Thai Me Up

Not sure how I feel about going across the river (to Minneapolis) to visit Krungthep Thai - an outpost of St. Paul's own Bangkok Thai Deli located on University Avenue (home of light rail construction.) Alas, I did it because that's where Compassionate Action for Animals was hosting their "Dine Out" for Veg Week.

I was happy to see a Thai place featured because I love the balance of flavors often present: sour, sweet, creamy and salty. The main thing to watch out for if you're sticking to a 100% plant-based meal at a Thai restaurant is the use of shrimp paste or fish sauce, sometimes they can just omit or substitute with soy sauce. Other times they can't, and it can sometimes be a challenge to know exactly what you're getting.

That said, Krungthep Thai was able to make almost everything on the menu vegan...AWESOME! My fiance shared a spring roll with me and the basil and mint freshness was uber-tasty.

But the piece de resistance was the green curry! Good green curry is that perfect balance of the four flavors with just the right amount of heat. There's a lot of not so good green curries out there; either too bland or sweet. The stuff I had tonight was really, insanely good. It featured tofu, thai eggplant, red bell peppers, thai chilis, basil and kaffir lime leaves. The bowl was huge; thankfully, allowing me to share with friends while still eating my fill.

If you can't get to a Thai restaurant, you could always try making the New York Times' vegan Thai Green Curry Vegetables yourself. :)

Proud participant in:

www.veganmofo.com