12 delicious vegan dishes in Southeast Asia

We spend our time travelling to amazing places searching for the best vegan food in the world, here are 12 delicious vegan dishes in Southeast Asia that are definitely worth travelling for. The Farm at San Benito in the Philippines is leading the way for vegan luxury travel in the region, offering an all vegan experience accross the resort with the team in the kitchen at Alive! preparing a 100% vegan menu for guests. The food is imaginative, healthy and delicious using many ingredients that have been sourced from the organic gardens on site. The menu includes a selection of raw and cooked vegan food and our 3 favourites from this amazing health and wellness resort should not be missed. Number one on our list of 12 is a ‘Smoked cashew tofu sandwich with almond crust, sweet chili sauce and green asparagus’. This delicious almond crusted delight was made with a ‘tofu’ that had been made from cashew milk and filled with almond butter. We loved the cashew tofu so much that our second dish to try also features this unique ingredient. This time it was served raw in a salad with a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. Imagine a light semi-firm nut cheese with a mild tangy flavour… oh so good. The desserts were equally impressive with ‘Sweet Coconut Crackers with Mango and Vanilla Ice Cream’ being just one of the standout things to try. Made with coconuts from the resort’s own coconut grove the dehydrated raw coconut crackers were reminiscent of the most delicious waffle cones. Head over to Cambodia, one of Southeast Asia’s hottest luxury destinations and check in to Templation in Siem Reap. There are a number of vegan and vegetarian dishes on the regular menu and the team are happy to organise a vegan set breakfast or an ‘off menu’ vegan meal in the evening. We loved the delicate and delicious fresh spring rolls served with local edible flowers and a sweet, sour dipping sauce with crushed peanuts. More local favourites made our list with a lemongrass baked tofu with local red rice and steamed eggplant with a sour tamarind sauce, this tasty dish from the team at Templation has all the flavours of Cambodia on one single plate. Number six on our list of 12 dishes to try might seem a little unusual but sometimes simple dishes, prepared perfectly and served in a truly luxurious environment, are just the best. The Templation hashbrown, served as part of the vegan breakfast set was just as luxurious as the resort itself. The next 3 dishes to try can be found in Bali at the unique and truly wonderful Puri Ganesha. Located in the northwest of Bali, it’s an oasis of calm, nature and incredible raw and vegan food. This is food that will leave you feeling happy, healthy and content, masterminded by pioneering raw food chef and author Diana von Cranach. Expect nutritious and healthy dishes using local and organic ingredients full of Balinese herbs and spices like the ‘Green Soup’ served in a roasted coconut shell with a side of spicy chilli sambal. This lemongrass laced delight had a tasty coconut milk broth to balance out the nutritious local greens packed inside. Who says indulging with luxurious food has to be unhealthy? A running theme at Puri Ganesha seemed to be taking a traditional Indonesian classic and elevating it by adding unexpected twists. Our eighth ‘must eat’ dish is based on a local ‘soto’. It’s basically a supercharged vegan version of a popular traditional Indonesian soup. Filled with greens, potato, beansprouts, mushrooms and a broth that was full of umami, there’s a sizeable spinach rice ball sat in the middle to add a little extra heartiness. And when in Bali, any food loving traveller should of course try the famous ‘Gado Gado’ salad, except we’d recommend being a little more adventurous and sampling the Puri Ganehsa version. Local ferns, fresh herbs and edible flowers, pumpkin and raw cashew ‘cheese’ served with an incredible fresh, spicy peanut sauce. Our final 3 dishes of our 12 must eat dishes in Southeast Asia can be found at Navutu Dreams, another luxury gem in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This wellness resort is located in a peaceful tropical oasis just out of town and is definitely a place to relax, practice yoga and indulge in spa treatments whilst at the same time ordering off their delicious and veery vegan friendly Wellness Menu. Try the ‘Sunshine Soup’ for a light, soul warming lunch with Cambodian orange zest to add a little more happiness to your meal. The salads at Navutu Dreams are too beautiful not to mention; green leaves, almond slithers, beetroot and avocado mingle with orange segments in the ‘Detox Salad’. Served in a giant stone bowl with local edible flowers, it’s surprisingly satisfying. The stunning presentation of the food at Navutu Dreams is hard to ignore. Fusing local specialities like a purple sweet potato rice flour dumpling with coconut ice-cream, making a delicious vegan dessert that showcases traditional Cambodian food, was a real it with us. There is a huge growth in veganism worlwide and luxury hotels and resorts are embracing this change by introducing vegan dishes and vegan menus to cater for luxury travel lovers who want to eat in a healthier, cruelty free and more sustainable way. Executive chefs and their teams are presenting guests with vegan, raw and plant based creations that are imaginative, healthy and delicious as well as embracing the local flavours and ingredients of the region. We hope you enjoyed reading about our 12 delicious vegan dishes in Southeast Asia as much as we enjoyed eating them. Leave us a comment about vegan luxury travel in Southeast Asia; Could you travel as a vegan? Are you tempted by any of our 12 must try dishes? We’d love to hear from you… Paul Eyers is Founder of Vegan Food Quest. Vegan Food Quest have become luxury vegan travel specialists as they continue to find, eat and write about the best vegan food in the world. If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.