Asian food is one of the most popular cuisines in the world, ranging from Chinese to Thai to Vietnamese. Here, we’ve rounded up the best Asian food recipes, so you can enjoy these delicious dishes at home.
Many of these recipes are easy and require minimal ingredients, so they’re a great alternative to ordering takeout. Plus, they’re nutritious and affordable!
Stir Fry
Stir fry is a classic Chinese dish that's easy to make at home. It's a great way to prepare veggies and proteins in a quick, tasty manner.
Vegetables are cooked in high heat with a little oil and some flavoring ingredients to create a simple yet healthy meal. You can add protein like chicken or shrimp and serve with a side of rice for a complete meal.
To get a good stir fry sauce, you need to use fresh ingredients. Acids like lemon or lime juice give your dish a sour, citrusy flavor that balances the saltiness and sweetness. Ginger and garlic are common aromatics that give your sauce depth of flavor and aroma.
You can also include spicy ingredients like red pepper flakes or fresh peppers to add a kick to your dish. Cornstarch is also used to thicken some stir fry sauces, helping it stick to your meats and vegetables.
Keeping some stir fry sauce on hand makes it easy to whip up a fast dinner or a simple side dish for a busy day. It's also perfect for storing in the refrigerator for up to three days or freezing for later use.
The best stir fry sauce is one that's made with fresh ingredients, is savory, sweet and tangy, easy to swap out if you're vegan or gluten free, and is not too salty. For a basic, flavorful recipe, you'll need a combination of soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic.
Noodles
Most noodles are made from wheat flour, but they can also be made with a variety of other types of starch. The most common type is Chinese wheat flour noodles, known as lo mein or chow mein. These are cylindrically shaped and thicker than spaghetti, though they can be as thin as 1/4 of an inch.
Some noodles are also made from mung bean or rice flour. These can be thin and strand-like, like lo mein, or heartier and more round, like rice vermicelli.
These noodles are commonly found in Vietnamese and Singaporean cuisines. You can find them in stir-fries and salads, where they're usually accompanied by eggs, shrimp, and vegetables.
They can also be deep-fried to give them a crunchy texture and a crisp, springy bite. They're more fragile than rice noodles and need to be soaked before they're cooked, except for when they're deep-fried.
To prepare noodles, place them in boiling water and cook until they're "al dente." This means they're tender but still have a firm bite. Don't overcook them or they will become sticky and mushy.
Vegetables
Among the many health benefits of Asian cuisine, vegetables are an essential part. They're high in fiber and nutrients, low in calories, and a great source of phytonutrients. Several studies have shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and stroke.
Vegetables are the edible portions of a plant--roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruit or seeds--and are usually eaten as part of a meal. Depending on the cultural or culinary tradition, vegetables may also be classified according to their color, taste, or texture.
Most commonly, vegetables are grouped into eight main types. They are:
Roots and tubers (like potatoes), bulbous or radicle vegetables (such as carrots, onions, and cauliflower), leafy greens (like lettuce and spinach), flowers (such as broccoli), fruits (like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants), and seeds (like peas).
Tomatoes, pumpkins, winter squash, sweet peppers, and beans are among the most popular varieties of red and orange vegetables. These veggies are full of important vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, potassium, and iron.
When cooking vegetables, it's important to prepare all the ingredients before you start cooking. This will make the entire process go more smoothly and prevent the dish from becoming too watery. It's also a good idea to use specific cookware for the recipe you're making. Stir fry recipes, for example, need to be prepared in a wok or other pan with high sides to keep the vegetable's from falling out of the skillet.
Sauces
There are a number of types of sauces in Asian cuisine, including fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and chili garlic sauce. These sauces can be found in most stores and can be easily prepared at home.
Soy sauce is a common Asian condiment made from fermented soybeans and a starter mold called koji. It has a salty flavor that brings out the taste of meats, poultry, fish, and cheese.
A popular thick sauce that can be served as a dressing, a glaze for chicken or pork, or as a dipping sauce. It is made from a combination of soy, sugar, vinegar, salt, and spices. It is a staple in Chinese cooking and can be found in most grocery stores.
Other common sauces include hoisin sauce, a thick paste that can be used as a dipping sauce, a glaze for meat, or an addition to stir-fry dishes. It usually includes soy, red chilies, and garlic.
Shaoxing wine is another important ingredient in Asian cooking and can be found in most grocery stores. This Chinese cooking wine provides a depth of flavor and is essential for making the best stir fry sauce.
Marinades
Using a marinade to flavor and tenderize meats is a common practice in Asian cooking. They are often oil-based and include herbs, spices or other tasty ingredients.
Some marinades are used for soaking or sponging the inside of a meat before it is cooked; others are mixed with the sauce that is used during the cooking process. These marinades can be oil-based or acidic, and they contain spices, herbs, seasonings, and other ingredients to impart flavor and tenderize the meat.
When marinating, the meat can be soaked in the liquid for 15 minutes or more for delicate proteins like shrimp, fish or tofu and up to overnight for thin cuts of pork, chicken or beef. The longer the meat is soaked in the marinade, the better the tenderization will be.
In addition to oil, the most common ingredient used for soaking meats in marinades is wine. Shaoxing wine is the most commonly used, but you can also use sherry or other rice wines.
Other ingredients that are often used for marinating include soy sauce, garlic, ginger juice, and herbs. The herbs, spices, and seasonings can be added to the marinade as a garnish or to enhance the flavors of the meat.
You can marinate meats by placing them in a plastic bag or airtight container and covering with the desired amount of marinade. Then, place the sealed container in the refrigerator for a few minutes to several hours before cooking.
What to Look For at an Asian Food Market
Desserts
Sweet treats are often a part of Asian meals. Many of these desserts are made with local ingredients, such as coconut milk and palm sugar.
Besides these, other popular sweets include fried bananas and mochi. These are often accompanied by a cup of tea or coffee.
The sweet Chinese rice cake called mochi is a favorite in most Asian cuisines. It's topped with various fillings, but the most common is red bean paste.
Another traditional Japanese dessert is annatto, which is made with boiled beans, sugar, and sugar syrup. The recipe is simple and easy to make, so you can whip up a batch in no time.
This is a great treat for the whole family, but you'll have to be patient to get through it. It takes a little practice to get it right, but once you've mastered the technique, you'll be ready to serve it at your next dinner party or celebration!
It's similar to cotton candy in that it consists of flavored sugar syrup that's gently pulled until multiple thin threads appear. The result is a sweet and soft, yet dense and heavy, snack that looks like angel's hair.
Other traditional Southeast Asian desserts include cendol, che banh lot, and lod chong. These are typically served with a sweet concoction of coconut milk and palm sugar syrup, usually accompanied by crushed ice.
