Lara Lee shares eight of her Asian recipes

Chef and food writer Lara Lee shares eight of her favourite Asian dishes. Each of these recipes have a modern flair and traditional flavour.

Chef and food writer Lara Lee pays homage to her Asian-Australian heritage with playful interpretations of classic Asian dishes that combine traditional tastes and techniques with modern flavour and flair.

And all with minimal stress and minimal mess in mind.

Banh mi.

Choose-your-own-adventure loaded banh mi

“My take on banh mi here encourages you to ‘choose your own adventure’, so to speak. In addition to the filling options below, you can also try lemongrass pork burgers, beef or shredded leftover roast chicken, such as the tom yum chicken recipe (see notes). A good banh mi should be loaded – by which I mean you must be generous with the fillings. Don’t be shy with meat, fish finger or chicken quantities, and stuff the sandwich with vegetables and herbs until it’s bursting at the seams. Finish off the sandwich with as many condiments as you can dream up: extra dollops of sambal or sriracha and more mayonnaise, always more mayonnaise.”

Tamarind millionaire's shortbread.

Tamarind millionaire’s shortbread

“The sourness of tamarind breathes new life into the classic millionaire’s shortbread, also known as caramel slice.”

Cheesy kimchi linguine with gochujang butter.

Cheesy kimchi linguine with gochujang butter

“A dish that flies the flag for sweet-spicy salty-umami-fermented flavour. It’s rich, loud, crimson and glossy. Like wine, the quality of your kimchi can make or break a meal. A good-quality kimchi is paramount.”

Cucumber pickle.

Quick cucumber, garlic and chilli pickle

This simple Asian pickle hits all the spots. See notes for where it’s best used.

Tom yum roast chicken.

Tom yum roast chicken

“The intensity of the tom yum marinade means it requires no marinating time at all, although you can, of course, brush the marinade onto the flesh side only and leave in the fridge overnight for a deeper flavour. Don’t be tempted to marinate the skin in advance; this works best when brushed halfway through cooking to prevent the marinade from catching. Once glazed, the skin will caramelise and char a little on the edges, producing spicy-sour chewy bits that are mouthwateringly good.”

Jimbaran-style crispy fish.

Jimbaran-style crispy fish with kecap manis butter

“Jimbaran is a 4km-long arc of white sand on the southwestern Balinese coastline. In a nod to the perfect simplicity of Jimbaran grilled fish, this recipe uses a turmeric-stained garlic and ginger oil that is brushed onto the delicate flesh of the fish as the skin crisps up in the pan.”

Miso tahini carrots.

Miso tahini carrots

This creamy and savoury side dish packs an umami flavour punch.

Sesame and soy-lacquered chicken.

Sesame and soy-lacquered chicken

This chicken dish is classic Asian at its simplest. Use this for your next DIY banh mi (see notes).

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Originally published as Lara Lee shares eight of her Asian recipes