National dishes from Southeast Asia

At the luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we never get tired of discovering new Asian dishes. Today we are travelling around Southeast Asia to get to know its most popular recipes. Are you joining us?

Southeast Asia´s cuisine brings together Chinese and Indian millenary traditions, leading to a wide range of dishes. Let´s go over the main dishes of each country:

Thailand. The most famous Thai dish is Pad Thai. This is a stir-fried noodle dish, including fish sauce, tamarind sauce, red pepper and a mix of soy sprouts. All the ingredients are also seasoned with crushed peanuts, coriander and lime juice.

Cambodia. The most important Cambodian national dish is amok, which is also popular in Laos and Thailand. Its most extended version, and Cambodian people´s favourite one, is the one served in a coconut shell. The recipe also includes coconut cream, vegetables and some spices; which are mixed with chicken, squid or fish.

Vietnam. Vietnamese cuisine is known for offering a huge variety of noodle soups. The most popular one is Pho, which is considered Vietnam´s national dish. It is the traditional meat noodle soup, served with a piece of lime, which is squeezed and added to the soup. It also includes coriander leaves, basil or mint. The most popular Pho recipe is the Pho Bo, Vietnamese beef noodle soup.

Laos. Larb is Laos´ national dish. This is a spicy minced meat salad made with chicken, ox or fish. The recipe includes other ingredients such as coriander, ginger lime juice or citronella.

Indonesia. The most representative Indonesian dish is nasi goreng. This is fried rice prepared with chicken, vegetables, prawns, sweet soy sauce and a fried egg on top.

Philippines. Philippine adobo is one of the most famous dishes and cooking techniques from the Philippines. It involves pork or chicken meat marinated in soy sauce, chicken soup, bay, pepper and vinegar.

Myanmar. Myanmar’s unofficial national dish is mohinga. This type of rice noodles is Burmese people´s favourite one to have for breakfast. It consists of rice noodles served in a thick creamy herbal fish-and shallot-based broth.

Malaysia. Nasi lemak, literally “rice in cream“, is considered Malaysia´s national dish. It consists of rice steamed with coconut cream and served with anchovies, hard boiled egg, sambal (a hot spicy sauce), peanuts and vegetables.

Singapore. Crab in all its varieties is the most traditional dish in Singapore. But the most popular one, due to its flavour and its symbolism is chili crab, which is prepared with a spicy sweet and sour sauce.

If you visit the 5 stars resort Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, you have a mandatory stop at our Asian restaurant par excellence: Koh Samui. Travel to Southeast Asia for a couple minutes while enjoying the choicest crossover cuisine.