10 Asian Street Food You Need To Try in Your Lifetime

Anthony Bourdain once said, “Street food is the salvation of the human race.” We would never disagree with him when it comes to food, so we’ll start off with that and head straight into the list of street food everyone should try — even pick eaters (like us). Because getting sick on vacation is no fun, we recommend these 10 foods that rank higher on the list of “safe” street foods. One last tip: bottled water.

#1 Chou Doufu

酥炸臭豆腐
They call it ‘stinky tofu’

Where to find it: Taipei

What is it? You’ll smell it from a mile away and although it might make you want to run in the opposite direction, just close your nose and head straight towards it. This deep-fried or grilled tofu gets its distinctive odor from the fermentation process, which also gives it a very flavourful, almost salty taste. It goes perfectly with picked vegetables. You can find stinky tofu all over Asia but in Taipei it’s hand-made and you know what they say, food made with love always tastes much better.

#2 Asam Laksa

penang-244133_960_720
Don’t wear anything white around this stuff

Where to find it: Malaysia

What is it? We hope you like fish paste, noodles, onion and… sour broth. Okay, so that doesn’t sound too appealing but we promise, this dish grows on you. Malaysia’s hipster town Penang has the most authentic asam laksa, but as the foodie capital of Malaysia (sorry, Malacca!), keep your eyes peeled and noses out for these other Penang bites.

#3 Fish Amok

2569542921_0fd2b58676_o
You might also enjoy our list of the best things to do in Siem Reap

Where to find it: Cambodia

Strangely and unfortunately, Khmer cuisine isn’t as common outside Cambodia as it should be. Authentic Khmer cuisine sees a lot of steamed rice and curries, but their street food is always ready to serve hungry travellers on the go. Fish amok is cooked with coconut curry in banana leaves, getting its rich taste from spices like lemongrass, kaffir lime and turmeric. They key ingredient is a local herb called slok ngor that gives it just a tinge of bitterness.

#4 Pani Puri

1280px-Home_made_Indian_Panipuri
Parsley isn’t too common a topping but it does make all the difference

Where to find it: India

What is it? Proving that potato can do no wrong (think about it) are these crispy hand-molded spheres filled with onions, lentils and everybody’s favourite — potato. The balls are marinated in a sweet-and-sour blend of tamarind, jaggery, coriander, mint and garam masala. They’re pretty filling and although you will want to keep stuffing your face, resist. But then again, aren’t lentils a health superfood?

#5 Satay

LauPaSat_Satay
We can eat like 10 of these, so order up

Where to find it: Singapore

What is it? It’s hard for everyone to agree on the best satay spot, but that’s just because satay is so good anywhere, anytime. Unless you’re vegetarian. Beef or chicken are commonly used for the grilled meat on skewers, and served with a creamy, chunky peanut sauce. Satay also comes with slices of cucumber and onion if you want to create a sort of kebab. Otherwise people tend to just ignore it.

#6 Kwek Kwek

Day_2_-_Street_Food
Intestines on left, kwek kwek on right

Where to find it: Philippines

What is it? Deep fried quill eggs but don’t worry, these are actual hard boiled eggs and not the balut (duck embryo) you’ve been hearing about. This snack has a bright orange shade and a nice aroma, served alongside a spicy vinegar dipping sauce. Fun fact: the distinctive colour comes the use of a mild, peppery spice called atsuete, which was brought to the Philippines by the Spanish.

#7 Nasi Campur

1280px-Made's_Warung_Nasi_Campur
Yes that’s tempeh! Bali is an extremely vegetarian / vegan-friendly destination

Where to find it: Bali

What is it? Translating to ‘mixed rice’, anything (well, almost anything) goes. Think Asian salad bar, rice optional. A whole array of dishes are placed along the table, with about five or more different meats and a just as generous selection of vegetables. The only difficulty here is not knowing exactly what you’re putting on your plate. Paru-paru sounds pretty but it’s lungs, FYI.

#8 Mango Sticky Rice

Mango_with_glutinous_rice
You will love it long time

Where to find it: Thailand

What is it? Dessert! We love mango (bonus: dried mango in the Phillipines — also a delicious street snack) but making a good thing great is the addition of coconut sticky rice, drizzled with salted coconut milk. Toasted mung beans are tossed over for a little something extra. Pay close attention to the modest taste of pandan too. The only thing that can go wrong here is sour mango, but luckily most places use only sweet mango.

#9 Yakitori

Yakitori_by_MShades_in_Kujo,_Kyoto
Hungry for more? Here are 5 must-try restaurants in Tokyo

Where to find it: Japan

What is it? Basically, it’s Japanese satay. But instead of a chunk of meat, yakitori meat is served bite-sized and marinated in a sweet soy-mirin sauce called tare. The skewered meat is then grilled over hot charcoal then served in portions of two skewers. So yes, order a few rounds at one go.

#10 Pho

4290542086_956c1840ef_o
A dish that works for breakfast, lunch and / or dinner

Where to find it: Vietnam

What is it? Pho is now popular all over the world, but you ain’t never had pho this good outside of Vietnam (we’ve searched far and wide). It’s easy enough a dish to recreate — noodles, chicken or beef, and green onion, Thai basil, lime and cut-chili for garnish. Where Vietnam gets it right, is the perfect broth made by simmering bones and tendons with charred onion, ginger, spices and seasonings. It takes hours to get the taste just right.

Make a reservation

Photo credits: Main, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10

Diandra Soliano

Our resident Wander Woman with a passion for languages, big cities and bronzer. When she's not listening to The Smiths a little too loudly at the office (after hours!), she can be found singing along to the soundtrack of Les Miserables with her two cats for an audience.

No Comments Yet

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.