Healthy Asian Recipes

This vibrant, lip-tingling Sichuan stir-fry is ready in just 20 minutes. Reddish-brown Sichuan peppercorns--which are technically a dried berry husk--have a tart and slightly woodsy flavor beneath their slow-burning heat. Look for them in Asian markets or the bulk section of natural-foods stores.

If you are looking to start fermenting your own vegetables, kimchi is a great place to start. It is easy to make, and fermentation takes just a few days. Once you have kimchi on hand, use this healthy Asian condiment to liven up brown rice, soups, stir-fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, tacos--and the list goes on!

Traditionally, Chongqing chicken is made by encasing the meat in crunchy batter, like popcorn chicken but better. To make it at home, we decided to mimic the effect with a simple cornstarch dredge and just a little oil, sparing you both time and the stress of deep-frying. Practiced eaters focus their chopsticks on the meat, avoiding the many chiles and Sichuan peppercorns that give the dish its tongue-tingling character, but we encourage you to risk the lovely agony.

Broccoli florets soak up the flavors from Chinese five-spice powder--a combination of sweet spices including anise, cinnamon, cloves and subtly spicy Szechuan peppercorns. Serve over black rice.

This gluten-free twist on the conventional BLT also has a little Vietnamese flavor pop. This makes only four wraps, but you can easily scale it up to serve a crowd. Reprinted from Real Food Heals by arrangement with Avery Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2017, Seamus Mullen

Broccoli gets a whirl in your food processor, with rice-like results, in this healthy dinner recipe. Serve with hot sauce and limes for an extra kick.

This tofu recipe is inspired by chawanmushi, a Japanese custard that is very soft and delicate, made with lots of liquid, which flows out of the custard as you eat it. Incorporating soft tofu with the eggs makes the custard firmer and more substantial. Besides shrimp, this custard could be made with scallops, cooked lobster, crab or cooked fish. Serve as a first course or for lunch with a side of vegetables and rice.

Making tofu tastier can be as simple as tossing it in a knockout sauce like this Sichuan-inspired peanut dressing. To make this cucumber salad recipe a meal, add rice noodles and double the dressing. Serve with an extra drizzle of sesame oil and sliced scallions.

The Sichuan province in the southwestern corner of China is known for its fiery dishes. Here, the richness of tahini tempers the spicy chile paste in this cup-of-noodles-style mason jar soup recipe. You can grind the Sichuan peppercorns in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, or crush them with the bottom of a heavy skillet.

Green tea soba noodles, or cha soba, are buckwheat noodles made with powdered green tea, which imparts a subtle grassy note and pretty color. You can find them in Japanese markets or online. Regular buckwheat soba noodles work just as well in this cup-of-noodles-style mason jar noodle soup.

Grating ginger and garlic with a microplane transforms them into a paste that easily mixes into the broth in this cup-of-noodles-inspired mason jar pho. Any cooked protein can be used instead of the chicken--think thinly sliced steak, shrimp or cubed tofu.

In this vegetarian grilling recipe, the hot grill gives tofu smokiness and some crispy edges. A BBQ sauce made with gochujang, the hot Korean chile paste, doubles as both a glaze and some sauce to slather on the tofu at the table. Serve with brown rice or farro.

Skip the takeout and make this lightened-up, veggie-packed 30-minute recipe instead.

Satisfy your takeout craving with this easy, healthier recipe that features fresh pineapple and fresh ginger for loads of flavor.

This healthy bento box idea makes it easy, healthy and affordable to have sushi for lunch as often as you'd like! Skip the rolling and place sushi ingredients like rice, shrimp and avocado in a bento for a packable lunch for work.

Busy week coming up? Cook up these easy poached chicken breasts infused with the flavors of the ubiquitous Vietnamese sauce nuoc cham in your slow cooker on Sunday. Then enjoy the leftover chicken three different ways over the days to come--ladled with the broth over rice noodles, layered with vegetables on a sandwich and mixed with mayo to make a creamy chicken salad.

The sauce for this super-simple Korean fish recipe gets a kick from the spicy chile. Pair with brown rice or thin rice noodles and steamed greens.

According to an old wives' tale, slurping this healthy Korean chicken soup recipe spurs postpartum healing in new mothers. But everyone can enjoy the nourishment of a hot soup. Serve with bowls of brown rice to add to the soup as you wish.

The longer you marinate these Korean sweet-and-savory ribs, the better. Look for flanken-cut short ribs in the meat department or ask your butcher to cut them for you. If you can't find perilla or shiso leaves, try using mint instead.

One taste of this Korean sauce and it'll become a refrigerator staple. Smear on lettuce wraps or serve with any grilled meat.