12 Asian Foods You Should Definitely Try
Why limit yourself to pizza and pasta? Go out and find yourself some authentic asian restaurants and shops and try some of these amazing dishes, you will not regret the flavours and taste you will get to experience. They are truly some of the best foods you will ever eat.
Even if you aren’t a fan of spice, there is something for everyone in this list. So dig in!
1. Tteokbokki
First up, we have Korean spicy rice cakes, the sauce is made from red bean paste, honey, sugar, soy sauce and water creating a truly delicious dish.
Tteokbokki is often served alongside eomuk, a style of fish cake, or boiled eggs to give the dish some more flavourings and protein.
The dish is one of Koreas most popular street foods and once you’ve tried it for yourself you will understand why. The sweet and spicy goodness is addictive.
2. Kimchi Jjigae/Stew
This is an easy dish to make yourself as it is just like any other stew at the end of the day. You just need to throw in some potatoes, carrots, pork sausages or any meat/fish you like, and then some kimchi, and you’ve got yourself a great tasting stew. Well once you’ve got the sauce flavourings of chilli flakes and paste, as well as a soy sauce and garlic.
Kimchi is a staple of Korean cuisine, hence why it is in the next dish as well. It is made of fermented and salted cabbage or reddish making it have a very strong taste and smell, but that is what makes it’s such a great ingredient into these dishes.
3. Kimchi Buchimgae/Pancake
So kimchi again, but this time as pancakes. Another style of dish we are familiar with, but these are more savoury than sweet. As well as possibly spicy.
The ingredients only require flour, egg and kimchi, and possibly green chilli depending on how spicy you would like the flavouring to be.
4. Bulgogi
This is the final Korean dish for the list, and it is most popularly made with thin slices of beef or pork, it can also be made with chicken as well if you prefer white meats.
It is a simple dish but one that will become your new favourite, the sauce that the meat is marinated in is made from soy sauce and brown sugar. The meat can be grilled but it is more often pan fried now making it an easier dish to cook at home.
Serve it along side rice or wrap it in some lettuce and you’ve got yourself your new favourite dish.
5. Gyudon
first up for our Japanese dishes is gyudon, or beef bowl. Again it uses thinly sliced pieces of beef but there is more of a sauce to it that is also sweeter, made with Kirin (Japanese cooking wine), soy sauce, soup stock and sugar.
The dish is often served with a raw egg on top that gets cooked in front of you because the dish is so hot, but if your preference is fried egg then go for it. It is an easy enough dish to make, on that I’ve even managed to do.
6. Tamagoyaki
As you can see from the picture, this is a Japanese-style omelette that is often served as breakfast or lunch. But what makes it special is that it is made in a square pan!
These omelettes are made from just egg and sugar, making it sweeter than your average english omelette. And the way that it is wrapped makes it fluffier, it is slowly wrapped over on itself allowing each part to cook before folding again. By the end of the process you have a lovely layered roll.
7. Onigiri
Japanese styled sandwiches, that are popular for their ease of eating and cuteness. The filing is wrapped inside the rice, which is normally pickled umeboshi (pickled plum), salted salmon and tuna. They are also often wrapped in seaweed to give it that full sandwich vibe.
It should not be confused with sushi as it is made with plain rice and not the sushi type rice mixed with vinegar.
8. Takoyaki
Deep fried octopus balls are a popular Japanese snack, one that I had to stop myself eating many off because I was supposed to be sharing with my bf.
The balls are brushed with takoyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise which makes it special and a pretty sight to see on your plate. Try your best to share them, I know it will be hard.
9. Mantou
Mantou is an Asian styled steamed bread that is popular for Chinese breakfasts, and are great for on the go due to their little size.
They are light and fluffy, as well as healthy because they are steamed. The bread is also slightly sweetened, making it pair well with some other flavourings including chocolate, pandan and strawberry.
10. Sweet And Sour Egg
This is a pretty simple dish in all fairness, by english standards it’s like an omelette with tomato sauce. But the sweet and sour sauce is made with tomato sauce, vinegar and sugar making the dish slightly sweeter than you were expecting.
11. Pork Chop Bun
One of the most popular snacks in Macau, the bun is very crisp on the outside while being soft in the centre. The pork is then just slotted into the bun, which is also known as the piggy bun.
It is a mix of Chinese and Portuguese cuisine, and is one of the most popular street foods to buy because it is easy to eat on the go.
12. Chinese Buns
Chinese buns are a popular dim-sum dish that can be steamed in 15 minutes making them a healthy snack. They have a wide range of fillings, red bean paste being a big one, others include char-siu (Chinese-style pork) and vegetarian style.
They are popular for breakfasts or just as snacks, the bread is slightly sweetened making it similar to mantous. The normal style of these buns are just buns, but you can get them shaped like hedgehogs and other novelty shapes which make them even more fun to eat.
