Food

Vegetarian options...

MALAYSIA FOOD VEGETARIAN/VEGAN STYLE:

All said and done you don’t have to have vegetarian /vegan meal but if you choose to, you’ll open up a whole new experience in Asian cuisine. If not vegetarian/vegan just add your favorite meat to the dishes.
The variety of vegan food found in Malaysia is endless - if you know where to look! Actually, Malaysia offers the vegan traveler some of the tastiest vegan cuisine found on the planet!
Eating is a national pastime in Malaysia and you'll never be too far from some delicious food. Rich and spicy dishes influenced by Malay, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Indonesian and Eurasian cuisines make Malaysia a veritable culinary "melting pot"!
Moreover, the fusion of these cuisines that has developed over the centuries makes Malaysian food not only colorful, spicy and eclectic - but also downright tasty. The combination of these culinary elements all add up to one thing - which is, some really great food!
The Malay influence to Malaysia's vegetarian and vegan cuisine is its generous use of coconut milk, chilies, garlic, cloves, ginger, lemongrass, mint and other pungent spices as the main ingredients in making curries. These curries will often include a combination of fresh vegetables and/or bean curd or a variety of vegetarian or vegan "mock meats".
Malay food is also known for its satays, or barbequed meats - accompanied by an assortment of dipping sauces such as fiery sambals (hot chili condiment - often made with shrimp paste) and sos kacang (spicy peanut sauce). Of course, the spice levels you can adjust as per your palates.
The Chinese influence to Malaysia's vegetarian and vegan cuisine, in addition to its wide assortment of delicious fried or steamed vegetable and bean curd dishes, is its contribution of noodles. Malaysia boasts a unique and tasty variety of fusion-style vegetarian and vegan noodle dishes including tangy noodle soups, mouthwatering mee kari (curry noodle soup) and spicy mee goreng (fried noodles).
The Indian influence to Malaysia's vegetarian and vegan cuisine comes from the South Indian Tamil community. Some South Indian favorites include the ever-popular banana leaf thali (vegetable curries served with rice on a banana leaf) and dosais (rice flour pancake) served with dal and fresh chutneys.
When talking about Malaysian vegetarian and vegan food, we definitely cannot forget the influence of Nyonya cuisine - delightful dishes owing their taste to the centuries old fusion of Chinese cuisine with the rich and spicy ingredients found in Malay cooking. Nyonya cuisine's origins date back to the 15th century when Chinese migrant traders set up shop in Malaysia and married local Malay women - adapting many of the local traditions and customs, as well as fusing many of the cooking methods between the two cultures.
And last but not least, there's the influence of mamak cuisine - Malaysia's Indian fusion cuisine that gave birth to such mouthwatering meals as nasi kandar, murtabak & roti canai , mee mamak, and of course, teh tarik, the famous hot frothy tea (you can have the vegan version of this if asked ).
Rice is a staple, and unless you're eating noodles or plates of roti - you're bound to eat your meal with rice in one form or another. If you like rice, Malaysia has plenty to offer. In addition to nasi putih, or steamed rice, there's a variety of rice dishes available. These range from the ever-popular nasi goreng (Malaysia's tasty version of fried rice) to nasi lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk often served with sambal, peanuts and vegetables).
From curries to noodles, roti canai (Malaysian parathas) to veg rendang (an absolutely delicious regional dish) - the selection of tasty vegetarian and vegan cuisine in Malaysia truly is endless. And don't forget the snacks, as Malaysians are keen snackers with roadside stalls offering everything from tahu goreng (fried tofu) to pisang goreng (fried bananas), tempe goreng (fried tempe with sauce) to salads such as vegetable rujak (a fruit salad with spicy sauce).
With its unique fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Arab, European, Indonesian and Thai cooking methods and ingredients, Malaysian vegan food is a culinary treat not to be missed!




All said and done you don’t have to have vegetarian /vegan meal but if you so chose to . you’ll open up a whole new experience in Asian cuisine.








Laotian cuisine:

Never had Lao food before? Then you're in for a real treat, as your taste buds will spring to life on tasting mouth-watering home-cooked Lao dishes freshly prepared from scratch in a traditional Lao kitchen.
Lao cuisine tends to vary depending on which region you are traveling in, as it is quite dependent on local seasonal ingredients. One common thread though throughout Laos any time of the year is sticky rice, a glutinous small grain rice that is rolled into balls and eaten with the hand. In fact, Laotians are the only people in the world that eat sticky rice as a staple food. Of course, the more familiar long grain rice is also available but the Laotian's affinity for a steaming bamboo basket of sticky rice always takes the day! A typical Lao meal consists of the ever present basket of sticky rice, soup of some type, grilled meat (tofu in in my case), lightly sautéed veggies and steamed and/or raw leafy greens.
Lao cuisine is not big on heavily fried noodle dishes or curries, although it does have some very tasty curries of which we indulge in on our adventures. It tends to be more light and healthy as the ingredients are always fresh. With its delicious soups, lightly sautéed vegetables, lighter style curries and an abundance of steamed and raw leafy greens, along with its famous salads such as the fiery papaya salad (which you can enjoy the vegan version of on your travels if you ask), Lao food is a truly unique culinary treat.
Laotians love their herbs and spices and ingredients such as chili, dill, tamarind, ginger, mint, garlic, spring onions, sweet basil, lemongrass and a variety of spicy or bitter greens are part of virtually every meal - many of which are said to have preventative and curative properties.
Laos, being a tropical country with its fair share of rainfall (as well as sunshine), locally grows a wide assortment of vegetables that are incorporated into its cuisine, from tasty veggie stir-fries and steamed herbs and greens to mouthwatering veggie-loaded curries delicately simmered in coconut milk. Vegetable varieties depend largely on the region and season but there are always countless fresh vegetables and flavorful herbs to choose from wherever we are in Laos.
The climate in Laos is also conducive to the growing of a colorful selection of tropical fruits including mangoes, papayas, durians, mangosteens, guavas, lychees and pineapples among others. The variety of fruits available are a refreshing compliment to any meal, whether eaten fresh from the market or mixed as part of a popular dish such as papaya salad (which you also can learn to make the vegan version in a cooking class if you so desire in your travels).
Laotians are keen snackers and you'll experience roadside stalls busy throughout the day selling freshly made snacks. Great veggie snacks include barbequed bananas (yes it's true - and they're quite tasty), barbequed sweet potatoes, steamed sweet corn still in its husk, fresh veggie and tofu spring rolls, banana flower salads and much more. Also, due to the country's French colonial past, in most towns it is easy to find freshly baked hot baguettes as well.
It's important to note, contrary to what you may have heard or read, basic veggie staple dishes like fried veggie noodles, fried vegetables or veggie fried rice are rarely, if ever, pure vegetarian, much less vegan. Sure, there are no chunks of meat in the dish (though sometimes a detailed second look will prove otherwise) and even though the dish may look vegetarian - on many more occasions than not, it will contain at least one of the following ingredients: fish or oyster sauce, chicken/pork/beef broth, shrimp or fermented fish paste, animal-based seasoning powder, etc. Many an independent traveler, as well as a few prominent travel writers, who thought they were eating pure vegetarian food were, unbeknownst to them, in fact eating some or all of the ingredients mentioned above when they ordered a "vegetarian" meal.
Although Laos is a predominately Buddhist country it is extremely rare indeed to find a monk who is a vegetarian as in Lao Buddhist traditions it is not forbidden to eat meat as a monk, it is only forbidden to kill the animal - if it has already been killed and cooked it is fair game (no pun intended). Most Laotians are non-vegetarians and the vast majority of their food contains some sort of meat (or meat based ingredients). This is not just true for stir-fries and soups but also even for salads (yes salads). The above is also often true for non-vegetarian restaurants that have a "vegetarian" section on their menu - many times the items in the vegetarian section have been prepared non-vegetarian in one way or the other. Of course, there are exceptions, but these are few and far between.
Whether we're in an upscale restaurant, a local café, a street stall, enjoy the flavors of S. E. ASIA While you train!!!!


I would Like to Thank VegVoyages For use of their articles on S.E. Asia Cuisine..
If you are so interested in a fantastic vegetarian/ Vegan adventure Please contact them here VegVoyages….



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local favorites

Bangkok try May Kaidees's  vegetarian /vegan cuisine also any of the many street stalls

 along the area. find the one with the most people gathered around . that will be a good indication of how good the food will taste. There are many to choose from. Street food is always so good, just look for the most people hanging around a vendar.  low cost food like  20 or 30 baht which is around 1/ 1.50 usd  

must try

 It is ia must to try May Kaidee's in Bangkok.  She has other locations Chiang Mai, 

 awesome vegetarian/ vegan cuisine.  Meat lovers will like it too.

 I like the curries there and fried seaweed for take away snack.

 also the Thai Tea is awesome, if you don't like sugar in it let them know.
 Street Food awesome and inexpensive.