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    Home Β» Vegetables

    Published: Jul 10, 2022 Β· Modified: Mar 1, 2023 by Zen Β· This post may contain affiliate links.

    15 Southeast Asian Vegetarian Recipes

    Sharing food makes everyone happy! :)

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    15 Southeast Asian Vegetarian Recipes for dinner, ranging from Thai to Filipino, that are packed with flavour.

    2 hands holding a bowl of vegan pho.
    Jump to:
    • Vegetarians in SouthEast Asia
    • Filipino
    • Indonesian
    • Laos
    • Myanmar
    • Singaporean & Malaysian
    • Thai
    • Vietnamese
    • πŸ’¬ Comments

    Vegetarians in SouthEast Asia

    In most of the world, a vegetarian diet is pretty straightforward: no meat or poultry +

    • yes to dairy but no eggs and fish (lacto-vegetarian)
    • yes to eggs but no dairy and fish (ovo-vegetarian)
    • yes to eggs and dairy but no fish (lacto-ovo vegetarian)
    • yes to fish but no dairy or eggs (pescatarian)

    Note: vegan diets exclude all of the above and sometimes even plant-based products that are considered to be harmful to animals, such as avocado and almonds.

    However, in Asia, there is another type of vegetarian diet, the Buddhist vegetarian diet, that doesn't allow for the consumption of pungent roots and alliums such as scallions, chives, leaks, onions and garlic, even though they're, strictly speaking, plants. (They're thought to increase one's libido when consumed raw.)

    So, if you are inviting Buddhist vegetarians over for a meal, do make sure to check that they're good with these aromatics before planing your dishes!

    Fun fact: India is the country with the largest number of vegetarians! For plant-based Indian dishes, Indian potato recipes or a chutney recipe, click here

    Filipino

    A bowl of garlic and chilli mixed with calamansi lime and soy sauce .

    If you're a fan of food from the Philippines, try this calamansi lime dipping sauce, which goes really well with siomai and meat! (Filipinos call it Toyomansi.)

    Adobo

    Vegan tofu adobo
    I have a Filipino housemate whose family owns a pork adobo restaurant, and the recipe for this sauce is very similar to hers! Zardy Plants substituted pork with tofu , which is such a clever way of making the dish healthier and vegan!
    Click here for the Vegan Adobo recipe.
    A vegan rice bowl with box choy and tofu adobo

    Indonesian

    Vegan Mi Goreng

    A plate of vegan mi goreng
    Mi Goreng
    This vegan noodle (also known as mi, mie or mee) is an Indonesian staple. You can buy it anywhere on the streets but it's also easy to make in under 15 minutes if you use this Vegan Punks' recipe.
    Click here for the Indonesian noodles recipe.
    A plate of vegan mi goreng

    Laos

    Vegetable Larb

    This makes a great vegetarian side dish.

    For a vegetarian Laotian dish, try plant-based Larb- if travelling in Laos, do make sure fish sauce is not used, as the sauce is pretty ubiquitous in the food! You can say "Baw sai nΓ’m pa" (No Fish sauce.)

    Note: there is a similar Northern Thai dish.

    Myanmar

    Khao Suey

    Try vegetarian Khao Suey for a Burmese plant-based dish. As with Larb, Northern Thailand has a similar dish "Khao Soi", which is 1 of my favourite Thai recipes! I used to eat it all the time when I travelled to North Thailand with a family friend who was born (and grew up) there.

    Singaporean & Malaysian

    The fight between Singapore and Malaysia regarding which produces the best food has been raging for years.

    Whilst different people have different opinions- some swear by Singaporean and others love Malaysian- 1 thing we can't deny is that the 2 countries have many similar dishes so I'm grouping them both in the same category.

    You can get by with English in Singaporea and Malaysia but just in case:

    • tiada daging ("no meat" in Malay)
    • wo chi su ("I eat vegetarian food" (ζˆ‘εƒη΄ ) in Chinese- be careful not to say "wo chi chu" which means "I eat vinegar" aka "I'm jealous!)
    • Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to say vegetarian in Tamil but I've never met an Indian person in Singapore and Malaysia that wasn't fluent in English!

    Note: For more Singaporean recipes, click here.

    Potato Curry Puff (Karipap)

    A hand holding a half-bitten mini curry puff.
    What's your favourite curry puff filling? I like potatoes in mine. If you want variety, you can cook the filling in Thai red curry paste instead! (Note I've mentioned several fats you can use for the dough, such as butter, lard and margarine - obviously, if vegetarian use margarine!
    Curry Puff Recipe (Potato)
    A savory, flaky and crispy curry puff recipe with potato filling- easily made vegan or vegetarian- that uses cupboard staples. Delicious and perfect for meal prep as it tastes good hot and cold!
    Click here for the curry puff recipe.
    Vegan potato curry puff fried to a crisp golden brown on a plate.

    Note: in Singapore & Malaysia, there is a large Indian and South Asian population, so the 2 countries have many South Asian dishes as well. For vegan and vegetarian South Indian recipes, click here or check out some samosa dipping sauces here.

    Muah Chee

    A plate of homemade steamed muah chee, or Chinese mochi, coated with peanuts
    Not a fan of peanuts? Use other crushed nuts, black sesame or even cocoa powder instead!
    Muah Chee (Peanut Mochi) (5 Methods)
    An easy recipe for this South Chinese street snack that can be steamed, fried, microwaved, air fried or made in a rice cooker!
    Click here for the Chinese glutinous rice snack.
    Someone holding a piece of peanut coated traditional muah chee.

    Desserts

    Pandan kueh dadar without eggs

    3 kueh dadar or pandan coconut rolls on a plate.
    Made with natural pandan juice

    If you're a fan of pandan, you may be keen on sweet & savoury pandan recipes

    Singapore kueh dadar pandan coconut pancake recipe (Vegan)
    An easy kueh dadar recipe which doesn't require you to hunt down freshly grated coconut! Also my recipe for this Perankaan kueh has no eggs so perfect for vegans!
    Click here for the Singaporean kueh dadar recipe.
    3 kueh dadar or pandan coconut rolls on a plate.

    Agar Agar Jelly

    A bowl of cube-shaped agar aagr with edible flowers in them in a pink bowl.

    Also known as Kanten Jelly, although Agar Agar is a Japanese jelly, it's something that almost every Singaporean and Malaysian kid grew up eating. In fact, it was 1 of the 1st recipes my cousins and I ever made!

    The jelly is super refreshing in the tropical humidity, and it is full of fibre, so if you don't put in too much sugar, it's actually good for you as it helps to keep you full for longer.

    Agar Agar Jelly (2-ingredient)
    A naturally sweet jelly recipe that requires no added sweetener, not even honey or maple syrup!
    Click here for the easy agar agar recipe.
    A bowl of cube-shaped agar aagr with edible flowers in them in a pink bowl.

    Black Sesame Paste

    A bowl of thick, rich and creamy black sesame Zhi Ma Hu.

    This is 1 of my favorite desserts to order at Chinese restaurants but it is super easy to make at home too!

    Easy Black Sesame Soup Dessert
    A sweet and creamy Chinese recipe, with nutty overtones giving this easy black sesame soup dessert a complex depth of flavour. Moreover, this 3-ingredient traditional Chinese Tong Sui is naturally vegan, gluten-free, delicious & very nutritious!
    Click here for the black sesame tong sui recipe.
    2 bowls of Chinese black sesame tong sui next to pink flowers.

    Thai

    If vegetarian in Thailand, you need to know the word "jay" which means no animal-based products.

    Tofu wrap

    3 tofu wraps on a wooden board.
    Thai-inspired wrap
    This XOXO Bella gluten-free tofu wrap goes really well with the creamy nutty sauce made from coconut and almond butter.
    Click here for the vegan Thai recipe.
    3 tofu wraps on a wooden board.

    Green curry paste

    DIY green curry paste
    This Food Worth Feed vegan green curry paste gets its bright colour from a very unusual ingredient!
    Click here for the vegetarian Thai curry paste.

    Coconut noodle soup

    Thai-inspired noodles in coconut soup
    This Caramel Tinted Life zesty red curry noodles requires brown sugar- if you don't have any on hand, here's an easy recipe to make your own brown sugar.
    Click here for the vegan coconut noodle recipe.
    Close-up of Asian soup noodles in a. bowl.

    Vietnamese

    In Vietnam, vegetarians would be looking for "chay" food.

    Banh Mi

    A vegan banh mi sandwich using tofu
    Another soy based vegan option for the filling is tempeh!
    Vegan banh mi using tofu
    Some dishes don't translate well into vegan versions, but this Home Cooked Roots banh mi is not one of them. Tofu soaks up sauce amazingly well, and you can't really tell the difference between a vegan and non-vegan banh mi! (Well except for the texture!)
    Click here for the vegan Banh Mi recipe.
    A vegan banh mi sandwich using tofu

    Lemongrass Tofu

    If you end up with too much of this herb, here are 39 other ways to cook with lemongrass.

    A plate of vegan Vietnamese lemongrass chilli tofu
    There are many types of tofu- firm tofu and silken tofu, for example, act very differently when cooked so make sure you use the right tofu in this recipe!
    Vegan Vietnamese Lemongrass Tofu with Chilli
    Vietnamese food is one of my favourites- it's so fresh, tangy and healthy, and all these flavours show to perfection in this Delightful Plate tofu recipe.
    Click here for the vegetarian Vietnamese tofu recipe.
    A plate of vegan Vietnamese lemongrass chilli tofu

    Vietnamese pho

    2 hands holding a bowl of vegan pho.
    Pho Chay
    This Delightful Plate vegan Vietnamese Pho is quicker to make than beef pho but thanks to all the herbs, spices and umami ingredients, is no less delicious and comforting!
    Click here for the vegan Vietnamese noodle recipe.
    2 hands holding a bowl of vegan pho.

    Deconstructed Vietnamese rolls

    2 colourful bowls of vegetables.
    Vietnamese-inspired spring roll bowl
    This The Fresh Fig veggie dish is colourful and delicious thanks to the flavourful peanut cilantro sauce (it has 15 reviews with an average of 4.9 stars.) Loaded with fresh vegetables, it's a perfect refreshing dish on a hot day.
    Click here for the perfect vegetarian summer recipe.
    2 colourful bowls of vegetables.

    Which of these SouthEast Asian vegetarian recipes is your favourite?

    If you've enjoyed the collection of dishes, I'd be super grateful if you shared it on your social media! And maybe you'd be interested in joining my mailing list?

    I have other recipes you may like here! :)

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    • A cup of cinnamon jujube tea with pine nuts on it.
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    Greedygirlgourmet eating 2 sandwiches in Scotland

    Hi I'm Zhen also known as GGG! I couldn't boil water till I was 18 but after living abroad (in St. Andrews then London) for 11 years and having to cook for myself, I now love cooking for friends and family. Learning to cook late, I make sure my recipes go into enough detail for those new to Asian cuisine or who love a test kitchen approach to cooking!

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