Guest guest Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 Hi everybody, I lost 6 pounds in the last three weeks while visiting Thailand, Laos, Viet Nam, and Cambodia. Silly me, I thought that since some of these are mainly Buddhist countries, that I wouldn't have any problem finding vegetarian meals. Oops! Well, it turns out that vegetarian eating is for monks. And since you are advised not to eat fresh salads, I was truly limited, and this is what lead to the weight loss. The one thing I will be adding here at home will be using rice papers to make spring rolls. You wet them and then roll up your favorite veggie fillings. You can eat them without cooking. You can roll them in coconut, or bread crumbs, and pan-fry them in a little light-flavored oil too. I probably tried a dozen different kinds of spring rolls in Thailand and Viet Nam - and they were wonderful. I did end up doing some that weren't cooked there with some veggies I didn't recognize, and they were terrific, and I didn't get sick either - a big plus! LOL! I was really bummed when a Thai cooking class ended up being a cooking class for meat eaters and then they just substituted stuff. Sorry, but that didn't work! The next class was in Viet Nam and after talking to the teacher I ended up skipping it since it was also just substitutions. The markets are so full of wonderful looking veggies that I was truly disappointed not to find out how to use them. Sigh. Very jet-lagged, Barb V. Pompano Beach, FL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 Barb V. wrote: > Hi everybody, > > I lost 6 pounds in the last three weeks while visiting Thailand, Laos, Viet Nam, and Cambodia. Silly me, I thought that since some of these are mainly Buddhist countries, that I wouldn't have any problem finding vegetarian meals. Hi Barb and all, Thanks for your SE Asian report and tips. It sounds as if you're enjoying the trip despite the hazards of (not) vegetarian eating. By some coincidence I'm also in SE Asia for a three week break - now in Indonesia and at the end, briefly, hope to visit Hong Kong. For Indonesia the safest choice is Gado-Gado (vegetables in peanut sauce) which is available almost everywhere where Indonesian food is served. You can make it vegan by omitting the eggs (if any) but be careful not to get kroepoek strewn over it as this is of course prawn cracker. A good vegan alternative is emping which is a grain product and really delicious. Tofu and tempeh are widely available in various forms, in particular sambal goreng tempeh which is fried tempeh in a sweet " ketjap " sauce. I've learnt the hard way to be aware of any stir-fry or stewed vegetable dish served in a restaurant, even if it says it's vegetarian. Indonesian " vegetarian " cook books often include recipes with fish and chicken, and this misunderstanding seems to prevail. I had a stewed vegetable dish on Saturday and it tasted OK, with lots of tofu. So I returned today and requested the same item but was surprised to discover that this time it contained pieces of chicken and prawns. These could be offered to the partner but the nagging feeling remained that what was left was not really vegetarian and maybe never had been - probably they make a standard basic stock and then add or remove items to comply with a particular menu description. Hmm. Fortunately the house I'm staying has a wonderful cook who provides daily the most delicious vegetarian meals and has a complete understanding of the requirements! Piers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 To Barb V.: We are practically neighbors! My husband and I live in the eastern end of Tamarac, near 441/SR 7 and McNab/Cypress Creek. I would love to meet you. from Maida Citizens for Pets in Condos, http://www.petsincondos.org South Florida Vegetarian Events, http://www.soflavegevents.net Monday, March 06, 2006 3:37 PM Digest Number 926 There are 3 messages in this issue. Topics in this digest: 1. Vegetarian eating in SE Asia, and one tip " Barb V. " <barb 2. Re: Vegetarian eating in SE Asia, and one tip " piersalgarve " <piersalgarve 3. Calorie-counted Soya Milk Porridge (Vegan) " Michael Stevens " <michael_stevens1000 ______________________ ______________________ Message: 1 Sun, 5 Mar 2006 23:12:53 -0500 " Barb V. " <barb Vegetarian eating in SE Asia, and one tip Hi everybody, I lost 6 pounds in the last three weeks while visiting Thailand, Laos, Viet Nam, and Cambodia. Silly me, I thought that since some of these are mainly Buddhist countries, that I wouldn't have any problem finding vegetarian meals. Oops! Well, it turns out that vegetarian eating is for monks. And since you are advised not to eat fresh salads, I was truly limited, and this is what lead to the weight loss. The one thing I will be adding here at home will be using rice papers to make spring rolls. You wet them and then roll up your favorite veggie fillings. You can eat them without cooking. You can roll them in coconut, or bread crumbs, and pan-fry them in a little light-flavored oil too. I probably tried a dozen different kinds of spring rolls in Thailand and Viet Nam - and they were wonderful. I did end up doing some that weren't cooked there with some veggies I didn't recognize, and they were terrific, and I didn't get sick either - a big plus! LOL! I was really bummed when a Thai cooking class ended up being a cooking class for meat eaters and then they just substituted stuff. Sorry, but that didn't work! The next class was in Viet Nam and after talking to the teacher I ended up skipping it since it was also just substitutions. The markets are so full of wonderful looking veggies that I was truly disappointed not to find out how to use them. Sigh. Very jet-lagged, Barb V. Pompano Beach, FL ______________________ ______________________ Message: 2 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 14:26:04 -0000 " piersalgarve " <piersalgarve Re: Vegetarian eating in SE Asia, and one tip Barb V. wrote: > Hi everybody, > > I lost 6 pounds in the last three weeks while visiting Thailand, Laos, Viet Nam, and Cambodia. Silly me, I thought that since some of these are mainly Buddhist countries, that I wouldn't have any problem finding vegetarian meals. Hi Barb and all, Thanks for your SE Asian report and tips. It sounds as if you're enjoying the trip despite the hazards of (not) vegetarian eating. By some coincidence I'm also in SE Asia for a three week break - now in Indonesia and at the end, briefly, hope to visit Hong Kong. For Indonesia the safest choice is Gado-Gado (vegetables in peanut sauce) which is available almost everywhere where Indonesian food is served. You can make it vegan by omitting the eggs (if any) but be careful not to get kroepoek strewn over it as this is of course prawn cracker. A good vegan alternative is emping which is a grain product and really delicious. Tofu and tempeh are widely available in various forms, in particular sambal goreng tempeh which is fried tempeh in a sweet " ketjap " sauce. I've learnt the hard way to be aware of any stir-fry or stewed vegetable dish served in a restaurant, even if it says it's vegetarian. Indonesian " vegetarian " cook books often include recipes with fish and chicken, and this misunderstanding seems to prevail. I had a stewed vegetable dish on Saturday and it tasted OK, with lots of tofu. So I returned today and requested the same item but was surprised to discover that this time it contained pieces of chicken and prawns. These could be offered to the partner but the nagging feeling remained that what was left was not really vegetarian and maybe never had been - probably they make a standard basic stock and then add or remove items to comply with a particular menu description. Hmm. Fortunately the house I'm staying has a wonderful cook who provides daily the most delicious vegetarian meals and has a complete understanding of the requirements! Piers ______________________ ______________________ Message: 3 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 17:27:52 -0000 " Michael Stevens " <michael_stevens1000 Calorie-counted Soya Milk Porridge (Vegan) Soya Milk Porridge Ingredients (per person): 50g (2oz) Porridge Oats (180 kcal) 200 ml (1/3 pint) Soya Milk (82 kcal) (made up to 280 ml (1/2 pint) with cold water) Pinch of Salt 100g (4oz) banana, chopped (95 kcal) Total calories: 357 Preparation: 1) Put all the ingredients except the banana into a saucepan. 2) Heat gently, stirring regularly, until thickened. 3) Serve with the chopped banana sprinkled on top. Comments: 1) I find it easiest to clean the saucepan immediately after serving before the porridge hardens on the pan! Michael birch_diet A new group that gives you free diet tools including a 5-step plan, weight graph and recipes. ______________________ ______________________ ------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 We love these and they are so easy to make. They are quite common here as a fast food in malls and cheap too! I keep a packet of rice paper in the pantry all the time because my daughter and I frequently make these to take to work or school. Julie " Barb V. " <barb wrote: The one thing I will be adding here at home will be using rice papers to make spring rolls. You wet them and then roll up your favorite veggie fillings. You can eat them without cooking. Mail Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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