Food, glorious, food! Food memories just stay with you just as much as the trip itself, from eating fresh seafood on the Mediterranean coast to discovering delicacies like guinea pig in Peru, food is built into our adventures no matter what. Southeast Asia is one of the best places for an unforgettable food experience, with an abundance of night markets and street food stalls offering local eats for cheaper than you can imagine. Here are some of the tastiest dishes you have to try when travelling in Southeast Asia.
Bánh mì, Vietnam
When baguettes were introduced to Vietnam, when they were part of the French Indochina, the banh mi quickly became a street food staple that is now found on nearly every corner. The Banh Mi is a sensationally Asian take on the baguette – with roast pork belly, sausage or grilled pork spread across a light fluffy bread smeared with pate. Toppings typically include fresh cucumber slices, coriander, pickled carrots, sliced chillies and a sriracha/mayo drizzle.
This Indian-inspired dish is popular in Southeast Asia in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and enjoyed at breakfast or as a snack. The roti is made from a flour-based dough that’s been stretched and layered up to create a round bread perfect for lapping up curries or if you have a sweeter tooth, enjoy the roti with condensed milk and chocolate cream.
This spicy meat salad is unexpectedly delicious and perfect for hot and humid days in Laos, as it’s usually served room temperature – a perfect alternative to a curry. It’s typically made from minced meat like chicken, beef, duck or pork, flavoured with fish sauce, lime juice, chilli and mint.
Amok is a staple in Cambodian or Khmer cooking and named after the process of steam cooking the curry in banana leaves. With not many ingredients in this dish, coconut cream, lemongrass, lime leaves, fish sauce, palm sugar, turmeric paste, galangal and of course, chillies are classic base ingredients with white fish serving as the main protein. A decadent treat for the tastebuds.
