Quinoa Salad

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.  

SIX SENSES SAMUI

Quinoa, the South American superfood, gets some Southeast Asian flavouring at Six Senses Samui. Served at Six Senses Samui’s Dining on the Rocks restaurant, quinoa salad is spiced up with pickled fennel, ginger jelly, kaffir lime zest and fresh herbs. The Thai art of yum (salad) requires the right combination of flavours: sour, salty, spicy and herbal, as well as textures: soft, slippery and crunchy. Italian-born Executive Chef Christian Martena’s talent for fusing cuisines and flavours is evident in this delicate dish that dances along one’s taste buds. In the end, this vegan plate subtlety balances a pure wholesomeness with flavourful indulgence worthy of the restaurant's fine reputation.

Wine companion:  I am heading down a Reisling road to find a companion for this dish, and perhaps the best roads to a Reisling are found in Germany. The Schloss Vollrads 'Volratz 1573' Riesling Rheingau 2015 won’t overpower the delicate and sophisticated flavour combinations here but will add another aromatic dimension.

For more: sixsenses.com