Warm Up in The Chilly Weather: 27 Asian Recipes for Flavorful Feasts

There’s nothing like the warmth of comfort food to make everything better in the chilly weather. Here, we’ve carefully selected some of the most delicious dishes.

Check out these 27 incredible Asian recipes that feature favorites from Indonesia, Pakistan, and India. Whether you’re all about veggies or a dedicated meat enthusiast, there’s a dish here with your name on it.

These recipes are your holiday season game-changer for those who can’t get enough of rich spices and fragrant flavors. Ideal for hosting or just treating yourself, they promise to add excitement, color, and variety to your meals. They offer a feast that could quickly fill your calendar with culinary adventures for weeks.

1. Aloo Tikki Recipe Pakistani Style

Don’t be fooled by these potato cutlets; they bring a lot of flavor and will get your taste buds buzzing with excitement. Enjoy these Pakistani-style potatoes flavored with zingy herbs and spices. Aloo tikki makes an excellent teatime snack or a nifty side dish, or it tastes great in a burger bun for that modern twist. Up your potato game with these cutlets when entertaining or feeding hungry family members.

Get the recipe: Aloo Tikki Recipe Pakistani Style.

2. Khaman Dhokla Recipe

Here is something that will get everyone talking! Khaman Dhokla is a Gujarati savory cake made of gram flour/chickpea flour and topped with a lemony spicy oil. This dhokla, or dhokra, is soft, fluffy, and tastes fantastic when paired with tamarind chutney. It makes a tremendous guilt-free teatime snack and, with minimal ingredients, can be prepared quickly.

Get the recipe: Khaman Dhokla.

3. Keema Paratha: Pakistani Minced Meat Stuffed Flatbread

A beautiful buttery flatbread cooked on the stove and stuffed with well-seasoned and flavorful minced meat. It makes a filling teatime snack or a main dish with a good balance of protein and carbs. Well-loved amongst children and adults, the keema paratha is a staple in many Asian homes. Serve with plain yogurt or raita and a fresh salad for a filling main meal.

Get the recipe: Keema Paratha.

4. Indonesian Lamb Satay

Indonesian Lamb Satay is an excellent meal for summer barbecues, but you can also enjoy it on cold winter evenings. Traditionally made with goat, lamb makes a great alternative for this satay. After marinated with freshly cooked spices and seasonings, lamb satay is drizzled with spiced peanut and soy sauce. Cook on skewers for an authentic feel, and serve with pickle sauce.

Get the recipe: Indonesian Lamb Satay.

5. Green Moong Dal Recipe, AKA Mung Bean Curry

Green Moong dal, or moong bean curry, is the ultimate comfort food. Packed with flavor, texture, and lots of protein, you won’t miss the meat with this dish. Pair it with fluffy flatbread naan or boiled white rice and have the perfect meal for a chilly night.

Get the recipe: Green Moong Dal.

6. Eggplant Curry

This curry is perfect for those who prefer no meat or coconut milk. With a tomato base and an array of aromatic spices, the humble eggplant will reach a new level in Asian cuisine. It is so tasty, you won’t even miss the meat. Like any recipe, you can always adjust the spice to your liking. Because it is a dry curry with no gravy, it goes perfectly with naan or roti; however, it tastes just as impressive when served on a pillow of white basmati rice.

Get the recipe: Eggplant Curry.

7. Aloo Matar: Potato and Green Pea Curry

This Aloo Matar is a dry curry that has no luscious gravy. Therefore, you best enjoy it with flatbreads such as chapati, naan, or pita bread. It’s a simple dish that every Indian and Pakistani household has to master, for it is very much loved because of its simplicity and deliciousness.

Get the recipe: Aloo Matar.

8. Telur Balado: Indonesian Eggs In Spicy Chilli Sambal

Here is something different to try: chili eggs or Telur Balado. A convenient vegetarian dish that does not take much effort but has maximum flavor. This recipe will take the ordinary boiled egg and make it extraordinary by pairing it with a zingy chili sambal. Eat it as a protein-rich snack or combine it with white rice for a meal. Either way, you will look at boiled eggs differently.

Get the recipe: Telur Balado.

9. Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce Chicken – Ayam Kecap

Ayam Kecap Manis is a famous Indonesian dish comprising succulent chicken and kecap manis, known as sweet soy sauce. The dish uses onions, garlic, ginger, and chili to enhance flavor. This dish will tingle your taste buds with its aromatic combination of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors.

Get the recipe: Ayam Kecap.

10. Indonesian Chicken Satay Recipe – Sate Ayam

Indonesian Chicken Satay or Sate Ayam is a national treasure because of its amazing taste and ease of cooking. This dish combines soy sauce and peanut sauce for a glossy, succulent glaze. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this recipe; the result will have all around you impressed by its gorgeous texture and taste.

Get the recipe: Sate Ayam.

11. Indonesian Fried Chicken – Ayam Goreng Bumbu

Indonesian fried chicken has a unique spin on it. This recipe is actually from the Sudanese region of West Java. It is cooked in spices before the frying takes place, resulting in a flavorful, succulent, and juicy fried chicken. You only need a few ingredients to make this delicious fried chicken. You can serve it with several side dishes such as rice, vegetable stir fry, or soups. It makes a beautiful dish, whatever the occasion.

Get the recipe: Ayam Goreng Bumbu.

12. Ayam Penyet: Indonesian Smashed Chicken In Chilli Sambal

This dish is chicken with a twist—a wonder straight from Indonesia to grace your dinner table. You will love this explosive taste of crispy fried chicken drenched in a zingy chili sambal sauce. This Ayam Penyet is one smashing dish with a flattened texture and bursting with flavor.

Get the recipe: Ayam Penyet.

13. Ayam Rica Rica: Indonesian Manadonese Spicy Chicken

If you want to bring the heat this winter, this Madonese recipe is for you. A perfect dish of succulent chicken topped with a sizzling chili mix. It can be enjoyed as the main event or paired with fluffy white rice for a balance of flavor. To make a complete meal out of it, you can also serve some stir-fry veggies if you choose. Whatever you decide, this chicken will be a hit.

Get the recipe: Ayam Rica Rica.

14. Chicken and Pepper Curry

Delight friends and family this winter with this fabulous chicken curry with juicy, tender pepper. The combination of hot and spicy with a sweet kick will become a fast favorite with loved ones. You can recreate this recipe quickly and bring beautiful texture and aroma to the table. This dish is delicious with roti/chapati/flatbread or fluffy white basmati rice.

Get the recipe: Chicken and Pepper Curry.

15. Opor Ayam: Indonesian Chicken Cooked In Spiced Coconut Milk

Amaze friends and family over the holiday season with this delicately fragranced chicken dish cooked in an aromatic blend of coconut milk, herbs, and spices. With a few ingredients, you can have this tasty dish ready from stove to table in a short amount of time. This recipe is popular in Indonesia and is perfect for special occasions and ordinary mealtimes. Served traditionally with lontong or ketupat (hard-boiled rice cakes) at celebrations, it can also be served with plain white rice. As this dish is not spicy, a side of sambal can be offered for braver food connoisseurs.

Get the recipe: Opor Ayam.

16. Kari Ayam: Indonesian Chicken Curry Recipe

If you have tried Chicken shorba from Pakistan, you will love to give this go! Indonesian chicken curry is full of flavor and tanginess and has an exotic twist with coconut milk, lemongrass, and chilies. Serve this meaty delight with some plain white rice or flatbread of your choice.

Get the recipe: Kari Ayam.

17. Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Butter chicken is a national favorite amongst the Pakistani/ Indian Community. It is so rich that it makes a great dish to serve at celebrations and events. Children tend to love this dish because it is not overly spicy either. Murgh Makhani is spicy, creamy, and buttery with a tangy tomato base. It makes this the ultimate cold-weather comfort food. The explosion of flavors will get you making this over and over again. Garnish with lemon slices and cilantro. Serve with fluffy naan for a full-flavored experience.

Get the recipe: Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani).

18. Keema Matar: Ground Meat Curry With Green Peas

A quick and easy Pakistani recipe made of ground lamb or beef and enhanced with juicy green peas. A firm favorite in many Asian households, this dish is highly versatile due to its dry texture. It can be served with roti/chapati or rice and stuffed in a paratha.

Get the recipe: Keema Matar.

19. Aloo Gosht: Pakistani-style Meat and Potato Curry

Gorge on this ultimate comfort food brought from Pakistan. It consists of tender red meat and generous cuts of potato slow-cooked in an aromatic gravy of savory seasonings and spices. When you serve this Aloo Gosht with a pillow of white basmati rice or naan bread, this dish will warm you up in a delectable way.

Get the recipe: Aloo Gosht.

20. Lauki Gosht: Meat Curry With Bottle Gourd

Meat and vegetables make a great combination no matter which part of the globe you are from; this dish is no exception. Softened lauki (Bottle Gourd) and melt-in-your-mouth tender red meat will make you love this Asian dish. It’s anything but boring with its full flavor, heat, and savory spice with a sweetness to balance the dish. It goes excellent with perfectly cooked rice or flatbread of your choice.

Get the recipe: Lauki Gosht.

21. Chicken Shorba – The Classic Pakistani Chicken Curry 

This wholesome Pakistani/ Indian curry is made with tender chicken pieces cooked to perfection on a flavorsome aromatic mix of tangy spices, tomato, and onion. The soupy consistency of this dish, combined with fluffy flatbread/naan or pillowy soft white basmati rice, makes it perfect for cozy evenings at home.

Get the recipe: Chicken Shorba.

22. Beef Rendang Recipe: Authentic Indonesian Dry Beef Curry

Hailing from West Sumatra, Beef Rendang is Indonesia’s signature dish. It consists of tender beef cooked in coconut milk and flavored with aromatic spices. This delectable melt-in-you-mouth dish is slow-cooked to perfection and makes a beautiful main dish that can be served with pillowy soft rice.

Get the recipe: Beef Rendang.

23. Lamb Nihari

Lamb Nihari is an unbelievably tender, slow-cooked meat that steeps in many aromatic spices. Because you cook it with bones, you get the most unique, rich flavor. Nihari is usually made of beef or lamb shanks and very rarely chicken. Serve this delicious meal with fluffy naan bread and garnish it with julienned ginger, lemon, and cilantro. If you feel brave, you can even try adding some sliced green chili.

Get the recipe: Lamb Nihari.

24. Dal Gosht

Dal Gosht is the ultimate comfort food that combines tender red meat saturated with seasoning and spices with soft cooked lentils. This stew is filling, delicious, and full of aromatic flavor. It has a nutritious balance of protein and carbohydrates, making it a lovely balanced meal. Try this with basmati rice or naan/roti for a comforting experience.

Get the recipe: Dal Gosht.

25. Ayam Hainan: Hainanese Chicken Rice

Hainanese chicken rice, or Nasi Ayam Hainan, is a beautiful, wholesome dish that is great for the whole family. It consists of fluffy white rice, juicy chicken, and a comforting soup. Originally from southern China, this dish has become a favorite in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. Seasoned with simple ingredients and made in under an hour, here is a recipe perfect for a weekday dinner or a weekend lunch.

Get the recipe: Ayam Hainan.

26. Chicken Biryani Recipe

Chicken Biryani is a popular and well-loved Pakistani Indian dish made of fluffy white Basmati and layered with aromatic chicken cooked in a sizzling masala. It is a firm favorite at big events and celebrations. However, it has fast become a regular dish served in the home at any time. Top this aromatic mix with a generous handful of cilantro and mint, and you have a winning dish ready to entertain.

Get the recipe: Chicken Biryani.

27. Yakhni Mutton Pulao Rice Recipe Pakistani Style

Yakhni mutton Pulao is made by cooking rice in a deliciously seasoned slow-cooked meat and bone broth. Yakhni has many benefits for the body; extra stock can be made as soup when needed. The flavors are mild but rich, and it is popular amongst adults and children alike. Serve with a simple yogurt raita or another dish of preference, or enjoy it alone.

Get the recipe: Yakhni Mutton Pulao Rice.