Sugar Substitute in Thai Dish...?

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annacataldo
annacataldo Posts: 872 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Im making a romantic dinner for a 3rd date with a guy, and wanted something really fresh, without wheat, and didnt require alot of cook time plus that would look good sitting on a plate, and impress someone too lol, and wanted to stick to something Ive made several times before to take away the nerves, so I decided on making my shrimp pad thai which is amazing as it has lots of fresh ingredients. However it had been awhile since I had made it, and forgot there is 3tbls of brown sugar in it to create a sauce that is added to the soy sauce. Normally I do not care about sugar, but my date had one request only, and that was that it didnt have sugar (and wheat might bother his stomach so figured id stay away from wheat too).

I know you can use maple syrup, and honey, as a much healthier alternative, but both of these have a big flavor to them that Im sure would change the taste of the dish. This is the only thai dish I know how to make, so is there anything that doesnt have sugar added that I can use that wont add big taste difference? He added stevia drops to my juice when I went there so thought this might be a good choice?? I do have some pure via stevia packets in the back of my cupboard; and from what i understand you use a small amount of stevia compared to amount of sugar called for. Im also worried removing 3tbls of sugar, and replacing with a half of a packet of stevia (or whatever the ratio is), will change the consistency of the sauce and not be enough to coat all the ingredients... Any thoughts or ideas would be great!

PS. How lucky of me to ahve found a guy that use to be 330 lbs like I use to be and has lost 100lbs, just like me, and I dont have to worry about junk food, or wanting to sit around on the couch all weekend!

Replies

  • suruda
    suruda Posts: 1,233 Member
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    I think Stevia would work but half a packet wouldn't be enough of a substitution...I think one packet is supposed to be equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar. You could probably google it though...

    How about a little pineapple juice? Still fitting within those Thai flavors...

    so great for him to be able to ask you what will work better for his diet too!
  • electrickazoo
    electrickazoo Posts: 55 Member
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    I don't know if I really have a sugar substitute for you (unless cane sugar is ok), but you'll probably want something that has a little bit of a molasses-y flavour to it (or add a tiny bit of molasses?) You could also just reduce the sugar to half.
  • allyphoe
    allyphoe Posts: 618 Member
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    Unless you know why he wants the dish to have no sugar, it's hard to pick an appropriate substitute.
  • annacataldo
    annacataldo Posts: 872 Member
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    Suruda; according to what I looked up, a replacement for sugar using stevia--1tsp sugar equals 1/16th tsp stevia. Pineapple juice would probably work well, sounds great, thank you!! but does anyone familiar with thai food have any input on this? Something you have tried? Sounding good doesnt always mean good; the only sauce in the dish is soy sauce with the brown sugar, sricchia (sp?) sauce, and fresh lime juice. Will the pineapple juice make it super acidic with the mixture of lime juice? The rest of the recipe is half the amount of rice noodles youd normally use replaced with extra bean sprouts, onion, garlic, cilantro, green onion, egg, and shrimp. Im nervous of changing a recipe; if I were to use pinepple juice should I use less, or more, than 3tbls?
    Electrickazoo, just reducing the sugar to half, would still make it have sugar in it.
    Should I add in molasses to help get the same flavor and if so how much? Molasses is made from sugar cane, is it considered a refined sugar? Im new to this sugar/wheat thing, normally I just count calories, try to keep an eye on sodium, and stick to healthier in general but still have fattening or sugar filled things from time to time.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    You can look into agave nectar, Splenda, or honey. I made a Thai recipe the other day where I used granulated brown sugar and honey. Easily could leave out the brown sugar and just leave the honey in for some sweetness.
  • chellebella13
    chellebella13 Posts: 1 Member
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    I was going to suggest Agave nectar too. It has a taste similar to brown sugar without adding sugar. It shouldn't change the flavor too much the only difference is it is a liquid. Splenda has/had a brown sugar but it leaves an aftertaste. You can also use Coconut Sugar it will add a subtle coconut flavor. For the amount you need Agave would be cheaper and has more uses. Post what you used and how it came out with the changes. Enjoy your special dinner!

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