Growing up in the fantastically diverse U.S. as a first-generation child to parents who immigrated from Taiwan and China, my diet was essentially—without exaggeration—100 percent Asian food. It’s what my parents knew, what they loved, and what mentally brought them home, despite being physically more than 6,500 miles overseas. And when my siblings and I weren’t feasting on homemade egg rolls, dumplings, and the like at our abode (all made from scratch by the masterful hand of our parents), we mostly ventured to restaurants serving up other types of Asian food (so, not far from my parents’ culinary comfort zone).
Fast forward years later and, without a doubt, I’ve had more than my fair share of Chinese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Japanese, Korean, Indian, and Thai food, plus many more dishes from throughout Asia. And as much as I adore a good hamburger, slice of pizza, order of eggs benedict, or heaping bowl of pasta (and I mean love), there’s nothing that quite satisfies me the way Asian cuisine does. It just tastes like home.
The following are 29 recipes of my favorite traditional and fusion-style Asian dishes I crave, order, cook, and eat time and time again. No matter your ethnicity, once one of these recipes makes a regular appearance in your own kitchen, perhaps it will start to taste like home, too.
1. Dan Dan Noodles
Source: The Woks of Life
2. Singaporean Crab Legs
Source: Saveur
3. Garlic Bok Choy
Source: The Wheatless Kitchen
4. Pork Banh Mi Sandwich
Source: Rasa Malaysia
5. Shrimp and Pork Shumai
Source: Kevin Is Cooking
6. Pineapple Cashew Rice
Source: Carlsbad Cravings
7. Healthy Lettuce Wraps
Source: Apple of My Eye
8. Shoyu Cabbage Soup
Source: Bon Appetit
9. Indian Vegetable Curry
Source: Layers of Happiness
10. Honey Garlic Spare Ribs
Source: Naked Cuisine
11. Steamed BBQ Pork Buns
Source: Curious Nut
12. Hainanese Chicken
Source: Nom Recipes
13. Vietnamese Vermicelli Noodles
Source: Sprig and Flours
14. Chinese Beef Rolls
Source: Goodies a Volonte
15. Kimchi Soondubu Jjigae
Source: See and Savour
16. Spam and Egg Onigirazu
Source: I Am a Food Blog
17. Tonkatsu Pork
Source: Kitchen Sanctuary
18. Wonton Soup
Source: Damn Delicious
19. Cucumber Salad
Source: Will Cook for Friends
20. Hot and Sour Soup
Source: Closet Cooking
21. Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings
Source: Jo Cooks
22. Spicy Pork Belly Hand Rolls
Source: Spoon Fork Bacon
23. Fried Whole Snapper
Source: Ang Sarap
24. Spicy Tofu Ramen
Source: Pinch of Yum
25. Beef Pho
Source: Minced Blog
26. Vegan Samosa Potato Cakes
Source: Minimalist Baker
27. Chicken and Coconut Thai Soup
Source: Foodie Crush
28. Sticky Red Bean Rice Cake
Source: Omnivores Cookbook
29. Chinese Egg Tarts
Source: The Woks of Life
