6 Great Asian Recipes to Cook at Home

If you’re anything like me, when you’re in the mood for Asian food, you instantly check your favorite takeout app to find something delicious. Whether we’re talking about Indian, Chinese, or even Thai, we all know what we like, and sometimes we won’t have peace until we eat that special something.

But what if you’d try to make it at home? I know, I know, you might not be an experienced chef who knows EXACTLY how to cook those recipes, because you inherited them from your grandma.

Still, this doesn’t mean that it won’t be tasty. Plus, we’re only starting with the basics, like fried rice and Pad Thai, so there’s nothing here that you wouldn’t know how to cook!

Kung Pao Meatballs

How to:

• In a bowl, combine ground chicken, garlic, ginger, green onions, and panko. Add the egg and the soy sauce and season with some salt and a couple of cranks of pepper. Mix until it’s well combined. Form into 16 equal-sized meatballs. If the mixture is too wet, you can lightly wet your hands with water, to help roll into balls
• In a bigger skillet over medium heat, add the oil, then the meatballs. Cook until they become golden on all sides and their internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, up to 20 minutes. Remove from the skillet and place them on a plate to keep warm.
• In the meantime, in a small bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, cooking wine, vinegar, hoisin, and sugar. Add the cornstarch and whisk until they dissolve.
• Wipe out the bits from the skillet that is too dark. Return the skillet over medium heat, and add more oil if you need. Then, add the bell peppers and cook until they become soft around 5 minutes. Add the dried chilis, green onions, ginger, garlic, and pepper. Cook until fragrant, around 2 minutes. Add the sauce mixture and return the meatballs to the skillet. Toss to coat the meatballs. Reduce the heat to a simmer, until the sauce is thickened and the meatballs are warmed through, for 5 minutes.
• Top with some peanuts and serve over the rice.

Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein

How to:

• Fill a wok with water and bring to a boil, then add the noodles and cook until they loosen, around 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• In a smaller bowl, whisk some soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, pepper, sugar, and oyster sauce.
• Heat the wok over high, then add some oil. Once the oil starts smoking, add the cabbage, celery, and onions. Stir-fry, while frequently mixing, until it has slightly softened and wilted, around 3 minutes. Add some garlic and ginger and cook until it is fragrant around 1 minute.
• Add noodles, and with some tongs, toss until everything is fully combined.
• Give the sauce a fast whisk and add to the wok. Toss until everything is combined and noodles are fully coated in sauce.

Tempura

How to:

• Fill a big, heavy-bottomed pot half full with vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium heat until the candy thermometer shows 375 degrees.
• In the meantime, make the tempura batter: in a big bowl, whisk the flour and cornstarch. Measure the beer into a liquid measuring cup, then add an egg, and stir it. Add the liquid ingredients to dry right away and stir until they’re all combined.
• Add chopped vegetables and toss to coat. Transfer the vegetables to hot oil 2 to 3 pieces at a time, making sure you allow the excess batter to drip off before lowering into the oil.
• Fry, while turning frequently, until the vegetables are golden, up to 2 minutes. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate and season with some salt right away. Continue frying in batches, until the veggies are fully cooked.
• For the sauce: in a smaller bowl, whisk the mayo, the hot sauce, and the garlic. Serve with some tempura vegetables.

Easy Pad Thai

How to:

• In a bigger size pot of salted boiling water, cook the noodles until they become al dente, then drain.
• In another bowl, whisk the lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, and cayenne pepper, and set aside.
• In a big nonstick pan over medium-high heat, add some oil. Then, add the bell pepper and cook until it becomes tender around 4 minutes. Stir in your garlic and cook until it’s fragrant. Add in your shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the shrimp becomes pink, around 2 minutes per side.
• Push the shrimp and veggies to one side of the pan, and pour in the egg. Scramble until everything mixes, then add the shrimp mixture. Then, add the cooked noodles and toss until everything is combined, pour some lime juice mixture and toss until the noodles are fully coated.
• Garnish with some green onions and roasted peanuts.

Beef and Broccoli

How to:

• In a bowl, whisk 1/3 cup of soy sauce, lime juice, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch until everything is combined. Add your steak, season with salt and pepper, and toss until the steak is fully coated. Marinate for 20 minutes. In a big skillet over medium-high heat, prepare the oil. Add the steak in a single layer, working in batches if you have to, and cook until it starts to sear, around 2 minutes per side. Remove the steak and set it aside.
• Stir in your garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant around 1 minute. Stir 1 tablespoon cornstarch until the garlic is fully coated, then stir in the broth, remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and the rest of 1/3 cup of soy sauce, and Sriracha. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add some broccoli and simmer until it becomes tender around 5 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, then return the steak to the skillet.
• Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Honey Walnut Shrimp

How to:

• In a small size saucepan over medium heat, combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil. Add the walnuts and let them boil for 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the walnuts and let them cool on a smaller baking sheet.
• Pat the shrimp dry with some paper towels, then season lightly with some salt and pepper. Place the eggs in one shallow bowl and the cornstarch in another. Dip shrimp in eggs, then in cornstarch coating well.
• In a big skillet over medium heat, heat 1 inch of oil. Add the shrimp in batches and fry until it becomes golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, honey, and heavy cream. Toss the shrimp in sauce, and serve it over rice with candied walnuts and garnish with some chopped green onions.

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