Traveling to a new place is always a fun adventure. It’s a great way to get to know another culture better.

But an even better way to go local?

Go and try out their food.

However, if you are a vegan traveler, your dietary requirements might hinder you from going on a gastronomical adventure. If you are traveling to eastern countries, in particular, it might become difficult to find meat or even dairy-free meals if you do not do your research well.

We’ve come up with a list of some of the best vegan foods to try in Southeast Asia. And, if you are particularly interested in visiting Thailand, we also have a list of the best vegan street foods that you might want to taste on your next visit.

1. Roti Sai Mai

Taking its roots from Ayuthaya in Northern Bangkok, sugar is made into long, thin, silky strands through hand pulling. Think of it as candy floss which is then wrapped in roti so you can eat it like a burrito. Yum!

2. Chinese Dragon’s Beard Candy

Another interesting cotton candy like street food that you might want to try in Thailand is this sweet treat which you can find in Bangkok’s Chinatown.

To create this, the candy is pulled into a doughnut shape, pulled wider, halved and then dunked into sticky rice flour. The result is pillow-like added with some sticky peanut, coconut and sesame filling.

3. Kanom Buang

These crepe tacos aren’t usually served vegan style so you will have to be careful when ordering them up.

They are usually filled with golden egg yolk sweets but are skipped during the Thailand Vegetarian Festival. The fillings can be sweet or savory but both use coconut and sometimes, white pepper.

4. Chao Kuai

Want a dessert that’s truly vegan-friendly? Chao kuai is jelly made from boiled sun-dried stems and leaves of the Chinese mesona plant. This refreshing treat is often served chilled topped with brown sugar. 

5. Khao Lam

Another cool street food in Thailand that you might want to try is this sweet sticky rice in bamboo. To make this, sticky rice is stuffed inside bamboo tubes, along with beans, coconut milk, sugar and some salt. The bamboo is then steamed until the rice is cooked and the top part starts to caramelize.

6. Khanom Tan

The traditional way of creating these toddy palm cakes is by leaving natural yeasts to multiply during the fermentation period. However, using leavening agents has already become pretty popular, too. This cake is made by mixing toddy palm fruit, rice flour, and coconut milk together.

7. Khanom Tan

These delicious looking biscuits are made from a mixture of different types of flours, coconut milk and black and white sesame seeds. It is then deep fried while inside a mould and then shaken to create that blossom. Traditionally, they are created with eggs but is omitted during the vegetarian festival.

8. Pad Thai

When you talk about Thai food, the first (and perhaps, only) food that comes to mind is Pad Thai. It is basically stir-fried noodles mixed with tofu, eggs, dried shrimp, red chili pepper, garlic and palm sugar.

You can request for a vegan-friendly version where they use vegetables such as banana flowers, turnips, coriander leaves and bean sprouts.

9.  Sa Koo

While this is typically made with pork filling, a vegan version of this street food is also becoming popular. In the vegan-friendly alternative, turnip or shiitake mushrooms are used. To make it sticky, it is stir-fried with sugar then wrapped in soaked tapioca pearls before it is steamed.

10. Khao Niew Ma Muang

Another extremely popular dessert in Thailand is the mango sticky rice. As the name suggests, it is a combination of fresh mangoes on top of sticky rice mixed with coconut milk and sugar. It is then drizzled with a bit of coconut syrup and added with mung beans or sesame seeds on top.

Even Thailand’s streets are friendly enough for the vegan traveler in you. Don’t be afraid to try new flavors - but also make sure that you ask around to confirm if it is truly vegan or not. Happy eating!

-----

About the Author: Pam is an outdoors-loving millennial momma who loves to hike, trek and camp in the beaches and mountains with her partner and their kiddos.