If you need the inspiration to cook delicious dishes at home, you should try one of the best and most varied foods in the world: Asian cuisine.
Asian gastronomy is diverse. It has outstanding taste, vivacious colors, and various textures. Their complex flavor may lead people to think dishes are very complicated to make at home. This is true for some of them, like eight treasures duck, thousand-year-old eggs, Beggar’s chicken, or Fugu puffer fish.
However, Asian rice and noodles recipes are popular for being relatively easy to prepare. It would be simple to make at home and have these unique flavors in your next family meal.
A bit about Asian Cuisine
Asia is a large country. Its cuisine is as huge as its territory. Traditional dishes vary in every country because they use local traditions and diverse ingredients to create delightful preparations.
There are some common ingredients that they use in their preparations. Rice, noodles, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds, chilies, onions, and soy are the usual components of their meals. Some spices include basil, cassia, coriander, cilantro, coriander, cloves, cumin, galangal, lemongrass, turmeric, spearmint, and star.
The most used cooking methods are steaming, stir-frying, and deep frying. There are also dishes made by braising, roasting, and grilling.
5 Delicious Asian dishes You Should Try
It is arduous to list the most delicious Asian dishes you can try at home. Here is a small selection of this list:
1. Pilaf
It is also known as Pilav or Osh. It is a traditional preparation in East and Central Asia. It is an exquisite meal with rice, other grains, beans, carrots, onions, meat, and pistachios. It is seasoned with saffron, bay leaves, cinnamon, garlic, and coriander, cooked in broth, and served with crushed pistachios.
Pilaf varies from region to region, differing basically in the local ingredients used. The traditional recipe calls for Basmati rice, but other recipes use jasmine rice. If you want to learn the difference between these types of rice, check https://mahatmarice.com/products/jasmine-white-rice/ and see how to use them in various recipes and find more inspiration to cook at home, like One-Pan Thai Rice, and many others.
Watch this to learn more:
2. Sushi
Sushi may be one of the most renowned dishes worldwide. This is a delicacy from Japan consisting of rice flavored with rice vinegar, filled and topped with different types of raw seafood, vegetables, and eggs. Sushi is usually served with soy sauce, together with a small plate of wasabi, and pickled ginger.
To make it at home, you must have the right tools as a chef’s knife, a rolling mat, and a cutting board. Another key to success is to buy fresh ingredients. Rice is the star, so make sure to use sticky short-grain rice.
Watch this to learn how to make simple sushi at home:
3. Nasi Goreng
Fried rice is the most popular dish in Asia. Each region has a way of preparing it using local ingredients. In Indonesia, it is called Nasi Goreng.
This variation includes long-grain rice, chicken, garlic, onions, egg, and flavored with shrimp paste, and kecap manis (sweet dark soy sauce).
It is very easy to make at home. You only need to have a wok or skillet and use cold rice to make a distinctive texture.
Here’s a great clip that will show you how to make Nasi Goreng at home:
4. Khoresh-e Ghormeh Sabzi
Dishes from Persia are rich and varied. Stews are part of their traditional cuisine. Khoresh-e Ghormeh Sabzi is the most noticeable stew in Persia. It is served on special occasions and celebrations
This dish contains herbs, beans, peas, and lamb. Its iconic taste is given to the blend of fenugreek leaves (shambalileh), parsley, green onions, coriander, black lime, and turmeric.
It is served with steamed rice or tahdig (crispy Persian rice). It is a simple dish, you have to place all ingredients and cook them in a large Dutch oven.
Check this video to learn how to make this dish at home:
5. Adobo
Adobo is a stew of marinated meat. In the Philippines, adobo is considered the national dish where salty, sour, and sweet tastes are blended.
The dish has meat marinated in vinegar and soy sauce. It also contains garlic, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and brown sugar.
The marinated meat is gently fried to get a brown skin. Then, it is slowly cooked with other components to make a thick sauce.
The traditional version is chicken pork adobo. There is also a beef/chicken/pork adobo with annatto that replaces soy sauce and gives a red color to the stew.
Adobo sa gata includes coconut milk, vinegar, and green finger chili peppers. Adobong puti (called white adobo) is the simplest recipe with vinegar, peppercorns, and garlic.
Here’s an easy chicken adobo recipe:
If you tried any of these – please share your experience with us!
