs, full stop. And the fried egg recipe in his 2012 book is still the best Western style version I've seen and tried to date (hint: the yolk is properly runny and tastes of yolk). These eggs, however, are based on Thai style fried eggs, or kai dao. Kai dao are cooked in more oil on high heat until crispy and lightly browned around the edges, the antithesis to their Western counterpart. The internet features a shedload of recipes in Thai for vegan kai dao using a number of ingredient combinations. I have seen recipes where the whites are more starch based than tofu, but I prefer the texture of a bean curd based vegan egg. The outer layer is made of yuba, which helps the eggs crisp up upon frying.

#veganegg #kaidao #feedfeedvegan #bestofvegan #veganfriedegg #letscookvegan #veganfoodspot #veganfoodlovers #veganshare #ไข่ดาวเจ #ไข่ดาว #yuba #pumpkin #veganeggs #ฟองเต้าหู้ #veganthaifood #veganrecipeshare #veganrecipe #thaifoodstagram #วีแกน #อาหารเจ #มังสวิรัติ #vegan #vegansofinsta #veganbreakfast #veganfood #veganeats
  • 🇰🇷 Among the previously unknown to me dishes I enjoyed in South Korea last fall is Kongbiji-jjigae. Perfect for winter, this warming stew is made with aged kimchi and fresh okara. Okara is a byproduct of soy milk production. To make soy milk the beans are soaked and then blended with water. The pulpy liquid is then cooked and strained, leaving you with fresh soy milk. The leftover lees is the okara. To make kongbiji-jjigae, however, there is no need to get caught up in the process of making soy milk since the beans are soaked, blended with a little dashi, and tossed into the pot without straining.
.
. .

#kongbijijjigae #vegankoreanfood #koreanfood #okara #koreanvegan #kimchi #kfood #okararecipes #koreancuisine #bestofvegan #feedfeedvegan #vegantravel #letscookvegan #veganfoodspot #veganfoodisnotboring #thevegansclub #feedfeedvegan #letscookvegan #vegan #veganstew
  • 🇹🇭Sai ua are grilled Northern Thai herbal sausages made with bold spicing and aromatics. Grilling in near freezing temperatures (or any digits below, say, 22) is trialing, but nippy or not I've been keen to share these at recent supper clubs. Stay tuned for the next date!
.
.
. 
#ไส้อั่ว #อาหารไทย #อร่อย #thaifood #eatandshout #มังสวิรัติ #วีแกน #veganthaifood #thaifoodstagram #northernthaifood #saiua #vegansausage #aroisnap #chasingdelicious #veganlondon #londonvegan #feedfeedvegan #veganfoodisnotboring #londonvegancommunity #vegansupperclub #veganfoodspot #vegan
  • One culinary item I always have to the ready, in one form or another, is homemade stock. This takes various forms depending on what vegetables I have laying about or on what kind of flavour profile I'm seeking. This noodle soup stock is made with corn and shiitakes mushrooms. The toppings are deep fried yuba, spring onion, and citrus chili oil with black beans from Chinese food scholar @therealmadamehuang's gorgeous tome All Under Heaven. 
#chilioil #noodlesoup #allunderheaven #homecooking #asianfood #comfortfood #yuba #thekitchen #noodlesfordays #noodleslover #noodlesarelife #noodlestagram #vegan #todayfood #veganeats #vegansofinstagram #feedfeedvegan #bestofvegan #veganfoodisnotboring #thevegansclub #veganeatsplease #letscookvegan #veganfoodspot #cuisine_captures #vegannoodles #cookbooklover
  • 🇹🇭 Kway teow pat/pad kee mao, otherwise known as drunken noodles. Many menus incorrectly label this dish as simply pad kee mao, which roughly translates to drunkard's stir fry. Prepend this with kway teow and you have a drunkard's noodle stir fry. For the recipe and more on the etymology, you can find the recipe on messyvegancook.com (link in bio). #อาหารไทย #อร่อย #thaifood #veganthaifood #thaifoodstagram #วีแกน #อาหาร #มังสวิรัติ #noodles #noodleslover #noodlesfordays #noodlesarelife #noodlestagram #padkeemao #ก๋วยเตี๋ยวผัดขี้เมา #ก๋วยเตี๋ยว #vegan #veganfoodspot #vegannoodles #veganfoodshare
  • From my last visit to the US over the holidays. My parents live in Maryland and I always try to get into DC for a day by myself to visit a museum or two and grab a bite to eat. Because of the government shutdown I couldn't get to the National Gallery to revisit my favourite ever painting, but I made it to the National Building Museum (which is privately run and hence open). Should you find yourself in DC I highly recommend prioritising this museum. Anyway, the food. This is the potato pierogi with sauerkraut and sour cream from @eatfarewell near Union Station. Also the pain au chocolat and coffee. One aspect of US food and drink culture I love and miss is how it's virtually impossible to find bad drip coffee (except at Starbucks, who make vile drip coffee). #veganDC #vegandc #yesthisisvegan #vegan #veganfoodspot #veganDC #DCveganlife #DCvegan #vegantravel #veganwashingtonDC #veganlunch 
#veganpainauchocolat #veganpierogi #sauerkraut #pierogi #dceats

© 2019 · Messy Vegan Cook · Built on the Genesis Framework

7ads6x98y
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Please consent by either continuing to use the site or by clicking OK. To find out more about cookies please see the privacy policy.Ok