1. Satay - This is the undisputed King of Asian Foods. The
spelling may vary from country to country, may it be sate, satay, satey,
or sati. It is basically meat on a stick roasted over charcoal or open
fire. This is available everywhere from Singapore to the Philippines,
Vietnam to Papua! It's mainly chicken or beef sticks in the Muslim
countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.
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photo credit: cookingrecipesss.blogspot.com |
Thailand is very famous for its
organ sate, may it be liver, heart or stomach of pigs or chicken. Satay
usually comes with many different dips and peanut sauce is the most
popular.
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photo credit: ilovefoodsomuch.com |
2.
Sushi - This is very popular world-wide and of course
in Asia. This has been considered as a high-class delicacy and mainly
eaten in posh restaurants although ready-made sushi are available in
regional supermarkets like Carrefour in Singapore, Indonesia or Tesco in
Thailand. Sushi is much more than just raw fish and making Sushi rolls,
it has been considered a science by many although it will actually just
take the right kind of rice, seaweed wrappers and soy sauce.
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photo credit: smh.com.au |
3.
Chicken Curry - This is the universal dish that can be found in most
Asian menus. Curry powder in all kinds of variations, tastes and colors
are readily available all over Asia and heavily used in creating all the
heavenly curry dishes. The look and taste of curry will depend on the
country you are in. Chicken curries of Thailand are made of heavy masala
curries which are used by Indians as well. Indonesians love their "Kari
Ayam" thinner, with more watery sauces while Malaysians don't seem to
be too decisive about their curry thickness, depending if they live
closer to Thailand or more to the south of the Malaysian peninsula.
Curry dishes are not only restricted to chicken but those seem to be the
most popular.
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photo credit: templeofthai.com |
4.
Tom Yum - This watery something in a bowl that
was originated in Thailand is now very popular all over Asia especially
in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. This can be an
appetizer, thin soup or main dish, eaten with or without rice. This has a
more spicy-sour tasted with heavy use of smashed lemon grass, tamarind
and lime. Different sea foods like prawns, squid or fish pieces can be
added. Chicken and vegetables like oyster mushrooms or coriander leaves
are already used in mixing.
5. Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng) - This is
mainly cooked plain white with coconut sauce or saffron added and eaten
fresh or right away with whatever meat or veggies come along. It is a
cheap and tasty dish in all Asian countries that comes with veggies and
meat. It's a cheap and tasty dish in all Asian countries and comes with
veggies, meat or different sambals. Add eggs, satay, rice or prawn
crackers (krupuk) and you can have a full meal on its own which fills
you up nicely and brings you through the day. Some would say that Nasi
Goreng is the Paella of Asia but the Spanish would surely protest about
that. Nowadays, Nasi Goreng in the western world has been connected with
any Asian style of fried rice.
6. Dim Sum - This is derived from a
Cantonese phrase which means 'a little broken' and describes little
treasures of food, hidden away in small steamer baskets, various types
of filled, steamed buns or plenty of little dishes served on small
plates. Dim Sum are mainly served with tea and can have a hearty, sweet
or plain taste. The servings are of small portions but with plenty of
varieties.
7. Spring Rolls- Spring Rolls are popular in most Asian
countries, with China, Vietnam Philippines, Taiwan, with Indonesia
topping on the list. These are mainly fried rolled pastries that are
filled with all kinds of raw or cooked meats or vegetables. There are
versions which are not fried as well, mainly eaten in Taiwan. The most
popular ingredients are minced pork, carrot, bean sprouts, fresh garlic
chives, vermicelli noodles, shitake mushrooms. Soy sauce, peanut powder
or fish sauce are sometimes added to better tickle your taste buds.
8.
Hainanese Chicken Rice - This is a simple, plain and straight-forward
dish, mainly eaten in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and China. It's
boiled, plain-white chicken served with white rice and condiments like
cucumber, eggs or lettuce. Hainanese Chicken Rice is one of the lesser
spicy Asian dishes, but nevertheless its creation is a science on its
own. It can come with a clear chicken soup or broth as accompanying soup
and is one of the signature dishes claimed by more than one country.
9.
Laksa - This is a spicy noodle soup, which is claimed to be invented by
Singaporeans, although it's more likely to be derived from
Chinese/Malay culture. The origin of the name Laksa is unknown, but it's
now widely popular not only in Malaysia and Singapore, but as far as
Australia and beyond. If you tried Laksa, you would know why, as it as
mainly an explosion for your taste senses, mixing sweet (coconut) tastes
with sour (lemon grass or citrus) influences with more standard fare
(thick noodles, egg, tofu). Sometimes Laksa is done more watery like a
soup, while some prefer it as thick as possible, with as few liquids as
possible.
10. Fish Balls - These are pulverized or pressed fish
meat, eaten on a stick or as soup, mainly available at Asian hawker
stalls or street vendors everywhere in the region. They are served
cooked, fried or steamed and are considered as small, cheap snacks for
in between or in some countries even as a 'poor-man's-dish'. They are
eaten mainly on their own, marinated, dipped in a sauce or when coming
in a bowl - mixed with 'kway teow' noodles, tofu or even rice. Fragrance
and taste is added in the form of vinegar, garlic, sweet soy sauce or
spring onions.