Vegetarian Food In Thailand - What And Where? (Rave Diet)

[pepi2005]

Hello,

I recently watched the video 'Eating 2nd Edition' and it 'hit me'. I never expected myself to develop interest in turning vegetarian, but now I want to give it a try. It's not what they tell about the yet another method to 'cure cancer' or to get rid of diabetes, it's primarily because I seem to feel or realize that eating muscle and fat with every meal will mess up my arteries and sooner or later, I will end up in hospital with a stroke or heart attack (and of course, losing a few pounds would never hurt). The video explains just too well how our change in eating habits during the past decades made people more fat and more sick.

Now, while I'm still not yet ready to cut down on my 'sweet tooth' habit, I'm afraid, I would really like to try to go without any animal meat or fat for at least 6 days a week. I started a bit less than one week ago with that and was actually somewhat enthusiastic about starting such a project here in Thailand with all its wonderful food, combination of spices, exotic vegetables and fruit etc. --- just to find that on your typical market or the typical Thai hole-in-the-wall restaurant, 95% of the dishes seem to contain either chicken, pork, seafood or fish (according to the RAVE* approach, ANY kind of meat, even fish or chicken adds about the same amount of protein and fat to our bodies, so it's better to completely avoid any kind of meat)! Just last night, for example: every food stall offered a 'meat palette' to be cooked or fried together with various kinds of spices and other additives to be placed on top of a load of rice or noodles when finished. In one stall with these pre-cooked meals, of the ~20 dishes that were available, only one (1) was purely vegetarian without any meat. So I ended up with a plate of rice and these nicely done, but a bit paltry cooked potatoes on top...

Does anyone of you have experience about where to go for good, but 'street priced' vegetarian food in Thailand? Can anyone recommend typical vegetarian Thai food? I don't want to hit an upscale restaurant every night just for the purpose and think there must be something available on street markets, I just don't know where to go right now -- most probably because I never specifically looked out for it.

All hints welcome, especially if you can add the Thai name of dishes you found and can recommend.

Thanks, R.

* RAVE = No Refined foods - No Animal foods - No Vegetable oils - No Exceptions & Exercise

Book: Mike Anderson, "RAVE Diet & Lifestyle" 3rd Edition, 2009

[Taro]

I'm a vegetarian. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a lot of street food that doesn't contain meat. If you're willing to sit down at a restaurant (even a cheap one, with dishes priced 30-60 baht), you'll have more choices. More restaurants have veggies options including curries, pad thai, noodles and other dishes. I don't know where you live, but if you're in Bangkok, the supermarket inside the Siam Paragon shopping mall sells a nice variety of fake meat products. Everything from veggie burgers to soy sausages to fake fish and chicken. Some of it it's pretty good. I don't cook much but those you can just throw into the microwave and it's done. You can always get tofu as well. Sorry I can't be of much help with the street food option. PM if you want more ideas/info. Best of luck!

[chantaal]

For street food, i recommend somtam "jeh"-- (vegetarian). You can say that: "somtam jeh", also say "mai sai nampla, mai sai kung" (don't put fish sauce, don't put shrimp).

If you have someone who can help you, they can also write this down (so you can take it with you), as well as something about not putting MSG in it. I can't remember how to say that.

Most street places have the vegetables covered in oyster sauce, or they are stir-fried. The only way I have gotten food that is not prepared like this is to call someone on my phone and have them ask for the vegetables to be steamed, or have it written for me.

If you cook at home, you can make all kinds of stuff. For example, cook brown rice, and then add whatever vegetables, or fruit (like pumpkin), close to the end.

[TravelerEastWest]

Very few street vendors have healthy vegetarian food except perhaps corn and a few other things. Also I question how clean they are.

On the other hand almost every neighborhood has a small vegetarian restaurant on a side street if look carefully.

Typical prices are 20 baht for rice and one dish 25 baht for rice and two dishes.

Edited September 12, 2010 by TravelerEastWest

[Peterbigeyes]

Just out of curiousity, are eggs considered vegetarian too? I have had very conflicting responses from friends who are vegetarian.

[Ulysses G.]

They are TONS of super-cheap "Jay" vegetarian restaurants in Chiang Mai with LOTS of different choices.

[johntou]

Just out of curiousity, are eggs considered vegetarian too? I have had very conflicting responses from friends who are vegetarian.

In general, eggs (and milk products) are considered vegetarian. They are not eaten by vegans, who abstain from all animal products.

[a51mas]

http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23460

Edited October 24, 2010 by a51mas

[afarang]

If you are in Bangkok, "Little India" has heaps of vegie restaurants.They are located around Paruhat road, which is at the end of Chinatown. Sampeng lane ends in "Little India"Most maps clearly identify Sampeng lane, as it is a very big wholesale?retail market.