Fruits and vegetables are major ingredients that add flavour and texture in Asian cuisines, as well as tonnes of health benefits. Have a look at our expansive list of these nutritious and flavourful goodies!
Akebi
The purple-coloured, slightly bitter rind is used as a vegetable in Japan, with the rind stuffed with minced chicken or pork and flavoured with miso. The leaves are made into a tea-like infusion, while the vines are used to make baskets.
Angled Luffa
Used as a vegetable in soups and stir-fries. The juice of this fruit is a natural remedy for jaundice. The xylem of dried mature specimens is used as a bath sponge (loofah).
Baby Bok Choy
Baby bok choy is a vegetable with soft green leaves, a crunchy pale green or white stem. It has same appearance as bok choy but its size is smaller. It has mild flavour and is suitable to be cooked in many ways such as steam, stir-fry, and boil.
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Recipes that use Baby Bok Choy
-218x146.jpg "Thai Red Curry Salmon Cake Rice Bowl")
Baby Corn
Baby corn is a harvested pre-mature corn. It can be eaten both raw and cooked. The whole baby corn is edible unlike mature corn. Baby corn is usually used in soup and stir-fry dishes.
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Recipes that use Baby Corn
Bael
Bael is originated in India and Southeast Asian countries. It is usually used as medicinal fruit. It provides many benefits such as relieving digestive and urinary problems, preventing diabetes, and preventing fever.
Banana Blossom
The crimson coloured Banana flower is used as a vegetable in many Asian dishes. Banana Blossom is a valuable source of vitamins B6, C and potassium. To use, remove outer leaves and slice or dice to use in salads, stews, stir-fries or soups. Commonly found in Banana Blossom Salad and Hot and Sour Thai Soups.
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Recipes that use Banana Blossom
Bitter Melon
Bitter melon is also known as bitter gourd. It is originated in India and Africa. It has bitter taste and cucumber-liked shape. Bitter melon contains insulin-liked compound which helps in reducing blood sugar level, cleansing the liver, strengthening eyesight, curing hangovers, developing healthy hair and glowing skin.
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Recipes that use Bitter Melon
Buddha’s Hand
Also known as “fingered citron”, The Buddha's hand is an unusually shaped fruit segmented into finger-like sections, It is called Buddha's hand in Chinese (佛手柑), Japanese (仏手柑), Korean (불수감) and Vietnamese (Phật thủ). Unlike other citrus fruits, most varieties of the Buddha's Hand fruit contain no pulp or juice.
Used mostly chiefly to perfume rooms and personal items, the Buddha’s Hand is sometimes used as a flavour in desserts, savoury dishes and alcoholic beverages or candied as a sweet. The sliced, dried peel of immature fruits is also prescribed as a tonic in traditional medicine.
Used mostly chiefly to perfume rooms and personal items, the Buddha’s Hand is sometimes used as a flavour in desserts, savoury dishes and alcoholic beverages or candied as a sweet. The sliced, dried peel of immature fruits is also prescribed as a tonic in traditional medicine.
Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is a type of pumpkin. It riches in antioxidants and vitamin A. It is usually used in savory dishes in Western countries, however in Thailand, butternut squash is used to make desserts.
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Recipes that use Butternut Squash
Choy Sum
Choy sum is a popular Asian green vegetable, used in stir fries and soups. They can also be blanched and eaten as a side dish in a meal. Choy sum will sometimes have small yellow flowers, which are safe to eat.
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Recipes that use Choy Sum
-(CSW-2020)-218x146.jpg "Hot Pot (Beef Stock with Tom Yum Paste)")
-218x146.jpg "Mie Goreng with Meatballs")
Chrysanthemum Greens
A leafy plant whose leaves resemble those of the flowering Chrysanthemum. The leaves have a bitter strong flavour and are rich in vitamin B. Use the leaf in salads or sauté as you would spinach. The stems can also be cooked and when tender, resemble asparagus stems.
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Recipes that use Chrysanthemum Greens
Daikon
Daikon is a type of radish with a mildly sweet, slight peppery flavour and a crunchy texture. This root vegetable is prepared in Korea as kimchi, pickled with carrot and eaten in Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad or Banh Mi, or grated and eaten with sashimi. In Chinese cuisine, the versatile vegetable is used as an ingredient in soups, stews, Radish Cake and Chai Tow Kway.
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Recipes that use Daikon
-218x146.jpg "Chilli Cold Sweet Potato Noodles (Bibim Dangmyeon)")
-218x146.jpg "Korean Styled Spicy Braised Beef Ribs (Spicy Galbijjim)")
Dragon Fruit
Dragon fruit is a nutritious fruit. The flesh of dragon fruit is either white or pink. It contains omega-3 and omega-6. It can be eaten fresh or eat with ice cream or other desserts. It also used in making drinks and jam.
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Recipes that use Dragon Fruit
-218x146.jpg "Japanese Style Hot Cross Buns (Tangzhong Method)")
-218x146.jpg "Thai Duck & Dragon Fruit Salad")
Ear Mushroom
Ear mushroom has dark grey-brown color with flat cap. The shape of ear mushroom resembles an ear. Therefore, it is called "ear mushroom."
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Recipes that use Ear Mushroom
2-218x146.jpg "Pork Bone Style Ramen (Tonkotsu Fu Ramen)")
Edamame
Edamame is a popular side dish made from using soybeans that haven't been fully ripened. Compared to fully ripened soybeans, these beans are usually sweeter in taste. Edamame are typically blanched in hot water and then served with salt. Alternatively, in Japan, the unripened soybeans are sometimes blanched in salt water and then served without salt.
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Recipes that use Edamame
-218x146.jpg "Buddha Bowl with Panko Crumbed Tofu and Avocado Rose")
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Enoki Mushrooms
Enoki mushrooms are also known as enokitake. They have long, thin white stalks and white caps. They are widely used in many Asian cuisine. Hot pot, soup, noodle, and stir-fry dishes are some of the ways that enoki mushrooms can be cooked.
Green Mango
Green mango or raw mango is nutritious as it riches in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and 82% of magnesium. It helps the body in treating blood disorders, relieving digestion problems, and prevent excessive water loss. It is usually eat with salt and dipping sauce.
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Recipes that use Green Mango
Guava
Guava has green skin and white flesh. Its seeds are inedible. It can be used as ingredients and also be eaten raw. Many Asian countries consume guava as snack with sugar and salt dip or plum and salt dip.
Hairy Melon
Hairy Melon is also known as white gourd and winter melon. It has has white flesh and fine hair on its skin. It can be used in curry, stew, soup, and stir fry. It is beneficial for immune system since it contains more than 19% of your daily vitamin C per serving,.
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Recipes that use Hairy Melon
Jackfruit
Jackfruit is the largest fruit in the world. It is originated in South Asian and Southeast Asian area. It can be eaten as fruit and used as ingredients. Ripe jackfruit has sweet taste and smell. Thus, it is usually used in making desserts.
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Recipes that use Jackfruit
-218x146.jpg "Vegan Jackfruit Baos")
Kaffir Lime
Also known as makrut lime, kaffir lime is a citrus fruit used in Southeast Asian cooking. Predominantly, the leaves are used, but the zest and juice of the fruit can be cooked with as well. You can use the leaves whole when infusing in a curry or soup, but when cooking into a dish or using for garnish, cut out the spine and finely shred. Kaffir lime leaves also keep well in the freezer.
Kangkung (Water Spinach)
A tender and sweet leafy vegetable high in antioxidants and widely used in south-east Asian cuisine. Commonly served stir-fried with minced garlic and chilli.
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Recipes that use Kangkung (Water Spinach)
Lanzones
Lanzones are also called Langsat. They are originated in Malaysia. They have sweet taste and slightly juicy flesh. They can be eaten raw and be made into syrup. Some parts of lanzones plat can be transform into traditional medicine.
Lotus Root
Also known as genkon, lotus root is popular throughout South and East Asia, where it is cheap and plentiful. Its texture is crisp and crunchy like a water chestnut but, lotus root cannot be eaten raw, and must cooked first. To eat lotus root, peel off the skin and cut to chunks for soups or thin slices for frying.
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Recipes that use Lotus Root
-218x146.jpg "\"Mini Burgers, Fries and Slaw\" (Fried Stuffed Lotus Root Sandwich with Tempura Vegetables, Cabbage Radish Salad and Amber Dipping Sauce)")
Mangosteen
Mangosteen is a sweet and slightly tart fruit with a tough purple-coloured outer rind. Similar to a mandarin, simply cut through the outer rind to access the white fruit on the inside.
Mini Apple Eggplant
Mini apple eggplant is the smaller version of apple eggplant since they have similar color and shape. People usually use mini apple eggplant in curries without cutting it into smaller pieces.
Mitsuba (Japanese Parsley)
Mitsuba means "three leaves" it refers to how the leaves grow on its skinny stems. Compared to parsley and coriander, it has a soft scent and a subtle flavour. You can just chop the leaves and steam and use them fresh since the heat tends to bring out the bitterness but can also be used and added to soups, salads and stir-fries.
Monk Fruit
Monk Fruit, also known as Luo Han Guo, is native to Thailand and China. It was the subject of a health food fad, where the fruit was marketed as a no calorie sweetener and made into an extract or sweetener. However, for Chinese consumers, monk fruit is bought dried and made into tea or soup, and prized for its medicinal properties.
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Recipes that use Monk Fruit
Mung Bean Sprout
Mung bean sprouts feature in many different cultural cuisines across Asian. They're a versatile ingredient and can be eaten raw or cooked. In Vietnamese cuisine, they're eaten fresh in vermicelli salad or with noodle soup (like Pho or Bun Ho Hue). However, bean sprouts are cooked into Malaysian and Peranakan stir-fried noodle dishes, or are blanched, marinated and eaten as a side dish in Korea.
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Recipes that use Mung Bean Sprout
Okinawan Sweet Potato
This beautiful root vegetable hails – as the name suggests – from the Japanese island of Okinawa. It’s rich in vitamin A, B6 & C, manganese, dietary fiber, magnesium, potassium, carotenoids, iron, protein, calcium, and naturally occurring sugars. How’s that for a super food! The benefits of eating this little purple beauty are evident in Okinawa where a large number of centurions live on the island.
Oyster Mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms are mushrooms with oyster-shaped cap. Their color can range from white to grey or tan to dark brown. Oyster mushrooms can be used as ingredients in numerous Asian cuisine especially Japanese, China, and Korean cuisine. They are used in soups, stir-fries and stuffings.
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Recipes that use Oyster Mushrooms
Pea Eggplant
Pea eggplant is a tiny green eggplant that grows in clusters. This type of eggplant is frequently used in curries.
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Recipes that use Pea Eggplant
-(CSW-2019)-218x146.jpg "Rice Noodles with Green Chicken Curry (Ka-nom Jeen Gaeng Keow Wan Gai)")
Persimmon
A persimmon is the edible fruit of the Diospyros genus of trees. The ripened fruit is sweet in taste, although if consumed before having ripened, the fruit will be bitter in taste. The most commercially common type of persimmon is the Japanese persimmon, with these being used in many different forms of preparation ranging from being dried to being preserved in limewater.
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Recipes that use Persimmon
Pineapple
Pineapple is a tropical plant that can be used as ingredients for different cuisine around the world. Pineapple can be used to make beverages, fried rice, and soup. It can be used to tenderize meat as it contains the bromelain enzyme which can break down proteins.
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Recipes that use Pineapple
Pomelo
The Pomelo is the largest citrus fruit, similar in appearance to a large grapefruit. It features a thick rind layer that when cut into reveals a white, red or sometimes pink flesh that can be compared in flavor to a sweet, mild grapefruit. Although the skin is largely considered bitter and inedible, it is sometimes candied or made in to marmalade.
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Recipes that use Pomelo
Shiitake Mushroom
Shiitake mushrooms are originated in East Asia. Their colour can range from light brown to brown. Dried shiitake mushroom has a much stronger aroma and flavour, and should be soaked in water before cooking. Just like other mushroom varieties, they are versatile and can be used in anything from soups to stir-fry.
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Recipes that use Shiitake Mushroom
 (1)-218x146.jpg "Duck Soba Noodle Soup (Kamo Nanban)")
Shimeji Mushrooms
Shimeji mushrooms are a cluster of white or light-brown mushrooms with long stems and tiny caps. They cannot be consume raw or uncooked. They can be used in hot pot, noodles, soups, stews, noodles, salads and stir-fried.
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Recipes that use Shimeji Mushrooms
Snow Pea Shoots
Snow pea shoots are the young, tender upper leaves, soft stems, and curly tendrils of pea plants. They have tender and sweet taste. They are used in many Asian cuisine especially Chinese cuisine. They can be used in hot pot, soup and stir-frying dishes.
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Recipes that use Snow Pea Shoots
Stink Bean (Petai)
Also known as bitter bean and twisted cluster bean, the stink bean has flat edible beans with bright green seeds about the size and shape of almonds. The smell is often said to be similar to natural gas. Very popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Southern Thailand, Burma, and north-eastern India. The beans are sold in bunches, still in the pod, or the seeds are sold in plastic bags. The beans are eaten raw or added to other dishes like nasi goreng or soups and broth.
Thai Eggplant
Thai eggplant, or apple eggplant, has light green color and golf ball size. It can be used as ingredients in curries and can be eaten raw with chilli pastes.
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Recipes that use Thai Eggplant
-218x146.jpg "Thai Green Curry Chicken")
Winged Bean
Also known as the Goa bean, four-angled bean, four-cornered bean, Manila bean, and dragon bean, the winged is a tropical legume plant native to New Guinea. The bean is nutrient-rich, and all parts of the plant are edible. Leaves can be eaten like spinach, flowers can be used in salads, tubers can be eaten raw or cooked, seeds can be used in similar ways as the soybean. You'll often see it whole cooked in stir-fries and rice dishes, or seeded and the beans are eaten raw or added to soups and broths.
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Recipes that use Winged Bean
Wombok
Wombok is a vegetable that is originated in China. it is also known as Chinese cabbage. It can be used in hot pot, soup, and stir-fry dishes. Wombok is low in saturated fat and cholesterol while containing large amount of fiber.
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Recipes that use Wombok
-218x146.jpg "Gado Gado with Indonesian Peanut Sauce")
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Wood Ear Fungus
Wood ear fungus' cap is wavy and ear-like. Its taste is mild and its texture is chewy and smooth. It can be used as food and medicine. This type of fungus is popular in making soup and is widely used in many Asian cuisine.
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Recipes that use Wood Ear Fungus
-218x146.jpg "Bird Nest Noodles")
Yamaimo (Japanese Mountain Yam)
Yamaimo also called yamatoimo, jinenjo or Japanese mountain yam. Also a close relative to Chinese yam. It has a slimy and slippery texture and has high in fibre, vitamin B and minerals. It can be cooked but the Japanese usually eat it raw, can be finely julienned or grated and is usually added in a hot or cold miso soup or soba noodles.
Yuzu
Slightly larger than a mandarin orange, tastier than a lemon, more fragrant and versatile than perhaps every other citrus fruit - Yuzu has long been a key ingredient in Japanese culinary; used in soups, sushi, tea, liquors, salad dressings, desserts, pastries, and even made into marmalade. Though initially prized in Japan and Korea, Yuzu is now fast becoming a chefs’ favourite worldwide, especially in Australia.
Check out all the recipes that use Yuzu here!
