Of all the world’s cuisines, Southeast Asian is certainly one of the most flavoursome. Home to some of the boldest and most fragrant ingredients, from lemongrass to Thai chilli, pretty much every dish packs a punch – whether it’s savoury starters with a fiery kick or sweet and creamy desserts with a hint of citrus.
Comprising the nations of Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines – to name just five – Southeast Asian cuisine is as diverse as it is delicious. And, if you’re interested in knocking up your own creations at home, there’s good news: while you may need to pick up a few specialist ingredients, making authentic Southeast Asian food is often quicker and easier than you might think.
So, if you’re keen to turn up the heat in your kitchen – or transport yourself to an exotic, far-flung country – here are 10 of the best Southeast Asian recipes to cook at home.
1. Green papaya salad
If you’re looking for a fresh, invigorating recipe that’s perfect for summer, green papaya salad might be it. Though it originates in Laos (it’s the national dish), this zingy salad is widely eaten in Thailand, and is also popular in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. The main ingredient – unripe papaya – can be bought from most Asian supermarkets, and is definitely worth the effort it may take to find it.
Though it’s healthy and low in calories, green papaya salad is packed with flavour: it’s sweet, salty, spicy, and sour. The dressing is made from Thai chillies, garlic, tamarind, lime, palm sugar, and fish sauce, which is then poured generously over the shredded papaya, raw julienned carrots, tomatoes, and crisp green beans. The salad is topped with unsalted peanuts, giving it an even more satisfying crunch.
To make green papaya salad, try this recipe from RecipeTin Eats.
2. Mango sticky rice
Southeast Asia boasts many delicious sweet treats, but the most popular – and pervasive – has got to be mango sticky rice. Widely eaten across Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, each country adds a unique twist. In Laos, for example, the mango is scattered with roasted sesame seeds, and in the Philippines, the rice is cooked with ginger and sometimes topped with chocolate.
All variations use sticky rice, however, which has a wonderfully chewy-yet-soft texture. The freshness of the mango is beautifully complemented by creamy coconut milk, and it manages to feel comforting and luxurious yet light and refreshing. It’s also easy to make: while the rice is traditionally cooked in a steamer, you can also use a microwave. Plus, most versions only use five ingredients: mango, rice, sugar, salt, and coconut milk.
To make authentic Thai-style mango sticky rice, try this recipe from Scientifically Sweet.
3. Gado-gado
Another salad perfect for summer is gado-gado, one of Indonesia’s national dishes. Gado-gado is eaten in just about every part of Indonesia, though it’s particularly popular in Bali, and each region has its own version. It’s usually made up of veggies including potatoes, green beans, bean sprouts, cabbage, and cucumber (or other veg of your choosing) – as well as fried tofu and tempeh, and often a hard-boiled egg.
What makes gado-gado so moreish is the sweet-and-savoury peanut sauce, which transforms what would otherwise be a plate of plain veg into an incredibly satisfying meal. Making authentic Indonesian peanut sauce can be time-consuming, but a great hack is mixing peanut butter with Thai red curry paste, coconut milk, lime, and garlic. Then, pour over your veg, mix well, and enjoy as a starter, side, or main.
To make Indonesian gado-gado salad, try this recipe from RecipeTin Eats.
4. Fish amok
One of Cambodia’s national dishes, fish amok is a steamed fish curry that’s believed to date back to the Khmer Empire, when it was eaten by royals. It’s sweet, spicy, and savoury, with a pillowy, mousse-like consistency, and an incredible depth of flavour. While goby, snakehead, or catfish are traditionally used, you can substitute these for cod, snapper, barramundi, salmon, whiting, or perch.
The fish is usually rubbed or marinated in a spiced paste and mixed with coconut cream, then placed in a banana or palm leaf container until it achieves that light, airy texture. Neither banana nor palm leaves are easy to find in the UK, so you can use any bowl that fits inside your steamer instead, and still enjoy an authentic tasting Cambodian-style fish amok. Serve with steamed rice and red chillies on top.
To make authentic fish amok, try this recipe from Silk Road Recipes.
5. Sisig
Sisig is one of those dishes you may never have heard of unless you’ve visited the Philippines…where, as one of the nation’s most popular dishes, it’s everywhere. The origins of this dish are interesting: an abundance of excess meat from US military facilities in the Philippines led frugal locals to get creative, and authentic sisig is made from pork – specifically jowl, cheeks, snouts, and ears – and chicken liver.
These days, however, pork belly is often used, and there are all kinds of plant-based alternatives to try. The pork (or tofu!) is cooked with onions, chillies, and calamansi (a type of lime) on a hot surface, like a griddle, until it achieves its customary crispy-yet-chewy texture and tangy, savoury flavour. To eat sisig like the locals, serve it over rice with a cold beer. Some people like to add a fried egg on top, too.
To make authentic pork sisig, try this recipe from The Sago Show. To make a plant-based alternative, try this sizzling mushroom and tofu recipe from Epicurious.
6. Pho
Pho, Vietnam’s national dish, has exploded in popularity across the UK in recent years, and it’s easy to see why. Pronounced “fuh”, this delicious noodle soup is the perfect mix of flavours and textures. Each bite gives you slippery noodles, crisp bean sprouts, spicy chillies, fragrant fresh herbs, and a beautifully spiced clear broth flavoured with shallots, star anise, ginger, garlic, cinnamon sticks, and cloves.
Believed to have been inspired by Chinese rice noodle recipes and the French dish pot au feu, pho also represents Vietnam’s diverse culture and history. Traditional pho stock is cooked for at least eight hours to create a suitably deep flavour, but you can make quicker versions that still taste great. Once cooked, add beef or tofu, top with Thai basil, fresh coriander, spring onions, and mint, and slurp away.
If you’d like to make traditional beef pho, try this recipe from RecipeTin Eats. Or, for a veggie alternative, try this tofu pho recipe from Lazy Cat Kitchen.
7. Turon
If you’re in the mood for a sweet and crispy snack, you might fancy making turon. This popular Filipino street food is essentially a sweet spring roll, and while it’s often eaten as a quick snack, it can also be enjoyed as a decadent dessert. It’s made by rolling thinly sliced bananas in spring roll wrappers, deep frying until crisp and golden, then smothering in a caramel sauce.
Jackfruit (which you can buy in cans from supermarkets and health food stores) is often added alongside the banana, and sweet potato and mango are sometimes used, too.
Turon are easy to make, and if you’d like to make a healthier version, you can omit the oil altogether and cook the rolls in an air fryer. If you’d like to treat yourself, however, serving turon with a scoop of vanilla ice cream really elevates the dish!
If you want to try making some classic turon, try this recipe from Hungry Huy. Or, for a zingy version, try these lemongrass and caramel turon from Cinnamon Salt.
8. Thai green curry
Pad thai might be the national dish – and the most popular dish ordered from Thai takeaways – but if you’re looking for flavour, it’s tricky to beat a Thai curry. Traditionally, the only difference between Thai curries was the chillies: red curry was made with red chillies, green curry with green chillies, and yellow curry with yellow chillies – but all have evolved, particularly the favourite, Thai green curry.
You can buy curry paste, but making your own is pretty easy. You might need to pick up a few new ingredients, like kaffir lime leaves, but the intense, fragrant flavour is absolutely worth it. Plus, Thai green curry is really flexible: you can make meat, fish, or veggie versions, and add whatever veg you have at home. Serve with jasmine rice for authenticity, or rice noodles, as a comforting noodle soup.
To make Thai green chicken curry, try this recipe from Hot Thai Kitchen. Or, to make a veggie version with tofu, try this recipe from Choosing Chia.
9. Tom yum
A final Thai dish for the list, and another one of Thailand’s national dishes. Tom yum is a hot and sour soup that’s served all over the country, from street food stalls to fancy restaurants, and it’s uniquely comforting. Its intense flavour comes from kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and lemongrass – the ‘holy trio’ of Thai cooking – and it can be made with seafood (shrimp is the most common), meat, or tofu and veg.
Thanks to the fresh herbs and spices, tom yum is known for its medicinal properties, so it’s a great meal to cook if your immune system needs a boost. A small bowl by itself can be enjoyed as a snack, or you can serve it with sticky rice or noodles to make a heartier lunch or dinner. It’s very versatile, too: if you prefer less of a tang or creamier flavours, why not add coconut, and turn it from tom yum to tom kha?
To make authentic tom yum with shrimp, try this recipe from Hot Thai Kitchen. Or, to make a super simple veggie alternative, try this recipe from Minimalist Baker.
10. Vietnamese steamed banana cake
If you’re a fan of banana bread, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this next dish. It seems almost every culture has a dessert that uses overripe bananas, and steamed banana cake – or bánh chuối hấp, to use its authentic name – is the Vietnamese version. While similar to banana bread, it uses tapioca starch, not flour, and the cake is steamed rather than baked, creating a delightfully bouncy, soft-yet-chewy texture.
Traditionally, this naturally-vegan cake is topped with a creamy coconut sauce, tapioca balls, toasted sesame seeds, and crushed peanuts, but it can be enjoyed on its own – it all depends on how indulgent you’d like it to be! If you prefer a less sweet taste, you can also use overripe plantain rather than banana. Yellow food colouring is often used to brighten the colour of the cake, but this is optional.
To make Vietnamese steamed banana cake, try this recipe by No Limit Cooking.
Final thoughts...
Southeast Asian cuisine is fresh, fragrant, fiery, and seriously delicious. It’s also far more versatile than it often gets credit for. From spicy curries and savoury noodle soups to creamy deserts and zingy salads, there’s a dish out there to suit every palate.
If you haven’t cooked much Southeast Asian food before, you may need to visit the supermarket or Asian food store to find some of the ingredients…but the actual cooking process itself is usually pretty straightforward.
So next time you’re craving a Thai curry or a Vietnamese noodle soup, why not have a go at cooking your own dishes? Making your own food isn’t only cheaper, it’s usually healthier, too – and you may discover all kinds of new ingredients, flavours, and cooking techniques along the way.
Are you a fan of Southeast Asian food? Are you tempted to make any of these dishes…or do you have any of your own recipes to share? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
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