Thailand is known for its delectable cuisine, but it can be challenging to locate entirely vegetarian snacks and meals in a place where fish sauce rules the kitchen! In her new cookbook, Saiphin Moore has taken on the challenge of developing over 100 straightforward vegetarian Thai recipes. To help you make the most of your meals when you get in the kitchen, she shares her top 10 recommendations for Thai vegetarian cooking below
- Learn about different soy sauces: I use light soy sauce the most out of all the soy sauce varieties. When preparing a veggie dish, its moderate flavor and aromatic fragrance make it the ideal substitute for fish sauce. It is quite adaptable and may be used in noodle soups, stir-fries, and salad dressing. If you want to make it saltier, feel free to add a pinch of salt.
- Tofu comes in a variety of forms: The type of meat I prefer to use while cooking is medium firm since it maintains its shape exceptionally well in all Thai dishes, particularly curries.
- The best are mushrooms! Asian mushrooms are incredibly adaptable and come in a variety of sizes and forms, including Shiitake, Oyster, and Wood Ear Fungus, all of which are fantastic in specific cuisines. In Thailand, mushrooms are a main ingredient in many vegetarian and vegan meals. Although they are still widely accessible online and in bigger supermarkets, they are now simple to find at Asian grocers.
- Fresh herbs are ideal for Thai cuisine: Since dried lemongrass and sweet basil can radically alter their flavors, I try to avoid using them in Thai recipes. Since they are now frequently found in the UK, you may always purchase them there. Some components hold up better than others, such as Kaffir Lime Leaves, which may be frozen and stored for up to three months without significantly losing flavor or smell.
- Online Asian groceries are my dearest pals: I always shop from an internet specialty store, not just for food but also for tableware. I bought my rice cooker, big noodle pans, and pestle and mortar online.
- My favorite vegetable to cook with is butternut, which is undoubtedly a vegetable underdog. It is virtually always available and versatile when it comes to cooking. My preferred method of preparing it is to cut it into long wedges and grill it on the BBQ until the outside is charred and the inside is tender; it goes great with a hot salad dressing made with a ton of fresh coriander and red pepper flakes.
- Make your own curry pastes at all times: Making your own batch of curry paste could sound time-consuming, but if you often spend at least an hour in the kitchen on the weekends, it won’t take much effort. They taste better than anything you can purchase off the store and can be frozen for up to six months.
- Aubergine make a terrific meat substitute: I adore aubergines in Thai cuisine. You can substitute Italian purple aubergines for the Thai green ones since they are more difficult to get abroad. The stir-fried aubergine with roasted chilli paste from my new cookbook is one of my all-time favorite dishes. The aubergine chunks are battered and deep-fried before being stir-fried with the sauce, creating an incredible blend of flavors and textures in the finished meal.
- Use day-old rice in fried rice: I frequently make more rice than we will use at any given meal. The leftovers are immediately refrigerated and saved for when I cook fried rice the following day. It is best to cook directly from the refrigerator so that the rice doesn’t become clumpy and soggy.
- Peppers, peppers, peppers: Fresh bird’s eye peppers are my absolute favorite, but they may be quite hot. Before cooking, take out the seeds for a milder flavor. The ideal uses for these tiny ones are in stir-fries or fresh salads. As they are less spicy and offer brilliant colors to the meal, larger chillies like red and green chillies are more frequently used in curry pastes and curry garnishes.
About Author
Chef Saiphin Moore
She is the owner and head chef of The restaurant chains Rosa’s Thai Cafe and Lao Cafe in London. She wrote 2 best selling cookbooks Rosa’s Thai Café and Rosa’s Thai Café: The Vegetarian Cookbook.
