Keep the Vegetarian Festival Fresh! Easy Plant-Based Recipes to Make at Home with SHIMONO
Thailand’s Vegetarian Festival is a great opportunity to explore more vegetables, fruits, and plant-based ingredients. With a little creativity, everyday ingredients can become delicious drinks, comforting soups, and refreshing frozen treats.
Turn your usual soy milk into a creamy fruit smoothie, serve fruit tea over Nugget Ice, or enjoy Thai tea with oat milk as a refreshing slushy. These simple ideas bring variety to your kitchen while letting you choose your ingredients and adjust flavours to your liking.
Discover three kitchen companions from SHIMONO, along with recipe ideas, ingredient tips, and nutritional benefits to enjoy during the Vegetarian Festival and throughout the year.
Start with the Right Ingredients for the Vegetarian Festival
When preparing food for Thailand’s Vegetarian Festival, often called “Jay,” check packaged ingredients carefully. Plant-based milk, tea mixes, creamers, syrups, and toppings may contain animal-derived ingredients. Some products labelled “non-dairy,” for example, still contain milk proteins such as casein or caseinate.
Choose products labelled as suitable for the Vegetarian Festival whenever possible, and read the full ingredient list. For soups, select a Jay-friendly vegetable stock without animal ingredients, onion, or garlic, according to the practices you follow.
For balanced meals, include a variety of plant-based protein sources, such as soybeans, tofu, and other beans. Fruit drinks and snacks can complement your diet, but they do not provide everything needed to replace a complete meal.
1. SHIMONO EVO900 PRO: Blend Plant-Based Ingredients into Smooth Creations
A blender opens up plenty of possibilities for plant-based cooking, from homemade nut milk and smoothies to smooth soup bases.
The SHIMONO EVO900 PRO offers automatic blending programmes, adjustable settings, and a Pulse function, allowing you to adapt blending to different ingredients and textures. It is a useful companion for preparing smooth drinks and blended mixtures.
Start with these recipes, then adjust the flavours to create your own favourites.
Homemade Almond Milk: Naturally Nutty and Easy to Customise
Homemade almond milk offers a delicate nutty flavour and makes a refreshing alternative to soy milk. Enjoy it on its own or use it as a smoothie base.
Ingredients
½ cup raw almonds intended for consumption
Clean water for soaking
Approximately 2 cups drinking water for blending
1–2 pitted dates, optional
Method
Soak the almonds in clean water in the refrigerator for approximately 8–12 hours. Drain, discard the soaking water, and rinse thoroughly.
Blend the almonds with the drinking water and optional dates until finely blended. Strain through a food-grade nut milk bag for a lighter texture, or retain some almond pulp for a thicker drink.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate promptly in a clean, sealed container.
Ingredient benefits
Almonds contain unsaturated fats, vitamin E, and dietary fibre. However, the nutritional content of homemade almond milk depends on the amount of almonds, water, and pulp retained. It should not be assumed to provide the same nutrients as whole almonds or the same calcium content as commercially fortified milk alternatives.
Tip: Taste before adding dates. You may enjoy the natural nutty flavour without extra sweetness.
Banana and Soy Milk Smoothie: Creamy and Simple
This smoothie transforms everyday soy milk into a smooth, satisfying drink using just a few ingredients.
Ingredients for 1–2 small servings
1 ripe banana
200 ml unsweetened soy milk suitable for the Vegetarian Festival
1 tablespoon ready-to-eat oats
A little drinking water, if needed
Method
Cut the banana into pieces and place it in the blender with the soy milk and oats. Blend until smooth, adding a little drinking water if you prefer a lighter consistency.
For a chilled smoothie, refrigerate the ingredients before blending.
Ingredient benefits
Soy is a source of plant-based protein, which the body uses to build and repair tissues. Soy milk can therefore contribute protein to your drink, although the amount varies between products. Check the nutrition label when choosing your ingredients.
Tip: Let the ripe banana provide sweetness first, then decide whether you need any added sugar.
Pumpkin Soup with Plant-Based Milk: Warm and Comforting
A blender can also help prepare smooth soup bases, making it easy to add a warm, savoury option to your Vegetarian Festival menu.
Ingredients for approximately 2 servings
250 g steamed pumpkin
200 ml unsweetened soy milk suitable for the Vegetarian Festival
100–150 ml Jay-friendly vegetable stock
A small pinch of salt
Method
Allow the pumpkin and stock to cool to a temperature permitted by your blender’s instructions. Blend with the soy milk until smooth.
Transfer to a saucepan and heat gently, stirring until hot throughout. Adjust the consistency with vegetable stock and season lightly before serving.
Ingredient benefits
Pumpkin contains beta-carotene, a carotenoid that the body can convert into vitamin A. Keeping the pumpkin flesh in the soup also provides dietary fibre. Plant-based milk adds a creamy texture without using dairy cream.
Tip: Serve with tofu or another protein-rich plant-based dish for a more varied meal.
Preparation note: Blending does not replace cooking. Soy milk made from raw soybeans requires appropriate heat treatment before drinking. Always follow the blender’s instructions for hot ingredients.
2. SHIMONO IMN-1200: Refresh Your Favourite Drinks with Nugget Ice
Sometimes, a different ice texture is all it takes to make a familiar drink feel special.
The SHIMONO Self Dispensing NUGGET ICE MAKER Countertop IMN-1200 prepares Nugget Ice and dispenses it into your glass, making it a convenient addition to a home drinks station.
Pair the ice with fruit tea, chilled plant-based milk, or your favourite Jay-friendly drink. Use water suitable for drinking and clean the machine regularly according to its instructions.
Orange and Apple Fruit Tea: Bright and Refreshing
Ingredients for 1 serving
120 ml brewed tea, cooled
Approximately 60 ml 100% orange juice
2–3 small pieces of apple
Orange pieces, as desired
Nugget Ice
Method
Mix the cooled tea with the orange juice and taste before adding any sweetener.
Dispense Nugget Ice into a glass, pour in the tea mixture, and add the fruit pieces. Serve immediately.
Ingredient benefits
Eating the fruit pieces provides fibre from the fruit flesh, unlike drinking only strained juice. Fruit juice still contains naturally occurring sugars, so keep portions moderate and enjoy whole fruit as part of a varied diet.
Tip: For a caffeine-free version, choose a caffeine-free infusion and check that all ingredients are suitable for the Vegetarian Festival.
Iced Soy Milk: Simple Enjoyment Without Extra Syrup
Dispense Nugget Ice into a glass and pour over chilled, unsweetened soy milk.
For a different flavour, try a black sesame soy drink labelled as suitable for the Vegetarian Festival. Check its sugar content before choosing.
The key is to select a drink with a sweetness level you enjoy. Ice adds a refreshing chill, but it does not reduce the total amount of sugar already added to the glass.
3. SHIMONO SL-260M: Turn Plant-Based Drinks into Frozen Treats
Bring a little café-style fun into your kitchen with the SHIMONO 2-in-1 Slushie Maker SL-260M.
The machine supports slushies and soft ice cream when used with suitable recipes and operating conditions. For Vegetarian Festival treats, explore fruit-based mixtures or tea with plant-based milk, following recipes appropriate for this model.
Thai Tea and Oat Milk Slushy: Fragrant and Creamy
Main ingredients
Strong brewed Thai tea, thoroughly strained
Oat milk suitable for the Vegetarian Festival
Sugar syrup in the proportion specified by a suitable machine recipe
Preparation
Allow the tea to cool, then combine it with oat milk and syrup according to the machine’s instructions or a recommended recipe for the model.
Add the mixture within the permitted filling limits and select the appropriate mode.
Oat milk adds flavour and a creamy texture, but its nutritional content varies between brands. If you want additional calcium or vitamin B12, choose a fortified product and check the label. Homemade plant-based milk does not automatically contain these added nutrients.
Tip: Check both the tea mix and the oat milk. Some instant Thai tea mixes already contain dairy ingredients or creamers that may not be suitable for the Vegetarian Festival.
Pineapple Slushy: Sweet, Tangy, and Refreshing
Main ingredients
Pineapple juice, with pulp prepared according to the machine’s requirements
Drinking water and sugar syrup as specified by a suitable recipe
Preparation
Choose ripe pineapple for a fragrant, sweet-tangy flavour. Prepare and combine the ingredients according to a recipe suitable for the machine, then process using the appropriate mode.
Serve in small glasses to share with family or guests.
Why the recipe proportions matter
Sugar affects freezing behaviour and the final texture of a slushy. Reducing it too much, or replacing it entirely with a different sweetener, may change how the mixture freezes.
Follow the machine’s recipe guidance. To moderate sugar intake, serve smaller portions and avoid adding extra syrup or sweet toppings after preparation.
Five Tips for Refreshing, Balanced Vegetarian Festival Menus
1. Choose a variety of ingredients
Rotate soybeans, almonds, pumpkin, bananas, and different fruits to enjoy a wider range of flavours and nutrients.
2. Taste before adding sweetness
Ripe fruit may provide enough sweetness for everyday smoothies. For slushies, follow the recipe requirements of the machine.
3. Keep some fruit and vegetable flesh
Unstrained smoothies and soups made with vegetable flesh retain fibre from the ingredients. Straining removes some of that fibre.
4. Read ingredient labels carefully
Terms such as “plant-based” or “non-dairy” alone may not confirm suitability for the Vegetarian Festival. Check the full ingredients and allergen information, especially for soy and tree nuts.
5. Enjoy drinks and snacks alongside varied meals
Include vegetables, plant-based protein sources, and other food groups throughout the day. Creative drinks and frozen treats can add enjoyment to a balanced eating pattern.
Bring Fresh Ideas to Your Vegetarian Festival with SHIMONO
From nutty almond milk and creamy banana smoothies to warm pumpkin soup, iced fruit tea, and Thai tea oat milk slushies, plant-based ingredients offer plenty of possibilities.
Use the SHIMONO EVO900 PRO to prepare blended creations, add refreshing Nugget Ice with the IMN-1200, and explore frozen treats with the SL-260M.
Choose your ingredients, discover new combinations, and create flavours everyone at home can enjoy.
Keep this Vegetarian Festival fresh, flavourful, and full of possibilities with SHIMONO.
