There is no doubt that Asian cuisine is one of the best and most delectable cuisines in the world. Its wide array of spices, flavors, and seasons cater to diverse cultures that span almost half the globe.
While Asian food can mean various things, the major regional cuisines are East Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian, Central Asian, and Middle Eastern cuisines. Common ingredients are rice, ginger, garlic, tofu, chilies, soy, sesame seeds, and dried onions.
Check out five of the most typical Asian recipes and learn how to make them. Have a taste of Asia through recreating these five Asian dishes!
- Spring Rolls
- Sushi
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Chicken Curry
- Laksa
Spring Rolls
While the West thinks that Spring Rolls is a Chinese dish, this fried roll pastry filled with all kinds of raw or cooked vegetables and meat is a popular dish in most Asian countries such as the Philippines, Taiwan, China, and Vietnam. Depending on where you are eating, spring roll ingredients can be raw, blanched, boiled, or sauteed.
Many would say that the Vietnamese take on Spring Rolls is the best version of the dish, making you think that the dish originated from Vietnam. However, the origin of the Spring Roll dates back to the Jin Dynasty in China, where thin pancakes filled with spring vegetables and fruits were made to celebrate the first day of spring.
During the Tang Dynasty, what was spread on one’s pancakes was a measure of people’s wealth - the rich would have their pancakes with beans, eggs, vermicelli, and meat on top, while the poor would top them with carrots and celery.
It was during the Ming Dynasty when the pancakes were finally rolled, turning them into what we know today. The dish was officially named chūn juǎn (Chinese for Spring Rolls) during the Qing Dynasty, almost 1,500 years after it was first made. The dish traveled across Asia, with each country adding its own local twist and flavor to the favorite dish.
How To Make Spring Rolls
The easiest and most popular version of this staple Asian food is the Vietnamese Spring Roll. One will need rice paper, various vegetables, fresh lettuce, herbs, and Vietnamese Herbs (although this is optional).
One great tip when making this dish is to have a firm structure in the center. Carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts, and jicama provide a great “crunch” to your roll. Chop them into long pieces to give the rolls structural integrity.
Take your rice paper and dip it in water - remember not to soak it as the paper will disintegrate. Then first lay the lettuce on the end of the paper, followed by the rest of your ingredients. Roll over the paper and tuck the filling in.
Sushi
Another popular dish, sushi, is considered to be a higher-class delicacy. Contrary to what most think, creating sushi is an art form back with a little science - it takes the right kind of rice, soy sauce, and seaweed wrappers to create a delightful sushi roll.
Sushi’s origins trace back to a Chinese dish called narezushi, which was made of salted fish and fermented rice. Because of its ingredients, the dish was kept fresh for a long time and was considered a practical dish due to its long shelf life.
The dish soon spread to Japan, where a chef named Hanaya Yohei thought that instead of throwing out the rice from the fish, it could be tossed with a splash of vinegar and topped with fish. The bite-sized treat soon spread like wildfire and became a culinary treasure.
Today, sushi is made with other ingredients like Wasabi (the green, tasty paste added for flavor) and sweet, pickled ginger. Many chefs are also recreating sushi and experimenting with the dish, resulting in sushi burritos, sushi bowls, and even sushi with beef!
How To Make Sushi
The most popular and widely eaten type of sushi is sushi rolls. First, you will need to prepare sticky sushi rice, which can easily be prepared with white rice, sugar, rice vinegar, and salt in an Instant Pot. Have a sushi mat available to make things easier for you.
Then, you will need seaweed paper wrappers (nori) to roll the sushi. For the fillings, you can use sushi-grade tuna or salmon, avocado, cucumber, and mango. Press the rice evenly onto a sheet of nori, leaving some space on top.
Then, layer in your fillings, side by side and horizontally. Roll up the sushi by lifting the bottom edge of the mat and carefully folding over the fillings until they are enclosed in a roll.
Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken is a dish with small pieces of dried chicken, peanuts, and chilies. Believed to have originated in Sichuan province, Kung Pao Chicken has also been a cult favorite among Asians and even Westerners.
The dish contains a mix of tangy, salty, and sweet flavors with a hint of heat. The challenge in preparing the dish is putting the right amount of each ingredient for the perfect flavor combination.
How To Make Kung Pao Chicken
To make this heavenly dish, start by roasting a cup of shelled peanuts over medium heat for 3 minutes while stirring constantly. Set them aside while you marinate the chicken in 1 teaspoon of oil, cornstarch, ⅛ teaspoon salt, white pepper, and Shaoxing wine for 20 minutes.
Prepare the sauce made of light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, water, cornstarch, and rice wine vinegar. Sear the chicken, remove it from the pan, and saute garlic, chilies, and scallions for a minute.
Add the chicken back to the pan, stir up the sauce you prepared, and add it onto the pan. Add the peanuts and give it a final stir before serving.
Chicken Curry
One of the most universal dishes on any Asian menu, chicken curry is a staple dish in countries like India, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Curry comes from the word “kahri,” which means “sauce.”
Chicken curry originated from the Indian subcontinent and consists of chicken stewed in a tomato and onion-based sauce. It is flavored with ginger, garlic, tomato, and other spices such as cumin, cinnamon, and turmeric.
Curry is not originally a spice blend but rather a dish with a sauce that has gravy-like consistency. However, it has since become known as a powder that comes in all kinds of tastes, colors, and variations, which are available all over Asia.
Indonesians place their own twist on their chicken curry and cook the ‘Kari Ayam’ with thinner and watery sauces. On the other hand, Malaysians aren’t too decisive on their curry thickness and depend on whether they live closer to Thailand or south of Malaysia.
How To Make Chicken Curry
This recipe uses chicken curry made with curry powder, but you can make your curry from scratch as well. However, if you want a much easier process without the hassle of creating your own sauce from scratch, you can follow this recipe below.
All you need is six skinless chicken breasts, a quarter cup of olive oil, two diced large onions. And a third cup of curry powder. Saute the onions until golden brown, then stir in the curry powder.
Add the chicken breasts, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked.
Laksa
Laksa is a favorite Singaporean dish which is a spicy noodle soup. Though widely consumed in Singapore, it is also a staple in Indonesia, Malaysia, and southern Thailand. It consists of thick wheat noodles with chicken, prawn, or fish served in spicy soup with coconut milk or tamarind.
It is believed that the word “laksa” originated from an ancient Persian word for “noodles.” In Malaysia, it is believed that the Peranakan Chinese Malay introduced the Malacca laksa dish in Malacca.
In Singapore, the local variation of the dish is believed to have been created following the interaction between the local Singaporeans Malay and the Peranakans.
How To Make Laksa
Ingredients needed for this recipe are store-bought laksa paste, but you can make your own paste with chilies, onions, garlic, dried shrimp, spices, and galangal; chicken breast, cooked prawns, coconut milk, and egg noodles.
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes. While the chicken is in the oven, add minced garlic and ginger over two tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat. Thrown in the lemongrass and chilies, too.
Add the laksa paste, brown sugar, and fry for three minutes. Then, add the coconut milk, chicken stock, and fish sauce and bring to a boil. Rinse the noodles in warm water, shred the cooked chicken, then assemble the dish by pouring the broth over the noodles and chicken!
Conclusion
These are just some of the most typical Asian dishes that you must try in your kitchen. These flavors of Asia will certainly make you feel as if you’ve traveled to the other side of the world.
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