There are few of us on the planet that do not recognise Asian cuisine is among the world’s tastiest, healthiest and popular whichever continent you happen to be in. Chinese, Indian, Cantonese, Thai and Bangladeshi restaurants line the streets in most western cities and are always a firm favourite among Asians and locals alike. But have you ever thought about preparing your own home made Asian cooking and going beyond making a simple curry?
Most of us will shy away from home cooking if it involves preparing something with an Asian style and a healthy option too – and that’s because we mostly are short on ideas of what to actually prepare, let alone actually how to cook it.
When preparing a healthy Asian dish at home, you should endeavour to think outside the box; think beyond curry, chicken Chow Mein or a simple hot sauce poured over something like chicken or lamb. You need to think of Thai Green Curry with kale and shrimps to get that really healthy option that’s surprisingly easy to cook. It is the kale that really does put the green into this Green Curry.
Another great idea to keep your dish Asian and healthy is to create an amazing Chicken thigh meal mixed with a ginger and sesame paste. The paste you can mix up yourself and this should be done in advance of your cooking day. When you have created the highly flavoured paste, place the chicken (uncooked) in the mix and allow to marinate overnight in the fridge.
Even Asian dishes with pork are delicious and healthy. Tenderloin pork steaks or medallions can be made to taste even more sumptuous when you add a teriyaki and orange sauce to drizzle over them. Add in some sesame seeds to sprinkle over the medallions and you have yourself a tasty, Asian pork dish that is very healthy indeed.
One of the more well-known Asian dishes is Sweet and Sour Chicken. It’s a favourite among Asian food fans at most Chinese restaurants and involves mixing fruity vegetables with chicken breast. Green onions, red bell peppers and even pineapple chunks are thrown into the mix. And this firm favourite wouldn’t be complete without the added spices of ginger, kosher salt, sodium free soy sauce and even some cider vinegar.
One interesting thing to note when cooking healthy Asian cuisine at home is to keep the rice brown, use low sodium sauces and try using extra virgin olive oil when cooking. This way you can maximise the healthy options of your Asian cuisine all round.