Asia has always been home to delicious cuisines which incorporates a perfect balance between taste and healthiness. From India to Japan you will come across myriad types of dishes all prepared through methods native to that country, it also would not come as a surprise that the highest-rated Michelin star restaurant serves only Sushi, a Japanese dish. In this list, we will go around Asia and pick dishes that are mascots of their respective countries.
1. Choley Bhature (India)
Although India is home to several mouth-watering delicacies, Choley Bhature is still topping many people’s lists when it comes to Indian Food. This dish is spicy, tasty, and most importantly affordable to the masses. The chickpea curry is prepared with several spices and served along with Bhature, flour-based bread along pickles on the side.
2. Udon (Japan)
Udon is a noodle dish popular in Japanese Cuisine. It is basically wheat flour-based noodles served in soup and topped with several toppings such as green vegetables, beef, and other condiments. The preparation of the dish varies depending upon the region. There are several kinds of Udon available such as Kake, Kitsune and Tanuki, etc.
3. Nasi Goreng (Indonesia)
Nasi Goreng is Indonesian-style fried rice made with several ingredients including vegetables and meat products. It has an authentic smoky flavor, which differentiates itself from other contemporary rice dishes. Nasi Goreng includes ingredients such as shrimp paste, garlic, and sometimes made with fish with signature-caramelized soy sauce.
4. Hotpot (China)
Hotpot is a cooking method of dishes in China and is known as soup food that includes ingredients such as Fish, Prawns, Clams, Mussels, etc, and other things to make stock. The method to eat is that you put raw food in the hotpot to cook including vegetables and meat and after some time they are cooked enough to eat.
5. Tom Kha Kai (Thailand)
It is a soup made with coconut milk, which is sweet and sour in flavor. Typical ingredients of the dish include things like galangal, lime leaves, lemongrass, mushrooms, and meat according to personal preference apart from the basic coconut milk. It is also known as Chicken coconut soup and galangal soup in some parts of the country.
6. Bak Chor Mee (Singapore)
Bak Chor Mee is a yellow color noodle dish served in cafes and as street food in Singapore. It is derived from a dish called mee pok, which is popular in other South Asian countries such as China, Malaysia, and Thailand. The noodles are cooked with ingredients like pork, minced meat, and mushrooms and can be either soup-based or dry.
7. Chicken Adobo (Philippines)
Chicken Adobo is a dish marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, left to simmer in oil,. This method of cooking is authentic to the Philippines and goes back to colonial times, which is why it is known as their national dish. The version varies depending on the ingredients and known as White, Black, or Yellow adobo.
8. Pho (Vietnam)
It is a soup-based dish originating in Vietnam and consists of Noodles made up of rice, vegetables, beef, and herbs. It was made famous by the refugees of the Vietnam war. Different provinces in Vietnam serve different variations of the dish all differing in terms of ingredients and stock base.
9. Sweet and Sour Pork (Hong Kong)
This is a sauce-based dish popular in Hong Kong and in other parts of the world such as Europe and America. The Cantonese style sweet and sour pork is made up of vinegar, plums, and hawthorn candy from which it derives its blazing red color and the signature sweet and sour taste.
10. Bibimpap (South Korea)
This is a go-to dish for any native and tourist. It is a mixture of different ingredients in a single bowl and makes for a hearty meal. It is prepared with rice and topped with Kimchi, fermented cabbage, chili pepper sauce, egg, etc. The dish is popular because it requires less meal preparation time and is very easy to fix and deliver in terms of taste.
11. Nasi Lemak (Malaysia)
It is the national dish of Malaysia and is popular in neighboring regions as well. It is served during breakfast and is named one of the healthiest breakfast foods by TIME magazine. It is prepared by first cooking rice in coconut milk with Pandan leaves and then served along with side dishes such as fried anchovies, egg, and a sauce called sambal.
12. Nihari (Pakistan)
Nihari is a popular non-vegetarian food popular in Pakistan and surrounding countries. The credit of its creation goes to Nawabs of the Mughal Empire who ate it during the morning hence the name Nihari. It is prepared in a span of a whole day where it is cooked overnight. It is famous for its spicy flavor and sometimes used as a remedy to cold.
13. Khoresht e Ghormeh Sabzi (Iran)
A popular Iranian stew this dish is a must-have at every Iranian wedding. The food is prepared with the help of different green vegetables such as parsley, leeks, coriander, and green onions all of which are sautéed. Afterward, lamb or meat is added to the mixture. The last Saturday of each November is the International Ghormeh Sabzi day.
14. Falafel (Israel)
It is a popular Middle Eastern dish and street food. Falafel is a deep-fried patty, made with the batter of chicken peas or fava beans along with spices such as chili powder, black pepper, and cumin to provide flavor and served along with pita bread topped with toppings such as tomato, onion, and sauces.
15. Oyster pancake (Taiwan)
It is a very popular dish in Southeast Asia. The dish is known as the night market favorite in Taiwan and is the most popular among foreigners who visit the country. The main ingredients are small-sized oysters along with starch and egg; the batter gets cooked in oil and served with a kind of sauce to enhance the flavor.