”Gin khao yung?” – or “Have you eaten yet?” – is a way of saying hello in Thailand. It’s similar to “‘What’s up?” and “How’s it going?”, and is an indication of just how important food is in the everyday lives of Thai people. These recipes from my book, Thai Made Easy, are two classics reinvented with plant-based ingredients – simple to assemble and suitable for most.
Mushroom tom yum with rice noodles (keow teow tom yum jay; pictured top)
An easy, sweet-and-sour dish that’s bursting with flavour. Traditionally made with seafood, it works well with these mushrooms, too, and has all the authentic flavours and spice from the Thai herbs.
Prep 10 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 2
120g vermicelli rice noodles
1–2 tbsp vegetable oil
600ml vegetable stock, or water
2 lemongrass stalks, bashed, green part removed and chopped into 3cm slices
2 large red chillies, finely sliced
2–3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp chilli jam or chilli oil (optional)
200g mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 makrut lime leaves, central woody stem removed, leaves torn
100g beansprouts
A handful of coriander, roughly chopped
Juice of 2 limes (3–4 tbsp)
5–6 Thai basil leaves
1 tbsp dried chilli flakes, for extra heat (optional)
Bring a medium pan of water to a boil, add the noodles and cook for two minutes. Drain, divide between two bowls, add the oil and mix well to stop the noodles sticking together.
Put the stock in the same pan and bring to a boil. Add the lemongrass, chillies, soy sauce, sugar and chilli jam or oil (if using, for extra heat and colour). Mix well and cook for two to three minutes.
Add the mushrooms, cook for five minutes, then add the lime leaves, beansprouts, most of the coriander and the lime juice. Stir well for two minutes, then taste and adjust the flavour, adding more soy or lime juice as you prefer.
Take off the heat and pour evenly over the noodles. Top each bowl with some Thai basil, a little of the reserved coriander and the chilli flakes, if using. Discard the lemongrass pieces as you eat (they will be woody, but will have added a lovely aroma).
Crisp cauliflower in sweet tamarind sauce (dok ka lum)
The combination of tamarind paste, palm sugar and vegan fish sauce gives the cauliflower the perfect balance of sweet, salty and sour flavours that Thai cuisine is known for. The cauliflower here replaces the traditional chicken balls, but trust me, you wouldn’t know, because it’s so tasty and elevates the vegetable to new heights. Plus, it’s super-easy to make.
Prep 20 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 2
For the cauliflower
130g self-raising flour
2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
A pinch each of salt and ground white pepper
180ml cold sparkling water
½ cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
470ml vegetable oil
For the sweet tamarind sauce
1 tbsp tamarind paste
4 tbsp palm sugar, or brown sugar
1 tbsp vegan fish sauce, or soy sauce
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To garnish
1–2 dried chillies
A handful of Thai basil
Crispy fried shallots (optional)
For the sweet tamarind sauce, put all the ingredients and four or five tablespoons of water in a small pan on a medium-high heat, stir until the sugar dissolves and the sauce thickens, then take off the heat.
Mix the flour, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in a bowl, then add the sparkling water and mix to make a thick batter; if it doesn’t seem loose enough to coat the cauliflower, add more sparkling water a tablespoonful at a time. Drop the cauliflower into the batter and mix well until it’s all well coated.
Put the oil in a deep frying pan, wok or saucepan on a medium heat. When hot, add the cauliflower pieces in batches, a few at a time, and fry until golden and crisp. Lift out with a slotted spoon and put on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil, and repeat with the remaining battered cauliflower.
Fry the dried chillies and basil in the same pan for a few minutes, until they start to crisp up, then lift out with the slotted spoon and drain.
To serve, put the crisp cauliflower in a large bowl and add the sweet tamarind sauce. Toss the cauliflower and sauce together, then transfer to a serving dish. Top with the crispy fried chilli and basil, and the crispy fried shallots, if using.
These recipes are edited extracts from Thai Made Easy: Simple, Modern Recipes for Every Day, by Yui Miles, published by Quadrille at £22. To order a copy for £19.36, go to guardianbookshop.com.
