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Tire köftesi refers to a special type of ground meat dish that originates from the Tire district of İzmir, Türkiye. Tire köftesi consists of minced meat (often lamb or a mix of beef and lamb), breadcrumbs or stale bread soaked in milk or water, onions, garlic, and various spices.
One distinguishing feature is its soft and juicy texture, which is achieved through its specific mixture of ingredients and cooking method: they are often shallow-fried until they have a crispy exterior, then they might be simmered in a sauce or served directly.
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In the 1970s and 1980s, the fried chicken industry in South Korea expanded with the emergence of various fried chicken restaurant chains. These chains started experimenting with different flavors and sauces, moving beyond the original, stripped-down version of fried chicken.
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Cağ kebabı is a kebab variety originating from the Turkish city of Erzurum. It is made with lamb that is marinated with onions, salt, and pepper for about 12 hours, and the meat is then placed on a big horizontal skewer and cooked over a wood fire.
The usta (master of his trade) will take a long skewer and slice off tender and succulent pieces of lamb until the skewer is full. The dish is traditionally consumed either straight from the skewer, or with the meat wrapped in warm, freshly baked lavash flatbread.
MOST ICONIC Cağ kebabı
Siu mei refers to a style of Chinese cuisine that is primarily characterized by roasting meat on spits over an open fire or in a rotisserie oven. Originating from Guangdong province in southern China, this culinary tradition is particularly prevalent in Hong Kong.
The term siu mei translates to "roast flavor" in Cantonese. Some of the most prominent and beloved examples of siu mei include char siu, siu yuk, soy sauce chicken, and white cut chicken. These dishes are typically served with rice and vegetables and sometimes with noodles.
VARIATIONS OF Siu mei
MOST ICONIC Siu mei
View moreSate kambing is a traditional dish and a type of satay prepared with goat or mutton as the main ingredient. The meat is cut into chunks or cubes and it's marinated in a combination of ingredients such as kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), galangal, ground shallots, pineapple juice, and (often) chili peppers.
After it's been marinated, the meat is placed on skewers that are larger and thicker than the ones used for chicken satay as the texture and thickness of mutton or goat is tougher than chicken. The skewers for sate kambing are usually made from bamboo.
MOST ICONIC Sate kambing
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Yukhoe is the Korean version of steak tartare, consisting of thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and sugar. The concoction is then seasoned with salt and pepper. The dish is always served with a raw egg yolk on top, while thinly sliced Korean pear is an often-seen addition served on the side.
The name of the dish is derived from two words: yuk, meaning meat, and hoe, meaning sashimi. No one is yet sure about the origins of yukhoe, but some say it originated in China, while the others claim it was first served at the Korean Royal Court.
MOST ICONIC Yukhoe
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Sate Madura is a traditional dish and a type of sate originating from the island of Madura, hence the name. The dish is prepared with chicken or mutton pieces that are placed onto skewers and grilled. This type of sate is different from most other types since the meat is cut into thinner chunks than usual.
The skewers are accompanied by a dark sauce made with a combination of kecap manis (sweetened soy sauce), palm sugar, fried shallots, shrimp paste, peanut paste, candlenuts, salt, and garlic. If made with chicken, the dish is served in peanut sauce, while the mutton version often comes served in kecap manis.
MOST ICONIC Sate Madura
Bò nhúng dấm is a Vietnamese version of a hot pot that is traditionally served communal style. In its basic form, the dish consists of a vinegar-flavored broth that may also include coconut milk or coconut water, lemongrass, onions, or other additions, while typical accompaniments include thinly sliced raw beef and an assortment of fresh vegetables and herbs such as bean sprouts, daikon, lettuce, cucumbers, mint, basil, and perilla leaves.
Although the name (bò) suggests the dish is exclusively made with beef, it can also include other types of protein such as squids or shrimps. Additional elements include rice paper sheets, which are used as wrappers, and typically nước chấm and mắm nem dipping sauces.
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Probably the best known of all Indian dishes, murgh makhani, internationally referred to as butter chicken, is a staple dish at most Indian restaurants. The dish originated in Delhi during the 1950s, when a man named Kundan Lal Gujral opened his restaurant called Moti Mahal.
The restaurant's cooks combined leftover marinade juices with tomatoes and butter, and then stewed the tandoor-cooked chicken in it, without even knowing that they have accidentally stumbled upon one of the most loved dishes ever and a future international delicacy.
MOST ICONIC Murgh makhani
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Also known as dry-frying, karaage is a Japanese cooking technique in which various foods are first lightly coated in arrowroot starch, then deep-fried. The use of arrowroot starch preserves the natural water content of fried foods and produces a crispy outer surface, but alternatively, other coating ingredients such as wheat flour, tapioca, or potato starch can also be used.
Karaage can be used for frying various meats and fish, but it is most often associated with chicken, and involves a special variant called tatsutaage, where pieces of chicken are first marinated in a mixture of sake, soy sauce, and sugar which are then lightly covered with arrowroot starch and deep-fried.
MOST ICONIC Karaage
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TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 100 Asian Meat Dishes” list until March 20, 2025, 37,117 ratings were recorded, of which 18,299 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.