Som Tum

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.  

THE CABOCHON HOTEL BANGKOK

Crunchy and refreshing, som tum papaya salad is a beloved Thai dish. Made with shredded raw papaya, halved cherry tomatoes and short snaps of snake beans, the wow-factor in this dish comes from pounding all the ingredients in a mortar with chilli, roasted peanuts, lime juice, brown sugar, tiny dried shrimp and fish sauce. These flavours and textures combine in that harmonious balance that is the signature of Thai cuisine. Vegetarian versions of som tum skip the shrimp and sub in soy sauce for fish sauce, but the result is nonetheless magical. Experience this dish at The Cabochon Hotel’s charming Thai Yao Leh restaurant served by Chef Phaithun 'Sa' Ainsomnuek to highlight the season’s freshest ingredients.

Wine companion: In the hot climate of Thailand, room temperature red wine might be considered incompatible! But, there is nothing wrong with chilling reds, particularly lighter wines, so I have gone for a cold bottle of the Domaine Vacheron Sancerre Rouge, which is a classic Pinot Noir.

For more: cabochonhotel.com