Solutions for Asian Cooks?

[julesytooshoes]

Hey guys, 

I'm new to the Whole30 Program, and I'm really going to go for it, but I realized I'm facing some problems. As an Asian American who grew up in a Chinese household, it's hard enough not consuming any tofu or soy milk. But I don't really eat vegetables raw, and I always use a variety of sauces to add flavoring when sautéing - soy sauce, chili sauce, oyster sauce, etc. But I've checked, and all of these sauces have soy/soybeans in it. What recommendations do you have for alternatives? 

I like food with a lot of punch, spice, sweetness, and flavor. (Think Thai and Korean food). I've seen that a lot of people use fake mayo, apple cider vinegar, and some other western spices, but they just don't do it for me. I'm used to Asian flavors. 

Any suggestions? 

(Thanks in advance!)

[Karen_Suep]

I use the domestic man's recipes for Thai curries a lot. His cookbook Paleo takeout has quite a few Asian recipes that are easily made compliant. 

[Karen_Suep]

I'd also encourage you to venture into new cuisine 

[SugarcubeOD]

You can get punch, spice and flavor by using spices... Sure, the oyster sauce and soy sauce are easier but get on google and see if you can't find some recipes that look like you'd like them... google something like paleo asian stirfry or whole30 asian stir fry or whatever item you want and then just make sure that you make whatever modifications you need to make it Whole30.

There are a LOT of recipes out there that are super flavorful... here's a chicken stir fry that has big bold flavors and as long as you use compliant fish sauce, you're good to go.

It may seem like you can't replicate the sauce in the bottle and the truth is you can't... and after the 30 days of eating fresh food without sauces with a list of ingredients, you may not actually want those sauces in the end... 

[GlennR]

Here are some solutions from one Asian cook (I'm from the Philippines). Hope these give you some ideas.