Vegan Scallops with Lime Butter

I made these while living in Thailand and exotic mushrooms were cheap and readily available: all the better for me to buy in abundance and experiment with reckless abandon... excellent.. I first tried these babies when in Korea and they had a satifying bite and meaty (for want of a better word) texture. I usually see them served cut lengthwise, but when cut widthwise they make cute little mishapen rounds which reminded me of scallops.

Next step: what the hell do I do with them now?? I've never had a real scallop so I had no idea how they are eaten, let alone a faux version. Then a lightbulb went off in my head and I realised "Wait, everything tastes better with lime, right?" I don't know if this is traditional, but it sure was damn tasty.

Vegan Scallops with Lime Butter

4 eryngii mushrooms

1 Tbsp rice bran oil

2 Tbsps margarine

1/2 a lime

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp soy sauce

In a large pan, heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of margarine over medium heat until the margarine has melted and merged with the oil. Add mushrooms and gently pan fry until lightly browned.

Add the second tablespoon of margarine, along with the lime, sugar and soy. Stir until melted. You may want to add more lime/sugar/soy sauce depending on how zingy/sweet/salty you want it. It should be a creamy, buttery, slighty zingy flavoursome sauce.

I served mine over mashed potatoes and a little salad of julienned capsicum, carrot and green mango.

Serves 2

Hungry for BKK?

Unlike Korea, it's not unusual to see foreigners in Thailand who are not English teachers or part of the US military. Thailand is flooded with tourists, so if you find yourself in a tourism hot-spot, you shouldn't have too much trouble asking for something without meat. More on that later.

However, as easy as that is, finding a purely vegetarian restaurant can be more of a challenge. I know I had a lot of trouble jumping into a taxi and saying a restaurant name or a Thai street address and not being understood. So it always pays to have a phone number scribbled down or better yet, a business card with a map printed on it (as many taxi drivers don't know their way around the city).

THE VEGETARIAN COTTAGE, Vibhawadee-Rangsit, Bangkok, Thailand

0-2691-5083 Lunch: 11.30-2.30 Dinner: 5.30-9.30

SPA Foods has a number of branches, only one of which I went to. The Vegetarian Cottage is, well, you guessed it, a cute little restaurant with a cottage-like atmosphere. Because of it's location in a quiet residential area, you and your loved one can escape the bustling commotion of Bangkok's streets. Expect candles on the tables and mood lighting. This place has a lot of fake meat on the menu, but the range is quite extensive (think faux lobster, lamb, duck and shrimp) so even if it's not your thing, I highly recommend you try some. You can also buy some fake meat from the fridges if you want to take some home aftewards. It's best to get here by taxi, so get this map printed and show it to your driver:

Faux chicken with a mushroom lime sauce

MAI KAIDEE'S, Banglampu (2 locations), Bangkok, Thailand

02-281-7699 Open daily: 9am-11pm

If you want some amazing vegetarian Thai food, come here. There are too locations in Bangkok, but the easiest one to find is located off Khao San Road. Walk to the end of Khao San, the opposite end of the police station, and to the right of Burger King there is an alley way. Turn into here, and turn left so you are walking behind the King. This branch of Mai Kaidee's has a weekly buffet every Saturday night at 6pm. They also offer a cooking class which is a must.

ETHOS, Banglampu, Bangkok, Thailand

662-2822748 Open daily: 8am-11pm

In the same alley where you find Mai Kaidee's second restaurant you'll also find Ethos. Here they offer a huge range of Thai and international favourites, including burgers, pasta and hummus, and they even have dessert. This is a great place to kick back and relax, and they have free wi-fi too.