Veggie Thai Massaman Curry

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The first time I tried Thai Massaman Curry was in the south of Thailand, more specifically in Koh Lanta. The taste of this yellow curry is an explosion of flavors in your mouth. So, for those who consider a vegetarian meal a bit bland, the veggie version of this dish can be very surprising.

J-YAI is a restaurant that only cooks with organic vegetables here in Chiang Mai. And what is more incredible is that tre restaurant is not expansive at all! I paid for my meal only 40 bahts (US$ 1,27).

They don’t serve only veggie dishes, but everything vegetarian that I tried there was amazing! So, this is my review for Tasteem this week!

Thai Massaman Curry

After searching on the internet, I discovered that it wasn’t a surprise that I’ve tried Massaman Curry on the south of Thailand. Accordingly to David Thompson, an Australian chef and cookery writer specialized in Thai Cuisine, massaman comes from “Mussulman” or Muslim. And considering that the Muslim population of Thailand is more located in the south of the country, that’s not a coincidence that you can find this dish there. The massaman curry has Persian roots and was originated in the 17th century.

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Preparing the food is not complicated, like all the Thai dishes. However, the ingredients are not so easy to find in other parts of the world, since they are typically Thai. The Massaman Curry is made by a paste of spices and coconut milk. You can make it with meat, but the veggie version, tofu and vegetables make also a great combination!

In the curry paste are mixed coriander, black pepper, cumin, galangal, cloves, nutmeg, cardamon, turmeric, lemongrass, and chilly pepper. The original recipe also takes fish sauce, so if you’re vegetarian please check if they will not use the fish/oyster sauce on your meal.

The curry paste is mixed with coconut milk and the vegetables are cooked together. the tofu is fried and also put together in the end. It’s served with rice (in my case, brown rice) and it was simply delicious!

J-YAI Organic vegetable restaurant

J-YAI is a very peculiar restaurant. Especially because it looks more like a bar than a restaurant. Looking around you can find a lot of bottles of alcohol which makes a place a bit weird. However, the dishes are very good, cheap and the service also super friendly! I like it also because the kitchen is located on the street, like most of my favorite Thai restaurants!

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They have many options for vegetarians and they are made for vegetarians, which means no fish sauce, bone broth or non-vegetarian ingredients that are typical in the Thai Cuisine.

If you’re vegetarian or vegan in Thailand always ask if the food doesn’t contain non-vegetarian ingredients. Not all Thai people consider oyster sauce, for example, a non-vegetarian ingredient.

Massaman Curry is one of the famous dishes here in Thailand and a must try! Even being a vegetarian, don’t miss the opportunity to feel all these flavors exploding on your mouth! You’ll never taste tofu in a better combination than this!