Many visitors to Asian cities find that when out exploring they feel hungry a lot of the time. Be warned – if you are on a diet you will need to be strong-willed. The reason is because the streets are full of the most tempting cooking smells, and thinking about food constantly, and wondering what dish to try next becomes a natural reflex that is difficult to overcome.
The cities of Asia have some of the best street food to be found anywhere in the world. It is not necessary to sit in stuffy restaurants to have a gourmet experience in cities such as Bangkok – get out on the streets and search out the best food stall chefs.
Forget the menu
The vast majority of street food vendors don’t have a menu. The best way to go about ordering a meal or snack in these places is to check out what the other customers are eating; decide what looks best and simply point at it. If a lot of the local customers seem to be dining on the same thing there’s a very good reason.
Be adventurous
Scorpions and grasshoppers wouldn’t be at the top of most people’s list of recipe ingredients, however, Thai chefs are not squeamish and are happy to cook both. If you are looking for an unusual gastronomic experience you will certainly find that in Thailand. For example, Larb Mote Daeng is made using red ants and their eggs and is said to be delicious. So, don’t get into a rut with the same Thai/fried rice dishes. Look for the exotic and unusual foods, be adventurous and try some!
Bangkok
Thais eat a number of small meals throughout the day, and this habit is reflected in the street food. “Pad see ew” is a mix of Chinese noodles, broccoli and dark soy sauce and is regarded as comfort food by most Thais. “Moo ping” is grilled pork skewers served with sticky rice.
Hanoi
Hanoi is the birthplace of many classic Vietnamese dishes, such as “bun cha”, consumed in vast amounts. Slices of pork belly and patties are grilled over charcoal and served with vinegar, fish sauce and lime, with a deep-fried spring roll accompaniment.
Singapore
Singapore’s strong food culture is a mix of Indian, Malaysian and Chinese cuisines, and most of the street food is sold in regulated hawker centers, so there are no safety issues and you can gorge to your heart’s content, the food being accompanied by a chilled bottle of Tiger beer. Try the “chili crab” signature dish of the city, consisting of steamed crabs in tomato sauce and chili, or “kaya toast”, the national breakfast dish here.
Shanghai
The Chinese have a tradition of dim sum, or steamed bun, cuisine. This consists essentially of a small ball of dough that absolutely bursts with exquisite flavors. Xiaolongbao, which roughly translates as “small basket buns”, represents the pinnacle of this ancient dish, and the buns that constitute it are filled with a mixture of pork and a meat stock gel called aspic, which simply melts on contact with the taste buds. These particular buns are characterized by their saltiness and are available almost anywhere in the city, where both the business set and manual workers enjoy them.
Getting there
A trip to Asia need not be prohibitively expensive, so why not give your taste buds the treat of a lifetime; it is easy to get there with companies such as Flights.com offering competitive fees that will transport you to the amazing Asian food experience at a reasonable cost.
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