With increasing globalisation and exposure to different cuisines through travel, media, and international restaurants, Indians have developed a curiosity and appreciation for Asian food beyond their own regional cuisine. Asian cooking often emphasises fresh ingredients, balanced flavours, and cooking techniques like steaming and stir-frying, which can be healthier options compared to some heavy Indian dishes.
Many Asian dishes can be adapted to suit Indian tastes and preferences, such as by adjusting spice levels or incorporating local ingredients without compromising authenticity. The dishes can also be simplified or adapted to suit different skill levels and ingredient availability.
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Many Asian cuisines, such as Chinese, Thai, Japanese, and Korean, rely on complex flavour profiles that involve a balance of sweet, sour, salty, and umami elements. Achieving these flavours requires specific ingredients and techniques that may be unfamiliar to those not accustomed to Asian cooking.
Specialised items like various types of soy sauce, miso paste, rice vinegar, and specific spices can be essential to achieving authentic flavours and have become more accessible in India as compared to a few years ago. Some ingredients, such as rice, noodles, spices like ginger and garlic, and vegetables like cabbage and carrots, are staples in Indian cooking and are easy to use.
Fried Rice
Fried rice looks easy to make but needs a bit of focus to be perfect. All that is required to make fried rice is cooked rice, mixed vegetables such as carrots, peas, bell peppers, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, green onions and eggs. All these ingredients are easily available and the dish can also be made in a vegetarian version without the eggs. Heat oil in a pan, add chopped garlic and ginger, and sauté until fragrant.
Add the mixed vegetables and cook them till they are slightly tender but don’t lose their crunch. In the same pan, remove the veggies, scramble the eggs and then add the veggies back. Add the cooked rice and soy sauce, and mix well. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve hot.
Stir-Fried Noodles
This dish is super quick to make. Just assemble some noodles and mixed vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and green onions. Cook the store-bought noodles as per the instructions on the packet. Heat sesame oil in a pan, add garlic and ginger, and sauté until it is fragrant. Add vegetables and stir-fry until cooked. Add the noodles and soy sauce and mix well. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve.
Miso Soup
A simple miso soup is a pot full of flavour. Make sure you get these ingredients beforehand. Ingredients such as miso paste, tofu, seaweed, and green onions can be found in both online and offline stores these days. Bring dashi stock or water to a boil. Add tofu and seaweed, and cook for a few minutes. Reduce the heat, dissolve miso paste in a small amount of hot water, and add to the soup. Simmer the soup for a few minutes without boiling.
Thai Green Curry
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Many Indian dishes also use coconut milk, which is one of the key ingredients in Thai curry. Buy a packet of green curry paste, coconut milk, mixed vegetables or chicken, basil leaves, fish sauce and sugar. Heat a small amount of oil in a pan, add green curry paste and sauté until fragrant. Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Add vegetables or chicken and cook until done. Season with fish sauce and sugar. Garnish the curry with basil leaves and serve with rice.
Vietnamese Summer Rolls
To make these refreshing summer rolls, you will need rice paper wrappers, rice vermicelli, shrimp or tofu, lettuce, mint, cilantro, carrots and cucumber. Soak rice vermicelli according to package instructions and drain. Dip rice paper in warm water to soften. Place a small amount of vermicelli, shrimp or tofu, lettuce, mint, cilantro, carrots, and cucumber on the rice paper. Roll tightly, folding in the sides as you go.
Teriyaki Chicken
One of the most popular Asian dishes, chicken teriyaki, is actually quite simple to make at home. You will need chicken, soy sauce, honey, sugar, garlic, ginger and cornstarch. Mix soy sauce, honey, sugar, garlic, and ginger to make the teriyaki sauce. Marinate the chicken in the sauce for 30 minutes. Cook the chicken in a pan until browned and cooked through. Add the remaining marinade to the pan, bring to a boil, and thicken with cornflour slurry if needed. This can be served with rice and steamed vegetables.
Korean Bibimbap
The K-pop and K-drama craze has made it easy to find ingredients for Korean food in India. To make the bibimbap, you will need rice, assorted vegetables such as spinach, carrots, bean sprouts, mushrooms, gochujang (Korean chilli paste), sesame oil, soy sauce and eggs. Cook the rice and set it aside. Sauté each vegetable separately with a little sesame oil and soy sauce.
Fry eggs sunny-side up. Assemble by placing rice in a bowl, arranging vegetables and beef on top, and placing the egg in the centre. Serve with a dollop of gochujang and mix before eating.
These dishes incorporate commonly found ingredients and straightforward cooking techniques, making them perfect for an Indian kitchen. Enjoy your culinary adventure!