Nasi Lemak, Malaysia
Nasi Lemak is Malaysia’s main national dish. Quite an interesting combination of rice cooked in coconut milk, chili sambal anchovies, hardboiled egg, deep fried chicken, sambal squid, peanuts, and cucumbers, it is hard not to be intrigued when hearing about it. This unique dish is best served on a banana leaf, which provides a distinctive fragrance to the rice adding to the already delicious assortment.
Imagine soft yellow egg noodles dipped in a thick curry broth, topped with deep-fried crispy egg noodles with pickled vegetables on the side for extra flavour. Coconut milk is the basis for the broth and the curry sauce can be cooked with either chicken or beef. Don’t miss out on the beef Khao Soi in restaurants along Chang Klan Road as they are the best you’ll find anywhere. If you're looking to learn from the best, why not enroll for a cooking class during your trip for the best Asian food recipes.
Chilli Crab, Singapore
The famous chilli crab of Singapore is sure to leave you pleasantly surprised. The most famous kind of crab is the giant Sri Lankan crab, best cooked in chilli sauce. The sauce has a sort of sweet but spicy tomato taste and the dish is usually served with fried mantis (buns), which are dipped in the delicious sauce. Roland Restaurant is where you want to try this heavenly recipe as they invented it.
Hamsi Ekmek (anchovies) is the ultimate street food in Turkey and for good reason. Hamsi makes up a considerable part in the fishing industry and in Turkey it is the staple food of the local Black Sea cuisine. The anchovies are deep fried, served with rocket leaves and thinly sliced onions in fresh and crusty bread slices. There is nothing like it.
Sarmale, Romania
A very popular traditional dish in Romania mostly eaten during the winter time (especially for Christmas dinners), Sarmale consists of pickled cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, onions, tomato sauce, and seasoned minced meat. The Romanians swear by it and it should definitely be on your bucket list. The size of the Sarmale may vary by region. In Moldavia they are served smaller while in the west and south you’ll find them large, but no different in the magnificent taste.
Mexican cuisine is a known favourite among all cultures. So, why not spice up that delightful taste of your enchilada or chicken with mole sauce. Consisting of about a 100 ingredients, mole sauce is one of the most complex and flavourful sauces on the planet. The sauce provides a rich, creamy, chocolaty, and spicy taste you will be addicted to. Originally it was from the Puebla and Oaxaca region, but nowadays it can be found everywhere in Mexico.
Tandoori Chicken, India
Indian cuisine is known to be tremendously varied that it’s impossible to pick just one dish as the best. North India has more meat-heavy dishes while vegetarian dishes can be found in the South. A truly iconic dish is the Tandoori chicken, which consists of chicken spiced with tandoori masala and roasted in a tandoor, a type of clay oven. The delicious dish is served with vegetables, yogurt sauce, and rice to complete the heavenly taste.
By Amal Ahmed