International Vegetarian Food Fair 2013

I went to this event last year with a friend and rather liked it, so I decided to go back this year, with my

partner. As before, a lot of the food on offer was vegan and was marked clearly as being vegan. In fact, all the signs also listed the ingredients in each dish, which was great.

We didn't arrive at the venue (South Perth Community Center) until several hours into the event, and discovered that some of the foods were already sold out. I missed out on the savory Vietnamese pancake which I really wanted to try this year. Drats!

The place was quite busy - even more so than last year, which was great to see.

We had a walk around the stalls, having a look and deciding on what we wanted to try. Most of the food appeared to be Vietnamese and Thai cuisine. Certainly, all of it was Asian. There was a fair bit of mock meat dishes, some deep fried items, some fruity desserts and my favourite - the Green Papaya Salad. (More on that soon.)

The boyfriend decided to first try the Bean Curd and Seaweed Rolls which contained tofu, carrot, seaweed and mock ham made of soy. I wasn't a fan of the ham as it tasted way too much like the 'real thing' but the boyfriend seemed to have enjoyed it.

We then tried a sample of Fried Coconut Cake. We were won over and bought a pack to take home.

After loading up with some Taro and Sweet Potato Rolls and some Samosas, I thought I had better try something that wasn't deep fried  - the Green Papaya Salad.
Never before had I eaten green papaya and certainly not in a salad that combined it with tomatoes, soy sauce, peanuts, carrot, chilli, lemon and something called 'salted bean'.

I was asked how spicy I wanted it and I opted for 'not very'. I watched as the ladies at the stall added the ingredients into very large mortar and pestles and started pounding away at it. Before I knew it, I was handed the salad in a container. When I tried it, I was so impressed. The taste sensations! A bit spicy, a bit salty, juicy, crunchy, and the tomatoes went so well with it all. I did not eat it all in one go. I ate half and then the rest a bit later, and  I have to say that it tasted even better once it had 'stood' for a while. I will have to try and track down the recipe for this!

I am definitely planning to go again next year but earlier next time, before some of the dishes on offer disappear!