Thai food is one of my favorites! I love flavorful food and Thai food is loaded with flavor. It's sweet, sour, savory, and spicy.
I lived in Ao Nang, Thailand for 2 years with a Thai family and learned a lot about cooking their food. The climate is very hot there and we didn't have much refrigeration, so all of what we cooked was bought fresh at the outdoor markets. This of course is much easier if you're vegan as meat needs more refrigeration than veggies.
Grocery shopping in most parts of Thailand aren't done in grocery stores like we do here. They have beautiful outdoor markets with tons of fresh fruit, veggies, and spices. We would ride the motorbike down to the market and walk up and down the market, chatting with with people and buying amazing produce. They had things that I was used to such as carrots, onions, garlic, etc. But, they had so much produce you simply cannot find here, and if you do you know it's been shipped from far away and not fresh.
The fruit was my favorite. I ate jackfruit almost every day, as well as lychee and mangosteen. The hot climate there definitely made me eat more fruit than I typically do.
Since Thai cooking is so fresh, cooking it is quick and easy. Most of it is done in woks which heat up very quick and also cook food very quick.
A common Thai ingredient is fish sauce. It's very easy to veganize and to recreate at home. I included the recipe for the vegan fish sauce in the ingredients.
This Vegan Spicy Basil dish is easy, quick, and delicious. For the protein I used tofu. Typically, this recipe would call for chicken. You can also use a seitan and tempeh!
Ingredients
2 cups jasmine rice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 Thai chilies , optional, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 white onion, sliced
1 package seitan/tempeh/or tofu, sliced or cubed
1/4 cup veggie broth
1 teaspoon coconut sugar
2 teaspoons braggs liquid aminos
1 tablespoon vegan fish sauce - 1/2 cup warm water, 2 tablespoons braggs liquid aminos, 1/2 Thai chili sliced finely, 1/2 teaspoon coconut sugar mixed together)
1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 broccoli fioretta
1 bunch Thai Basil leaves, de-stemmed, washed
Juice of half a lime (optional)
Instructions
1. Cook rice per package instructions.
2. Heat up the oil on medium in a large wok.
3. Add in your garlic and onion, cook for 3 minutes.
4. Throw in your protein cubes and cook until they begin to brown, stirring often.
5. Pour in your veggie broth, coconut sugar, and braggs stirring often.
6. Slowly add in your vegan fish sauce.
7. Add in your veggies, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until veggies are soft.
8. Turn off the heat and throw in your Thai Basil leaves.
9. Serve on a bed of rice, and enjoy!
#vegan #vegandinnerideas #veganpadkrapow #veganspicybasil #veganthai #thaifood #plantbasedthai #easyvegetablemeals #easyveggies #quickdinnerideas #health #vegannutrition
Comments