Celebrate Thai New Year – Veg Dishes Made with Authentic Ingredients

The Songkran Festival, also known as Thai New Year, is celebrated from April 13 – 16, and it’s the perfect opportunity to indulge in delicious Thai cuisine — 100% veganized, of course. While these recipes would traditionally include fish sauce, meat, or chicken stock, they can be easily made without an animal ingredients while maintaining the authentic flavors. For example, in Tom Kha, simply use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock. You’ll still get all the essential aromas and flavors because the key ingredients are lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime.

Though some of these ingredients can be difficult to find at all grocery stores, they are becoming more common at larger chains and are readily available (and less expensive) at most Asian markets. It’s worth going out of your way once in a while to stock up on some of these authentic ingredients. Many of the fresh products like galangal and kaffir lime can be stored in the freezer so that you’ll always have them on hand when you’re in the mood for Thai cuisine.

Tom Kha Tofu

Once you have all of the specialty ingredients required for this soup, this recipe comes together quickly. You can use store-bought baked tofu, or bake your own ahead of time. Rich coconut milk combines with the lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime to make an amazingly aromatic and addictive broth. Get this vegan recipe.

Panang Curry Tofu (pictured above)

This recipe uses the kaffir lime leaves found in the previous recipe as well as the holy basil used in the recipe below. I suggest using Maesri brand curry paste because it’s made in Thailand and it is vegetarian. If you can’t find that brand, just read the ingredients to make sure the curry paste you’re choosing is free of fish sauce, anchovy, shrimp paste, or any other animal ingredients. This dish is rich and creamy, while also being spicy. Serve it with steamed rice for an entrée you’ll crave again and again. Get this vegan recipe.

Drunken Noodles

Despite the name, drunken noodles are not made with any alcohol. Drunken noodles are normally very spicy, but you can change the heat by adjusting the number of chili peppers to suit your own taste. This recipe includes two specialty ingredients: green peppercorns and holy basil. I found a jar of pickled green peppercorns in the spice aisle at my local grocery store. Holy basil has a peppery flavor that goes well with the other ingredients in this dish, but it can be hard to find so Thai basil is another suitable option. Get this vegan recipe.