While many traditional Thai dishes incorporate some bit of meat, it’s usually simple to prepare them without, add in tofu for a hit of protein or substitute meaty for hearty mushrooms and aubergine. Throughout the country, local vegan Thai restaurants are identified with a red and yellow “เจ” sign. (เจ (jay) means vegan in Thai while มังสวิรัติ (mung-sa-wee-rut) means “vegetarian”.) At these simple eateries, all dishes are made without any eggs, fish sauce or oyster sauce but often include substitute meat products made from mushrooms, soy, tempeh or textured vegetable protein.
With eating plant-based meals and veganism becoming more in vogue, plenty of mainstream restaurants (especially within holiday hotspots such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Samui) also offer a range of international and Thai vegetarian, vegan and raw dishes packed with nutritious ingredients.
Ever tried beetroot tartar or vegetable larb? What about northern Thailand’s iconic khao soi but without the customary stewed chicken leg? Even if you’re a carnivore, these dishes from some of the country’s top hotel dining venues will still delight with their myriad flavours, eye-catching colours and careful presentations.
To bring out the farm fresh flavours even more, each dish listed below highlights a pairing recommendation of our favourite fruit-based libation selected from the respective restaurant’s wine list.
KATA ROCKS RESORT & RESIDENCES PHUKET
Your classic steak tartar is made with ground raw beef, but for a healthy and refreshing twist, Kata Rocks Resort & Residences’ Executive Chef Laia Pon offers a vegan version at the Kata Rocks Clubhouse. With a colourful base of vitamin-rich beetroot, apples and avocados simple seasonings like chilli oil, salt, pepper and mustard add a depth of flavour to the delicately presented dish topped with fresh sprouts. Immediately striking with its deep magenta and bright green hues, the Beetroot Tartar looks almost too beautiful to eat.
Wine companion: One would normally look for a light peppery red to go with beef tartare; no reason why this style of wine will not work with a vegetarian look-alike. The best medium-bodied, spicy wines come from the Syrah or Zinfandel grape varieties and I found a bottle of Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, Zinfandel 2014 which will work nicely here.
For more: katarocks.com