Homemade Potato Gnocchi with Mushroom and Truffle Cream Sauce

While many traditional Thai dishes incorporate some bit of meat, it’s usually simple to prepare them without, add in tofu for a hit of protein or substitute meaty for hearty mushrooms and aubergine. Throughout the country, local vegan Thai restaurants are identified with a red and yellow “เจ” sign. (เจ (jay) means vegan in Thai while มังสวิรัติ (mung-sa-wee-rut) means “vegetarian”.) At these simple eateries, all dishes are made without any eggs, fish sauce or oyster sauce but often include substitute meat products made from mushrooms, soy, tempeh or textured vegetable protein.

With eating plant-based meals and veganism becoming more in vogue, plenty of mainstream restaurants (especially within holiday hotspots such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Samui) also offer a range of international and Thai vegetarian, vegan and raw dishes packed with nutritious ingredients.

Ever tried beetroot tartar or vegetable larb? What about northern Thailand’s iconic khao soi but without the customary stewed chicken leg? Even if you’re a carnivore, these dishes from some of the country’s top hotel dining venues will still delight with their myriad flavours, eye-catching colours and careful presentations.

To bring out the farm fresh flavours even more, each dish listed below highlights a pairing recommendation of our favourite fruit-based libation selected from the respective restaurant’s wine list.  

AKYRA MANOR CHIANG MAI

With dark, reflective interiors and sleek floor-to-ceiling candelabras, Italics offers a surprisingly stylish venue in the northern Chiang Mai. Priding itself on offering innovative Italian cuisine featuring local, seasonal ingredients that meet even the most discerning diners’ standards, the restaurant manages to create an urbane yet inviting atmosphere and some of the best Italian in town. While high-quality cuts of meat feature prominently on the menu, the vegetarian dishes are just as satisfying, such as Executive Chef Phubase Chuprakong's homemade Potato Gnocchi with Mushroom and Truffle Cream Sauce the doesn’t skimp on the hearty mushrooms or indulgent truffles.

Wine companion: An earthy wine will complement the truffle and mushroom combo and the cultured French Domaine du Petit Brouard pairs perfectly. The 2010 vintage has the distinctive gravelly flavour of French Pomerol red wines, which are blended predominantly using the Merlot grape.

For more: theakyra.com/chiang-mai/