Fast Asian Dishes

By Food & Wine
Updated May 17, 2017
Credit: © Pernille Pedersen
These delicious fast Asian recipes include Korean-style chicken wraps, and shrimp pad Thai that’s ready in just 30 minutes.
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Chinese Chicken Salad

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Joanne Chang prepares this salad when she's craving Chinese food but wants something light and easy. She sometimes makes it even crunchier by adding napa cabbage, cucumbers and carrots.

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2 of 25

Kung Pao Turkey Drumsticks

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Turkey legs have become a staple of music festivals. These have a sticky ginger glaze.

3 of 25

Thai-Style Duck-and-Green-Papaya Salad

Credit: © Con Poulos
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4 of 25

Chili Shrimp

Credit: © Anna Williams
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Rajat Parr discovered Singaporean chili crabs while cooking at a hotel there and exploring the local street food. When crabs aren't available, he substitutes large shrimp and cooks them in sweet, sticky chile sauce.

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Spinach and Edamame Salad with Basil and Asian Dressing

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Fish sauce, lime juice and lemongrass make such a delicious dressing that it’s easy to forget how healthy this salad is.

6 of 25

Korean-Style Chicken Wraps

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This Korean-inspired dish is great for people trying to cut down on carbohydrates, because the meat is wrapped in lettuce instead of served on bread.

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7 of 25

Tofu Salad with Chestnuts and Apple Dashi

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David Chang’s light and elegant no-cook dish features custardy silken tofu in a sweet and savory Fuji apple broth.

8 of 25

Late-Night Japanese Noodles

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This creamy, silky pasta gets salty pops of flavor from fish roe. Paul Qui uses mentaiko (spicy marinated pollock roe), but trout roe or even caviar would be delicious, too.

9 of 25

Country Pâté Banh Mi

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Silken tofu blended with lemongrass and lime juice is a terrific dairy-free stand-in for mayonnaise in this riff on the Vietnamese banh mi sandwich. Adam Erace sometimes makes the sandwich with local scrapple (a hash of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and shaped into a log or loaf).

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10 of 25

Dashi-Poached Scallop Salad with Wasabi Dressing

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11 of 25

Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Yuzu Kosho Pesto

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Yuzu kosho is a hot, spicy and aromatic Japanese condiment made from hot chiles and ultra-citrusy yuzu zest. It's the key to this supersimple and utterly delicious recipe from chef Ricardo Zarate.

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General Tso's Chicken

Credit: © Kate Mathis
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Midtown Lunch's Zach Brooks adores this sweet-spicy Chinese-American restaurant staple. The version here is lighter than take-out because the chicken is only lightly coated in cornstarch and is pan-fried rather than deep-fried.

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13 of 25

Gingered Stir-Fry with Shrimp and Snow Peas

Credit: © Antonis Achilleos
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Large nonstick skillets that can create a sear are ideal for stir-fries. For this recipe, Grace Parisi creates layers of flavor with Chinese chile-garlic sauce and matchsticks of fresh ginger.

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Pork and Asparagus with Chile-Garlic Sauce

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So if you regularly cook out of this column, you already have a bottle of fermented chile-garlic bean sauce (toban djan) in your fridge. If not, go get some now. It will change your cooking life. You can marinate with it, use it as a rub, in a sauce or any way you can imagine. The fermented beans in this stuff supply all the punch of authenticity and honesty you need to make some great Chinese food, starting with this recipe. I make it with veal, beef, shrimp or chicken, but it works so well with pork you should try that first. —Andrew Zimmern

15 of 25

Seared Tuna Steaks with Citrusy Soy Sauce

Credit: © Con Poulos
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16 of 25

Quick Vietnamese Noodle Soup with Beef

Credit: © John Kernick
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Rocco DiSpirito likes to heat shirataki noodles (a low-calorie noodle made from tofu or a kind of sweet potato) in store-bought chicken broth seasoned with lime juice.

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Soba Noodles with Dashi, Poached Egg and Scallions

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Chef Douglas Keane creates a quick but flavorful broth using kombu (a type of seaweed) and dashi powder (an instant Japanese stock made from shaved bonito—tuna flakes). He poaches eggs in the broth and serves them for a protein-rich lunch or even breakfast.

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Cambodian Chicken-and-Rice Soup with Shrimp

Credit: © Kana Okada
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For this spicy, soothing and restorative chicken-and-rice soup, Ratha Chau prepares his own delectable chicken stock and roasts a chicken, which is then cut into large pieces and added to it. For an easier version, use prepared stock and preroasted chicken.

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19 of 25

Fish Teriyaki with Sweet-and-Sour Cucumbers

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This is a fairly classic take on teriyaki—broiled or grilled slices of marinated meat or fish. The small amount of sugar in the soy-based sauce caramelizes in the heat, creating a deliciously sticky glaze.

20 of 25

Maple Root-Vegetable Stir-Fry with Sesame

Credit: © Con Poulos
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In Korea, cooks typically create stir-fries with just one kind of vegetable—lotus root, say, or potatoes. David Chang decided to break with tradition and stir-fry an assortment of vegetables, including Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips. Also unconventional is the maple syrup he adds to the dish; there are maple trees all around South Korea but not much maple syrup.

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Fried Tofu with Spicy Ginger-Sesame Sauce

Credit: © Anson Smart.
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Tofu is an unlikely partner for red wine, but in this recipe by Young Hwa Chung—wife of Dana Estates owner Hi Sang Lee—a soy-ginger glaze works well with the winery's Cabernet Sauvignon.

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22 of 25

Quick Shrimp Pad Thai

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This is a great, fast version of American-style pad thai, with an appealing combination of sweet, sour and spicy flavors. Look for the noodles in the Asian section of markets.

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Thai Chicken Stew with Potato-Chive Dumplings

Credit: © Tina Rupp
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Pino Maffeo serves his vibrant, spicy, warming stew with gai lan (Chinese broccoli). Sautéed garlic chives stud his plump potato dumplings. Instead use baby bok choy, an easy-to-find Chinese green, to replace the gai lan, while regular chives substitute for the garlic chives.

24 of 25

Airy Tempura with Ginger-Ponzu Dipping Sauce

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Fizzy club soda in the batter makes this mixed vegetable tempura ultra light and crispy. A tangy ponzu-based sauce is perfect for dipping.

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25 of 25

Chicken Pad Thai

Credit: © Pernille Pedersen
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Try a straightforward white wine with some residual sugar, such as a Riesling, to pair with the forceful flavors of the pad thai.

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