Asian Vegetable-led Recipes, Page 3

A tour of Asia through vegetable-led: 209 authentic dishes, each tied to a real country and region, each with its cultural story and dietary swaps built in.
209 recipes · showing 97 to 144
ZhentAlmaty, Kazakhstan · easy · 30 minA sweet, crumbly pressed mixture of toasted millet, butter, and raisins, a traditional Kazakh treat of the steppe.
HummusTel Aviv, Israel · easy · 1 h 15 minSilky-smooth chickpea and tahini puree pooled with olive oil, scooped up with warm pita, a Levantine lunch of devotion.
RugelachTel Aviv, Israel · medium · 2 h 30 minLittle rolled pastry crescents filled with chocolate or cinnamon, a bakery staple of Israel and the Jewish diaspora.
ŞəkərburaBaku, Azerbaijan · advanced · 1 h 25 minCrimped half-moon pastries filled with sweet ground nuts and cardamom, the pride of the Azerbaijani Novruz table.
PenyaramBandar Seri Begawan, Brunei · medium · 2 h 40 minA chewy fried cake of rice flour and palm sugar with lacy, crisp edges, a traditional Bruneian and Bornean sweet.
Foni BoakibaaMalé, Maldives · easy · 1 h 10 minA dense baked pudding-cake of rice, coconut, and rosewater, a sweet Maldivian favorite for Ramadan and celebrations.
Gers OgailyKuwait City, Kuwait · easy · 55 minA fragrant saffron and cardamom sponge cake topped with sesame and nigella seeds, a Kuwaiti celebration classic.
RanginakManama, Bahrain · easy · 35 minDates stuffed with walnuts under a blanket of toasted spiced flour and cinnamon, a rich Bahraini and Gulf sweet.
Assidat al-BoubarDoha, Qatar · easy · 50 minA warm pumpkin pudding of toasted flour, date syrup, and cardamom, a warming Qatari Ramadan sweet.
Injo-gogi-bapPyongyang, North Korea · easy · 1 h 5 minSheets of soybean 'meat' stuffed with rice and topped with a spicy sauce, a resourceful North Korean street food.
Gangnaengi-tteokPyongyang, North Korea · easy · 50 minChewy steamed corn cakes lightly sweetened and often dotted with beans, a homely North Korean treat.
Khailmag (Caramelized Clotted Cream)Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia · easy · 25 minA rich Mongolian dessert of urum, clotted cream, cooked down slowly with sugar and a little flour into a thick, caramel-toned pudding eaten warm with a spoon.
Zhansak (Walnut and Honey Candy)Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan · easy · 20 minA traditional Kyrgyz tea candy of crushed walnuts bound with mountain honey and sary may, the local clarified butter, then set and dried into sweet pieces.
Nishallo (Whipped Ramadan Sweet)Dushanbe, Tajikistan · medium · 25 minA glossy white Tajik whip of egg whites beaten into a hot sugar syrup and scented with vanilla, made for iftar in Ramadan and scooped up with warm bread.
Pishme (Turkmen Fried Dough Diamonds)Ashgabat, Turkmenistan · medium · 1 h 50 minTurkmenistan's celebration sweet: little diamonds of light yeasted dough fried until puffed and golden, then dusted with sugar.
Babilak Ai-luka (Cassava and Coconut Balls)Dili, Timor-Leste · easy · 35 minTimorese sweet fritters of grated cassava and fresh coconut bound with brown sugar and a little basil, rolled into balls and fried golden.
Roti CanaiPenang, Malaysia · medium · 4 h 50 minA flaky, stretched-thin griddle flatbread from the mamak stall, crisp outside and soft in layers within, served with a bowl of dhal to dip.
Cheese BourekasTel Aviv, Israel · medium · 55 minFlaky puff-pastry triangles filled with tangy feta and ricotta, glazed with egg and scattered with sesame and nigella seeds.
Aloo Tama Bodi (Potato, Bamboo Shoot and Black-Eyed Bean Curry)Kathmandu Valley, Nepal · easy · 1 h 5 minA tangy Newari one-pot curry of potatoes, fermented bamboo shoots, and black-eyed beans, soured by the tama and tempered in mustard oil.
Galayet Bandora (Fried Tomatoes)Amman, Jordan · easy · 50 minA simple Jordanian skillet of ripe tomatoes simmered down in plenty of olive oil with sliced garlic and green chilli until jammy, scooped up with warm pita.
Mujaddara (Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions)Amman, Jordan · easy · 55 minA humble Levantine pilaf of brown lentils and rice cooked together and crowned with deeply caramelized onions, seasoned simply with cumin.
JalebiPunjab, India · medium · 6 h 50 minCrisp fermented-batter spirals deep-fried and soaked in warm saffron-cardamom syrup, the bright coils shared at Diwali and celebrations across North India.
Besan LadooPunjab, India · medium · 35 minGram flour slow-roasted in ghee until nutty and golden, sweetened with cardamom sugar and rolled into melt-in-the-mouth balls, a quintessential Diwali mithai.
Nian Gao (New Year Rice Cake)Shanghai, China · medium · 1 h 5 minA dense, chewy steamed cake of glutinous rice flour and dark brown sugar, studded with jujube and walnut, eaten at Lunar New Year because its name puns on rising higher each year.
GujiyaPunjab, India · advanced · 1 h 15 minCrisp half-moon pastries of maida filled with khoya, coconut, nuts and cardamom, deep-fried and made above all for Holi, when they are prepared at home and gifted between families.
MalpuaWest Bengal (Kolkata), India · medium · 1 h 15 minFried flour-and-milk pancakes with crisp lacy edges and a soft centre, soaked in cardamom sugar syrup, a festive sweet made across North and East India for Holi, Navratri and Diwali.
Puran PoliMaharashtra (Mumbai), India · advanced · 1 h 10 minA soft wheat flatbread stuffed with a sweet, spiced chana dal and jaggery filling, griddled with ghee, made across Maharashtra for Holi and Gudi Padwa.
DovgaBaku, Azerbaijan · medium · 50 minA warm Azerbaijani yogurt soup thick with fresh herbs, rice and chickpeas, stirred constantly so it never splits.
Kewa DatshiThimphu, Bhutan · easy · 40 minBhutan comfort food: sliced potatoes simmered with green chilies and melted farmer cheese into a creamy stew.
AshlyanfuBishkek, Kyrgyzstan · medium · 1 hA cold Kyrgyz noodle bowl of wheat noodles and springy starch jelly in a spicy, vinegary vegetable broth with egg ribbons.
Kanda Poha (Maharashtrian Onion Flattened Rice)Maharashtra (Mumbai), India · easy · 25 minThick flattened rice rinsed soft, then tossed in a mustard-seed, cumin and curry-leaf tempering with onion, green chilli, turmeric and crunchy peanuts, finished with lemon, coriander and fresh coconut.
İmam Bayıldı (Swooning Imam’s Eggplant)İzmir (Aegean), Turkey · easy · 1 h 10 minWhole eggplants braised in olive oil until silken, stuffed with sweet onions, tomato, and garlic. Served cool.
Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad)Isan (Northeast), Thailand · easy · 25 minGreen papaya pounded in a mortar with chili, lime, and tomatoes, crunchy, fiery, and alive.
Borani BanjanKabul, Afghanistan · easy · 55 minSilky fried eggplant layered with tomato and garlicky yogurt, finished with dried mint, Kabul’s favorite way to honor a vegetable.
MuhammaraDamascus, Syria · easy · 35 minThe crimson mezze of roasted red peppers, walnuts, and pomegranate molasses, smoky, sweet, and gently fierce.
Khaman DhoklaGujarat, India · easy · 35 minCloud-light steamed chickpea-flour cakes, tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves, Gujarat’s teatime signature.
Bolani (Stuffed Flatbread)Kabul, Afghanistan · medium · 1 hA thin Afghan flatbread folded around a spiced mashed-potato and leek filling and pan-fried until crisp, served with a mint-yogurt dip.
FattoushDamascus, Syria · easy · 30 minA bright Syrian chopped salad of crisp vegetables and toasted flatbread in a tangy sumac and pomegranate molasses dressing.
Pai Huang Gua (Smashed Cucumber Salad)Sichuan, China · easy · 30 minCucumbers smacked with a cleaver until they crack, salted, then tossed with raw garlic, black vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and a spoon of chili oil.
Tabbouleh (Lebanese Parsley and Bulgur Salad)Beirut, Lebanon · easy · 30 minA green salad of finely chopped parsley and mint with diced tomato, spring onion and just a sprinkle of fine bulgur, dressed sharply with lemon and olive oil.
Aloo Samosa (Punjabi Spiced Potato Samosa)Punjab, India · advanced · 2 h 5 minFlaky, ajwain-scented pastry cones stuffed with spiced potato and peas, fried slowly until blistered and golden and served hot with tamarind and mint chutneys.
Sigara Böreği (Turkish Crispy Cheese Rolls)İzmir (Aegean), Turkey · easy · 40 minThin yufka pastry rolled tight as a cigarette around white cheese and chopped parsley, sealed with water and fried in sunflower oil until crisp and golden.
Salat Katzutz (Israeli Chopped Salad)Tel Aviv, Israel · easy · 20 minTomatoes and unpeeled cucumbers diced as small as you can with onion, pepper and parsley, dressed only with lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
Badrijani Nigvzit (Georgian Eggplant Rolls with Walnut Paste)Imereti, Georgia · medium · 1 h 30 minThin slices of fried eggplant rolled around a garlicky walnut paste scented with coriander and blue fenugreek, scattered with pomegranate seeds and served cool.
Dahi Baray (Lentil Dumplings in Spiced Yogurt)Lahore (Punjab), Pakistan · medium · 8 hLight, fluffy fried urad dal dumplings soaked soft in warm water, then smothered in chilled sweet and salty yogurt and finished with tamarind and green chutneys and chaat masala.
Aloo Sadeko (Nepali Spiced Potato Salad)Kathmandu Valley, Nepal · easy · 1 hBoiled potatoes tossed with red onion, green chilli, lime, timur pepper and toasted sesame, then doused in smoking mustard oil fried with fenugreek and turmeric.
Obi Non (Uzbek Stamped Bread)Tashkent, Uzbekistan · medium · 2 h 40 minRound yeasted flatbreads with a thick, soft, golden rim and a thin crisp centre stamped with a pattern of holes, glazed with milk and scattered with nigella and sesame seeds.
Num Kachay (Cambodian Chive Cakes)Phnom Penh, Cambodia · medium · 1 h 20 minChewy rice-flour cakes packed with garlic chives, steamed until translucent and then pan-fried crisp and golden, with a sweet, sour and garlicky chilli fish-sauce dip.
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