Vegan Thai Gapao Rice

Authentic Thai gapao rice using only plant-based ingredients!

日本語は、こちらから。

So this week is all about one of my most favorite cuisines in the world: Thai food! Unfortunately, it’s impossible to (as far as I know) find vegetarian/vegan Thai food or restaurant in Tokyo, but I’m not crying because I’m finding ways to cook Thai food at home:)

Today, I’m making gapao, which is a spicy (with a hint of sweetness) ground meat stir-fry dish served over Thai rice. It actually usually comes with a fried egg on top, but I couldn’t come up with a vegan alternative for it, so I’m just making the stir-fry and rice!

Two of the key ingredients for gapao are ground meat and nam pla (fermented fish sauce), and for this recipe, I’m using soy meat (ground meat type) and soy sauce as alternatives.

Boil 3 cups of veg broth and add 1 tsp of shio-koji, then add 100g of soy meat (dry, ground meat type). Cook for 3 min, stop the heat, close the lid and set aside to let the soy meat soften and soak up flavors from the broth.

Dice 1 red paprika and 1 onion.

Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic. Remove the seeds from 2 dried red chili and cut into small pieces. (If you like your food very spicy, you can leave the seeds in!)

Prepare the sauce by combining 1 Tbsp vegan “oyster” sauce, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp lemon juice. So I’m substituting for nam pla (fish sauce) with a mixture of soy sauce, salt and lemon juice as both nam pla and soy sauce are fermented sauces but nam pla is saltier and more sour than soy sauce.

Heat 1 Tbps of rice bran oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic and red chili then diced onion.

Once the onion becomes transparent, add diced red pepper. Stir.

Add drained soy meat.

Make a small space in the middle and add the “oyster” sauce and soy sauce mixture. Stir well.

Stop the heat and add a bunch of chopped holy basil. Stir.

That’s it!

Serve over hot, freshly cooked Thai rice. Yum!!!

Vegan Thai gapao rice

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 3 cups veg broth
• 1 tsp shio-koji (or salt)
• 100g soy meat (dry, ground type)
• 1 medium onion
• 1 red paprika
• 1 bunch holy basil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 dry chili peppers
• 1 Tbsp rice bran oil
• Freshly cooked Thai jasmine rice
  (Sauce)
• 1 Tbsp vegan “oyster” sauce
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Boil veg broth and add shio-koji. Add soy meat  and cook for 3 min. After 3 min, stop the heat, close the lid and set aside.
2. Dice red paprika and onion. Cut holy basil in about 3cm length.
3. Finely chop garlic. Remove the seeds from red chili and cut into small pieces
4. Combine ingredients for the sauce.
5. Heat rice bran oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic and red chili then diced onion.
6. Once the onion becomes transparent, add diced red pepper. Stir.
7. Add drained soy meat. Stir.
8. Make a small space in the middle and add the sauce mixture. Stir.
9. Stop the heat and add a bunch of chopped holy basil. Stir.
10. Serve with freshly cooked Thai jasmine rice.