East Asian Cuisine

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Total time: 25 minutes Servings: 4 servings Country of Origin Japan Description Crispy deep-fried blocks of potato-starch-dusted firm tofu served floating in a warm, umami-rich tsuyu broth. Presentation & How It's Eaten Served immediately in individual shallow bowls with hot broth poured around base, topped with grated ginger and chopped green onions. Ingredients 1 block (14 oz) firm or medium-firm tofu 1/2 cup potato starch (or cor

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Total time: 25 minutes Servings: 2 servings Country of Origin Japan Description Crispy-skinned, flaky salmon fillets seasoned heavily with sea salt to draw out natural moisture and intensify seafood flavor. Presentation & How It's Eaten Served hot alongside a mound of grated daikon radish drizzled with soy sauce, served with steamed rice and miso soup. Ingredients 2 skin-on salmon fillets (about 6 oz each) 1 tsp coarse sea salt 1/2

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Total time: 30 minutes Servings: 4 servings Country of Origin Japan Description A silky, delicate, steamed egg custard flavored with dashi, soy sauce, and mirin, containing hidden treasures of chicken, shrimp, and mushrooms. Presentation & How It's Eaten Served hot or warm in individual covered teacups or ramekins, eaten delicately with a small spoon. Ingredients 3 large eggs 1.5 cups dashi stock (cooled) 1 tsp light soy sauce 1 tsp

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Total time: 30 minutes Servings: 2 servings Country of Origin Japan Description A customizable savory cabbage pancake bound with egg batter, pan-fried, and smothered in rich okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. Presentation & How It's Eaten Served hot off the griddle on a flat plate, cut into wedges using a spatula, and eaten with chopsticks. Ingredients 1 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup dashi stock 2 large eggs 3 cups cabbage,

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Total time: 30 minutes Servings: 4 servings Country of Origin Japan Description Bite-sized pieces of tender chicken thigh skewered with green onions and grilled over high heat with a rich tare glazing sauce. Presentation & How It's Eaten Served piping hot directly on bamboo skewers as izakaya-style tapas or bar snacks alongside cold beverages. Ingredients 1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces 4 green onions, cut into

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 12 minutes Total time: 22 minutes Servings: 2 servings Country of Origin Japan Description Thinly sliced beef and sweet onions simmered together in a savory-sweet dashi, soy sauce, and mirin broth over rice. Presentation & How It's Eaten Served hot in a deep ceramic bowl over a heap of steamed short-grain rice, topped with red pickled ginger. Ingredients 1/2 lb thinly sliced beef ribeye or belly 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced 1/2 cup dashi st

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Total time: 35 minutes Servings: 4 servings Country of Origin Japan Description Assorted fresh seasonal vegetables coated in an ultra-light, icy batter and flash-fried to delicate, crisp perfection. Presentation & How It's Eaten Arranged on paper-lined plates and eaten immediately while piping hot, dipped in tentsuyu sauce or sprinkled with matcha salt. Ingredients 1 sweet potato, thinly sliced 1 small kabocha squash, sliced into th

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Total time: 15 minutes Servings: 4 servings Country of Origin Japan Description A savory traditional Japanese soup made from dashi stock whisked with fermented soybean paste, silken tofu, and wakame seaweed. Presentation & How It's Eaten Served hot in small lacquer bowls as an essential side dish alongside a traditional Japanese breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Ingredients 4 cups dashi stock (kelp and bonito stock) 3 tbsp yellow or red m

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Total time: 25 minutes Servings: 4 servings Country of Origin Japan Description Pan-seared chicken thighs with crispy skin, glazed in a classic glossy sauce made of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. Presentation & How It's Eaten Sliced into strips and served warm over steamed short-grain white rice, accompanied by shredded cabbage and steamed vegetables. Ingredients 4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp mirin 2

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Total time: 30 minutes Servings: 4 servings Country of Origin: Vatican City Description Created for Pope Pius XII: a refined papal variation of Carbonara replacing guanciale with delicate prosciutto, adding sautéed butter onions and cream. Presentation & How It's Eaten Served piping hot in warm pasta bowls topped with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Ingredients 1 lb fresh egg fettuccine 5 oz prosciutto crudo (or cooked ha

A sweet, aromatic citrus tea made by dissolving preserved yuja marmalade (yuja-cheong—citron preserved in honey and sugar) in hot or iced water.

A vibrant pink tea made from dried magnolia berries (omija), celebrated for containing five distinct flavors: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and pungent. Cold-steeped to avoid bitterness and sweetened with honey.

A dark red, spicy-sweet cinnamon and ginger punch boiled with brown sugar, chilled ice-cold, and served garnished with soft dried persimmons (gotgam) and pine nuts.

A traditional fermented sweet rice drink made by steeping malted barley flour water with cooked rice until sweet, boiled with sugar, and served ice-cold with floating rice grains and pine nuts.

Korea’s premier winter street food—chewy yeasted dough pancakes stuffed with a brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped walnut filling, pan-fried in oil until golden and molten inside.

Iconic fish-shaped waffle pastries baked in specialized iron molds, boasting a thin, crispy golden exterior and a molten interior of sweet red bean paste or creamy vanilla custard.

Korea’s classic summer dessert consisting of fluffy shaved ice topped with sweet red bean paste (pat), chewy mini rice cakes (injeolmi), condensed milk, and roasted soybean powder.

A rich, fragrant sweet rice dish made with steamed glutinous rice infused with honey, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, soy sauce, and sesame oil, studded with chestnuts, pine nuts, and jujubes.

Regal, press-molded tea cookies made without baking from finely ground toasted seeds, grains, or matcha powder bound with honey and stamped with intricate traditional patterns representing health and longevity.

Traditional light and crispy confection bars made from puffed rice, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds bound tightly together in a sweet ginger and rice syrup glaze.

Traditional deep-fried honey cookies made from wheat flour layered with sesame oil, honey, and rice wine, pressed into flower molds, fried at low temperatures, and soaked overnight in ginger-honey syrup.

A popular classic rice cake made by steaming and pounding sweet glutinous rice until ultra-stretchy, then cut into bite-sized rectangles and generously coated in aromatic roasted soybean powder (konggaru).

Prep time: 40 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Total time: 1 hour Servings: 20 rice cakes (Serves 4) Country of Origin Korea Traditional half-moon-shaped rice cakes prepared especially for Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). Made from a chewy glutinous rice dough, stuffed with sweet sesame or red bean filling, and steamed over a bed of fresh pine needles for a delicate, aromatic woodsy flavor. Presentation & How It's Eaten Served warm or at room temperature on a platter, lightly brus

Cooked short-grain rice seasoned lightly with sesame oil and salt, rolled inside dried laver seaweed sheets (gim) with yellow pickled radish, carrots, spinach, egg, and seasoned beef or ham.

Korea’s premier street food consisting of chewy cylinder-shaped rice cakes and fish cakes simmered in a sweet, thick, and fiery gochujang sauce.

Flanken-cut beef short ribs marinated in a sweet, aromatic soy sauce glaze with Asian pear, garlic, and ginger, charcoal-grilled or broiled to smoky perfection.

A rich, hearty, and spicy pork bone soup made by boiling pork neck bones for hours with potatoes, napa cabbage leaves, perilla seeds, and wild sesame powder until meat falls off the bone.

A traditional nourishing ginseng chicken soup featuring whole young chickens stuffed with sticky glutinous rice, ginseng roots, jujubes (red dates), and garlic cloves, simmered to tender perfection.

A fiery, deeply savory stew loaded with velvety, uncurdled extra-soft tofu, seafood (such as clams and shrimp), chili oil, and vegetables.

A refreshing chilled dish made of ultra-chewy buckwheat noodles served in a icy beef and dongchimi (radish water kimchi) broth, topped with pickled radish, cucumber, beef slices, and a hard-boiled egg.

A fiery, smoky Korean-Chinese noodle soup packed with seafood, pork, and crunchy vegetables in a rich, chili-infused broth.

A Korean-Chinese classic featuring thick, chewy wheat noodles coated in a rich, shiny, black sauce made from roasted sweet bean paste (chunjang), pork belly, diced onions, and zucchini.

Fluffy, snow-like shaved ice topped with flavored syrups like strawberry, melon, or matcha and condensed milk.

A soft mochi shell encasing sweet bean paste, often containing a whole fresh strawberry (Ichigo Daifuku). Country of Origin: Japan Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 10 min Total time: 30 min Servings: 6 pieces Ingredients 1 cup glutinous rice flour 1/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup water 1 cup sweet red bean paste 6 strawberries (hulled) Step-by-Step Directions Prepare: Wrap each strawberry in a thin layer of red bean paste. Dough: Microwave rice flour, sugar, and water for 3 minutes (stirrin

A dense, moist, and springy sponge cake with a distinct honey flavor, popular in Nagasaki.

A refreshing summer treat featuring agar-agar jelly cubes, fresh fruit, sweet beans, and kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup).