Vegan Thai Kitchen: 75 Easy and Delicious Plant-Based Recipes with Bold Flavors

As someone who has owned 100+ cookbooks and as a Thai food enthusiast, I was surprised to see the negative reviews for Vegan Thai Kitchen.First thing's first— I have to say that I haven't tried any of the recipes yet. But since every critical reviewer (as of this time of writing, there are 5) also seems to have not tried any recipes, I think my review/rebuttal is appropriate.Current complaints amount to:-"Too much sugar"— Of course it has sugar! It's Thai food! For the purists out there, you'll want to use palm sugar/jaggery instead of brown sugar. But the point is that many Thai dishes contain sugar—Thai food is salty, spicy, sour, and... sweet. There really isn't any substitute for sugar here. Honey isn't vegan and would add an odd taste. Use erythritol if you're concerned about calories. Or just omit entirely if you must. But being upset about sugar content is like buying a Mexican cookbook and being upset about the carbs. It's a characteristic of the cuisine.-"Mushroom stir fry sauce is in every recipe!!"— Of course it is! Fish sauce is a key ingredient in Southeast Asian cooking, and there is truly nothing like it., but mushroom stir fry sauce contributes a bit of umami and is widely accepted as the best vegan substitute to date.-"I can't find mushroom stir fry sauce (or some other ingredient)!!)— You can order from Amazon or buy from an Asian grocery store. Can't find it at Walmart? What do you expect?! You're trying to cook a cuisine from a country 8,000 miles away! Expect to visit some specialty grocery stores if you want to cook something authentic. If not, visit your local Panda Express and call it a day, y'all.-"Recipes are too similar"— Of course they are! A lot of the criticism this book is receiving seem to be about the cuisine itself rather than the cookbook. You would not buy an Italian cookbook and complain that tomatoes are used too frequently or there are too many pasta dishes. You would not buy a Chinese cookbook and be upset about how often rice is used. You would not buy a Creole cookbook and be annoyed at the fact that many recipes require a roux. You would not buy a Mexican cookbook and say that too many recipes require tortillas or masa harina. Indian recipes often use asofetida, cumin, cardamom, ginger, garlic, fennel, coriander, and and spices. Many French recipes start with mirepoix. Many Latin dishes, sofrito. And Thai? You're going to see a lot of galangal, tamarind, kaffir lime, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, Thai chiles, Thai basil, fish sauce (or mushroom stir fry sauce), and... sugar. :) It's what the cuisine is about. So, yes, some flavors will be repetitive.-"The recipes are not appetizing."— Do you even Thai?!!?!?!?I'm not affiliated with the author in any way, I'm just a snobby foodie who is frustrated that a potentially really good cookbook is being knocked for the cuisine itself. Thinking about how the author and her mom must feel makes my heart sink.Still with me? Wow! Okay, now that I'm done replying to other reviewers, here's MY two cents: From what I've seen, there are lots of innovative/fresh (yet authentic) recipes, great photos, and clear directions. If you're vegan and actually know and like Thai food, you'll find recipes you'll want to cook in this book. I was happy to see that the author is Thai herself and provides the Thai name of each dish. I'm particularly excited to try her rendition of Jungle Curry/Kaeng Pa/แกงป่า. My only complaint is the price is steep for a cookbook with only 75 recipes, but I've seen worse. The Kindle version is a lot cheaper, so there's that.Full list of recipes:-Sweet and sour tempeh-Stir-fried taro and potato with dried chiles-Spicy basil tempeh-Spicy eggplant-Garlic and pepper tofu-Ginger tofu-Jungle curry stir-fry-Glass noodles with mixed vegetables-Soft tofu yellow curry stir-fry-Portobello mushrooms with soft tofu-Tofu with celery in ginger sauce-Sweet and sour crispy seaweed tofu-Panang crispy seaweed tofu-Three flavored crispy seaweed tofu-Crispy seaweed tofu-Three mushroom noodles-Pad thai-Pad see eew with tofu-Spicy noodles with tempeh/pad kee mao-Spicy basil fried rice with tempeh-Grandma fried rice-Yellow curry fried rice-Salted black olive fried rice-Tom yum fried rice-Super beans fried rice-Son-in-law tofu-Crispy tofu dipped in sweet and sour sauce-Spicy crispy sweet corn patties-Enoki mushroom fritters-Golden crispy taro-Sugar snap peas-Thai-style asparagus-Crispy curry soy curls-Garlic and pepper hon-shimeji mushrooms-Fresh veggie rolls-Swimming rama with peanut dressing-Tofu satay-Three flavors tofu salad-Eggplant salad-Pomelo salad-Banana blossom salad-Sweet corn salad-Glass noodle salad-Tempeh lemongrass salad-Green papaya salad-Green mango salad on crispy tempeh-Winged bean salad-Spicy soy curls tom yum salad-Glass noodle soup-Banana blossom tom kha soup-Lotus root tom yum soup-The Pear Noodle salad-Avocado green curry-Mango red curry-Taro-potato massaman curry-Pineapple tempeh curry-Assorted mushrooms curry-Panang tofu-Kabocha squash curry-Jungle curry-Mango sticky rice-Banana spring rolls-Corn and tapioca pudding-Sweet bananas-Bananas in coconut milk-Black sticky rice pudding-Vegan Thai tea-Vegan Thai iced coffee-Vegan Thai iced green tea-Thai lime iced tea-Mango madness smoothie-Phuket coconut shake-Passionfruit and mango smoothie-Pitaya breakfast smoothie

I used to work at one of the restaurants the writer of this book Sarah, owned. I had been fortunate enough to try a lot of these recipes in the restaurant and was immediately hooked. Unfortunately due to Covid the restaurant closed, luckily Sarah had published this wonderful cook book.The other day I was craving the Pear Noodle Salad, I followed the recipe from the Vegan Thai book (switched tofu for tempeh) and it turned out amazing. It tasted just as I remembered from the restaurant.I would definitely recommend this book if you want vegan friendly recipes that that taste delicious and are packed with vibrant colors and flavors.

This is a great little vegan Thai cookbook. The recipes are delicious and easy to prepare. I ordered the mushroom stir fry sauce along with the book because I can’t get it where I live. I assume it replaces fish sauce, since it’s present in a number of stir fry sauces.To all the naysayers commenting: Thai food has a sweet element to it so it will pretty much always have some kind of sugar. Use maple syrup or whatever alternative you prefer if you don’t want to use brown sugar. It’s not rocket science to make easy swaps. Plus, whether you delve into making Korean, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Japanese, or any other Asian cuisine, you will likely be utilizing pre-made fermented sauces, pastes, oils, and other condiments. It’s crazy to me that people are submitting negative comments about having to use them since they’re regularly used by restaurants and home cooks alike.

Be prepared to need the following ingredients for recipes: oyster mushrooms, beech mushrooms, fresh kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass stalks, Thai basil, fresh Thai young coconuts, passion fruit puree, frozen pitaya, Thai teas, black sticky rice, Thai bananas, kabocha squash, taro, tamarind juice, various curry pastes, etc. You'll need a decent Asian grocery nearby, of which I personally do not live anywhere near to. There is no recipe for the mushroom stir fry sauce, which is frustrating, because the one sold online has artificial preservatives.

I pre-ordered this cookbook and was very excited when it arrived. It's a beautiful book and the information about Thailand is interesting. The photographs are well done and tantalizing. It seems good for someone wanting a very simple way to produce Thai tasting dishes that are vegan. The emphasis here is on simple.If I could have reviewed the recipes before ordering it I would not have bought it (you can see many recipes now in Look Inside). I am both vegan and gluten free which was part of the description. Many of the Sauces are three ingredients: Tamari, mushroom stir-fry sauce and brown sugar. There is no recipe for the mushroom stir-fry sauce and the only one I could find on-line was sold by Amazon and contained wheat flour and a lot of sugar. The recipes also were quite high in sugar. I had hoped to learn more about actual Thai cooking, spicing, and sauce making. Buy the book if you want something quick and easy and my concerns (and allergies) are not an issue. I think the intent of the authors is to provide something very accessible and vegan. It wasn't a good pick for me.

I loved reading these recipes because they seem doable by the average cook. I made the asparagus first and loved it. But, a lot of the recipes feature a pre-made brand of curry. This brand is not easily available (there seems to be a recall) and the recipes for the curries are never given. I would love to see more recipes from this author.

This book is wonderful, just what I was looking for. Pics of the recipes, great layout & descriptions. Some reviewers seem to have an issue with every recipe containing brown sugar or the same combo of some ingredients...well that's how thai food is, just like almost every italian dish contains garlic & some form of italian seasonings! Anyone wondering whether to buy this book should just go for it! As a fairly new vegan, finding cookbooks this well produced is a treat, love it!

I’ve cooked about 10 recipes from this book and all have been huge hits in my house. It takes a bit of legwork to find the ingredients, but if you hit up a few Asian supermarkets and Google some substitutions (e.g.) I couldn’t find taro or kabocha squash so I subbed sweet potato and buternut squash, respectively) you’ll have everything you need. I found the sauces to be too sweet for my liking so now I halve the brown sugar and it tastes perfect. I also swap the jasmine rice for cauliflower rice, which saves a couple hundred calories.Every week I try to cook a new dish from this book, and I find the process to be quite fun and creative. My favourite recipes so far are the mango red curry, panang tofu curry, and yellow curry stir fry with soft tofu. If you have the ingredients ready/prepared, the recipes seem to come together in 20-30 mins, and they freeze/refrigerate well for leftovers. Once you find the ingredients (and if I can find them living on a small island in Canada, anyone can), the recipes are quite easy.

Few recepies.

Eine große Auswahl an leckeren Gerichten.

I was excited to buy this book as love Thai food however the recipes call for buying lots of ready made sauces with little explanation, for example mushroom stir fry sauce features in 50% of recipes but what is it ........??