Food! Glorious food! At VegVoyages our two passions are travel and food – and we do our best to offer you the best of both!

There is no better way to get an idea about a country’s culture and heritage than through its food. Asia undoubtedly offers vegetarians the widest, most diverse and tastiest vegetarian and vegan food to be found anywhere in the world. The combination of spices and herbs, sauces, curries and other ingredients makes Asian food an exciting culinary treat!

Each country has its own methods of preparation, combination of ingredients and ways of eating. In India you may eat off a banana leaf using just your hands, or you may use a chapatti (a tortilla like wheat bread). In Malaysia western style forks and spoons and chopsticks are common, but also is eating with your hands in more rural areas or at your local banana leaf or nasi kandar restaurant in the city. No matter which way you eat, one thing you can almost always count on is an exciting, savory and palate pleasing experience!

Most of Asia shares one simple ingredient in almost all of its cuisines - and that is rice. Rice is the staple food of Asia and billions of people depend on it for their daily survival. In Asia, rice is cooked in a variety of ways. Simple steamed rice is used to pour curries over, sticky rice in South East Asia is rolled into a ball and eaten with vegetable or fruit dishes, fried rice mixed with an assortment of veggies is enjoyed in a variety of styles and the biryanis of India (basmati rice lightly fried with cloves, cardamom and other spices) are also a popular choice. 

But the staple of Asian cuisine is not just limited to rice and also includes a range of breads baked, fried or grilled and a collection of noodles served in soup, curry, fried or steamed.

Indian Food
Papads, Rotis, Masalas & Chais!

India undoubtedly offers the vegetarian traveler one of the most diverse selections of pure vegetarian cuisine anywhere in the world. Deeply rooted in Hindu culture, vegetarian food has been cultivated and refined throughout India's varying ethnic regions for thousands of years. While ingredients and cooking techniques differ from area to area, preparing meat-free food provides a common thread in Indian cooking.

Whether savoring southern specialties such as masala dosais (South Indian crepes) served with coconut, coriander and tomato chutneys, or feasting on northern delights like naan (baked flat bread) & vegetable tikkas (vegetable kebabs) straight from the tandoor oven, the sheer variety of pure veg food makes India a fantastic country to "travel veg" in – and on your VegVoyages adventure – we’ll be sampling them all!

Most Indian meals include a rice dish, several vegetable dishes and curries, and a healthy serving of rotis (Indian wheat flour tortillas), naans or parathas (tasty griddle fried Indian flat bread). Indian food is often quite spicy. Chili, curry powder, cardamon, garlic, onions, cloves, turmeric and cumin are all common ingredients in Indian cooking. Of course, VegVoyages respects everyone’s palate and can have the food prepared to fit your individual tastes and needs.

Indian foods global popularity is owed in large part to its curries. The varieties are endless. Popular vegetarian curries may include aloo (potato) curry, okra curry, mixed vegetable curries, paneer (cottage cheese cubes – for the non-vegans) masala and others. Curries are usually served with steamed or boiled rice but are also often eaten with naan, roti or paratha.

Rotis resemble tortillas and are made from wheat flour (sometimes corn flour). They are cooked directly on a tawa (a cast-iron type griddle) or lightly coated with ghee (purified butter) or vanaspati (vegetable oil based ghee - vegan friendly) while cooking. Naan bread is baked in a tandoor oven. While plain naan is most common, naan also comes baked with garlic or onions, stuffed with cheese (if you like cheese) or coated with ghee or vanaspati. Parathas are tasty griddle fried Indian flat bread served plain or stuffed that go well with fresh chutneys and pickle.

As the staple component of the Indian diet, rice plays an important role in their cuisine and is served in a myriad of forms. From boiled rice to biryani laced with cardamon and cloves to the fabled Indian basmati rice rich & delicate in flavor, Indian rice and its many forms will leave your appetite well satisfied.

Throughout North India, the staple is dhal (lentils), curries, bread and rice. Nearly every meal is served with dhal in some capacity. Often it is offered as a soup-like side dish that can be poured like gravy over rice or used to dip a roti in. Dhal is prepared in many different ways and no doubt, you will find a style that you'll enjoy.

At VegVoyages, we want to make sure that you get the widest variety of local vegetarian cuisine available from the different regions of India. So, in addition to eating the more popular dishes, we will also introduce you to an eclectic selection of more regional dishes. 

In the Rajasthan for example, dhal bhati is a famous dish consisting of spicy dhal ate with round ball-shaped bread.  Rajasthan is also famous for their gram curries – which are gram pieces delicately simmered in a mixture of spices and a pungent curry.  While Gujarat for example, is known for its vegetarian thali (set meal), where you are presented with a vast array of scrumptious vegetable delicacies, dhal, papad, snacks, rice, roti and sweets until you can’t eat anymore. 

On a VegVoyages Adventure you’ll discover Indian food in all its varieties - from Southern specialties, Northern delights and region specific delicacies you’ll truly experience what Indian food has to offer.

Malaysian Food
Asian fusion cuisine at its best!

The variety of vegetarian food found in Malaysia is endless – if you know where to look!   Actually, Malaysia - in our opinion, offers the vegetarian and vegan traveler some of the tastiest vegetarian cuisine to be found on the planet! 

Eating is a national pastime in Malaysia and you’ll never be too far from some delicious food.  Rich and spicy dishes influenced by Malay, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Indonesian and Eurasian cuisines make Malaysia a veritable culinary “melting pot”! 

Moreover, the fusion of these cuisines that has developed over the centuries makes Malaysian food not only colorful, spicy and eclectic – but also downright tasty.  The combination of these culinary elements all add up to one thing for us – which is, some really great food! 

The Malay influence to Malaysia’s vegetarian cuisine is its generous use of coconut milk, chilies, garlic, cloves, ginger, lemongrass, mint and other pungent spices as the main ingredients in making curries.  These curries will often include a combination of fresh vegetables and/or bean curd or a variety of vegetarian “mock meats”. 

Malay food is also known for its satays, or barbequed meats - which we will be sampling the vegetarian versions of, accompanied by an assortment of dipping sauces such as fiery sambals (hot chili sauce) and sos kacang (spicy peanut sauce).  Of course, the spice levels we adjust as per our fellow travelers’ palates.

The Chinese influence to Malaysia’s vegetarian cuisine, in addition to its wide assortment of delicious fried or steamed vegetable and bean curd dishes, is its contribution of noodles.  Malaysia boasts a unique and tasty variety of fusion-style vegetarian noodle dishes including tangy noodle soups, mouthwatering mee kari (curry noodle soup) and spicy mee goreng (fried noodles). 

The Indian influence to Malaysia’s vegetarian cuisine comes from the South Indian Tamil community.  Some South Indian favorites include the ever-popular banana leaf thali (spicy vegetable curries served with rice on a banana leaf) and dosais (rice flour pancake) served with dhal and fresh chutneys. 

When talking about Malaysian vegetarian food, we definitely cannot forget the influence of Nyonya cuisine – delightful dishes owing their taste to the centuries old fusion of Chinese cuisine with the rich and spicy ingredients found in Malay cooking.  Nyonya cuisine’s origins date back to the 15th century when Chinese migrant traders set up shop in Malaysia and married local Malay women - adapting many of the local traditions and customs, as well as fusing many of the cooking methods between the two cultures.       

And last but not least, there’s the influence of mamak cuisine - Malaysia’s Indian fusion cuisine that gave birth to such mouthwatering meals as nasi kandar, murtabak, roti canai, mee mamak, and of course, teh tarik, the famous hot frothy tea.  Mamak cuisine came about when South Indian Muslim traders arrived in Malaysia, set up shop, and intermarried with local Malay women. 

Rice is a staple, and unless you’re eating noodles or plates of roti canai (Malaysian parathas) – you're bound to eat your meal with rice in one form or another.  If you like rice, Malaysia has plenty to offer.  In addition to nasih putih, or steamed rice, there’s a variety of rice dishes available.  These range from the ever-popular nasi goreng (Malaysia’s spicier version of fried rice) to nasi lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk often served with sambal, peanuts and vegetables). 

From curries to noodles, roti canai (Malaysian parathas) to veg rendang (an absolutely delicious dish) – the selection of tasty vegetarian cuisine in Malaysia truly is endless.  And don’t forget the snacks, as Malaysians are keen snackers with roadside stalls offering everything from tahu goreng (fried tofu) to pisang goreng (fried bananas), tempe goreng (fried tempe with sauce) to salads such as vegetable rujak (a fruit salad with spicy sauce). 

With its unique fusion of  Malay, Chinese, Indian, Arab, European, Indonesian and Thai cooking methods and ingredients, Malaysian vegetarian food is a culinary treat not to be missed!

Just a few more words
about the food...

Both India & Malaysia are also blessed with a plethora of exotic fruits such as papaya, mango, durian (very popular in Malaysia), jackfruit (often made into a curry), rambutan, mangosteen and guava among others.

In addition to introducing you to the many popular and more common dishes of India and Malaysia, we also make it a priority to expose you to the more unique and tasty regionalized vegetarian cuisine that can be found only in certain areas.

On your VegVoyages adventure, we want you to get a taste for the country and its rich heritage, and what a better way to do that than through its cuisine! 

Oh, one last thing we
almost forgot - you’ll probably
gain a little extra weight too!