I've been doing grand with saying no to most "Let's go out to eat!" invites, mostly because I live in a very small area and I'm not wild about any of the places people want to go (If I have to eat at Applebees one more time... ). But, I got an invite that I really can't and don't want to say no to; it's my sorority little sister's birthday dinner and she's having it at a Thai food place an hour away. So there's the double whammy of I love my little and I love Thai food (almost as much as I love my little ).
I'm a vegetarian so I won't be eating any of the higher calorie meat products and I was scoping out their menu and I'm thinking if I get the steamed tofu rather than the deep fried tofu that will keep the calorie count reasonable, but after that I need some help choosing. And then how in the world do I start to estimate the calories counts here? Help and thanks in advance!
i think the key would be to ask for the sauce on the side and also ask them to minimize the amount of fat they cook with. (i'm often too shy to do that but...theoretically...thats what we're sposed to do)
I think Thai is pretty high in calories. Stay away from any coconut milk based sauces which I think are the highest calories. When we go out to Thai, I just try to stick to small portions and load up on the rice. I also gear toward veggie and tofu dishes. I love Thai eggplant dishes. I don't know what the calories are, but maybe you can google some of the dishes and see if you can figure it out. Good luck!!
You can try ordering something like a green curry with tofu or chicken and then ask for the sauce on the side -- and then dip each bite so that you still get a little of the taste without eating the actual dish. The summer rolls are always good too -- rice noodles and veggies. Very lite. Just go easy on the dipping sauce.
Curries are very high calorie from what I understand so stay away from those.
I usually will get the fresh spring rolls because they are low calorie and I use the peanut sauce very sparingly. I then usually just get something like the spicy basily type entrees cuz they are full of veggies- I also ask for no rice and more veggies instead
Another thing to consider with Thai food is that it's often not vegetarian, even the food in the vegetarian section! Ask for dishes to be made with no fish sauce or shrimp paste etc. Be clear that you are vegetarian and don't eat fish etc.
Thanks all! I'm really more of a pescetarian, so the fish sauce, etc. doesn't bother me. Sadly this place doesn't have summer rolls, they only have fried spring rolls. So, I'm thinking my game plan is going to be steamed tofu, some sort of high veggie dish, eat minimal rice (I have to have some to cut the spicy), and I'm eating really light today. I may have a soup or salad (they have one with steamed veggies that looks tasty) if I get there and am starving.
I usually trend toward a chili sauce when I order Thai. It is lower calorie, relatively speaking, than some of their other sauces. Fish sauce is another good choice, since you're a fish eater. Last time I had Thai I ordered chicken and vegetables in a chili sauce and limited myself to half of what I was served with 1/2 a cup of rice (I eyeballed it, but I don't usually eat rice at all so it was a small portion) and took home the rest for lunch the next day. It didn't hurt my weight at all, which was nice. I don't choose Thai if I can help it, but this was a birthday dinner for a friend and Thai is her favorite.
I love thai food, and have a lot of very low-calory favorites, but unfortunately, none would be entirely vegetarian (I didn't see your post that fish sauce is ok with you, so some of these suggestions might help afterall).
Most thai restaurant dishes are seasoned with seafood-based fish sauces and pastes (fish, shrimp, crab, squid) as a flavoring. When you remove the fish-based seasonings, it doesn't taste thai anymore.
For example
Papaya salad. It's made with green papaya (treated like a vegetable, it's bland and crunchy) and tastes like a garlicky, spicy, tangy cole slaw.
There's generally no meat or fish meat in the salad, but it is made with fish sauce. You could ask them to leave out the fish sauce, but it's such an integral part of the dish that I'm not sure what the flavor results would be (probably still good though).
Laab is out, because it's a meat salad (usually beef or chicken, sometimes fish).
Pho is a noodle soup, but the broth is generally beef, chicken, or seafood. I've asked to substitute bean sprouts for the noodles, and it's been very good - but again, not easily made vegetarian, unless the restaurant has truly vegetarian selections. I've heard that a vegetarian (imitation) fish sauce exists, but it's not something most thai restaurants have on hand unless they're specifically intending to accomodate veg*n patrons.
Fresh spring rolls (not fried), sometimes called salad or summer rolls. It's generally noodles, vegetables and pork or shrimp wrapped in a soft, chewy rice paper. I usually ask that some of the noodles be replaced with bean sprouts. You could ask that the meat be replaced with tofu. The dipping sauce is the best part though, and fish sauce is the main ingredient. I think they'd be good though with "sweet soy" or hoisin sauce and the restaurant should have that on hand.
Thanks all! I'm really more of a pescetarian, so the fish sauce, etc. doesn't bother me. Sadly this place doesn't have summer rolls, they only have fried spring rolls. So, I'm thinking my game plan is going to be steamed tofu, some sort of high veggie dish, eat minimal rice (I have to have some to cut the spicy), and I'm eating really light today. I may have a soup or salad (they have one with steamed veggies that looks tasty) if I get there and am starving.
I'm a HUGE fan of Tom Yum soup, (you can get it with shrimp, no chicken). I get it just a little spicy. It's not only delicious, AND the spiciness help rev up metabolism, AND filling - it's also incredibly nutritious. That stuff could cure cancer, when I am deathly sick with cold, flu, virus, etc, it's one of the only things I'll eat.
I'm a HUGE fan of Tom Yum soup, (you can get it with shrimp, no chicken). I get it just a little spicy. It's not only delicious, AND the spiciness help rev up metabolism, AND filling - it's also incredibly nutritious. That stuff could cure cancer, when I am deathly sick with cold, flu, virus, etc, it's one of the only things I'll eat.
I love Tom Yam myself and no visit to a Thai establishment is possible without sampling their version of Tom Yam.
BTW - I make my own at home, too. (I have a very good friend who is Thai). If y'all like it, it's very easy to make! I almost prefer my own, most of the time.
I'm a HUGE fan of Tom Yum soup, (you can get it with shrimp, no chicken). I get it just a little spicy. It's not only delicious, AND the spiciness help rev up metabolism, AND filling - it's also incredibly nutritious. That stuff could cure cancer, when I am deathly sick with cold, flu, virus, etc, it's one of the only things I'll eat.
Haha, considering I do have a cold right now, that sounds perfect! I love spicy soups when I'm sick too. And you can't throw out the fact that you make it and not give us a recipe!
Thank you all again. I'm trying to remind myself that even if this meal does end up being high calorie, it's not a diet killer. Since this is the first Thai food I've had in probably a year and a half, I'm going to enjoy myself in a calorie conscious way!
Thai food, Help!
). But, I got an invite that I really can't and don't want to say no to; it's my sorority little sister's birthday dinner and she's having it at a Thai food place an hour away. So there's the double whammy of I love my little and I love Thai food (almost as much as I love my little 
).
