Asian Street Food Sweets

Turkish ice cream is believed to originate from the city of Maraş—hence the name—and what really sets it apart from other varieties is its resistance to melting and a particularly dense, chewy texture. These qualities are brought by ad... READ MORE

Kaminari-okoshi, often called merely okoshi, is a popular Japanese confectionery, similar to rice crispy treats. The main ingredient in okoshi is expanded rice, created by roasting rice grains until they pop. A mix of sugar and butter or ... READ MORE

Taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake that is often consumed as a snack, made from flour and filled with azuki sweet bean paste. It is usually served warm and is often found at most taiyaki stands at any winter festival in Japan. Most people beli... READ MORE

Kulfi is a traditional ice cream made with slowly simmered whole milk. Although the long-simmering process results in a loss of volume, it makes up for it with a delicious, nutty, caramelized flavor. The ice cream is characterized by its unusual, ... READ MORE

Kunāfah consists of two crunchy layers of shredded and buttered kataifi or knefe dough, filled with a luscious cheese cream that's often flavored with orange zest and cardamom, then drenched in a sugar syrup infused with lemon ju... READ MORE

Gulab jamun is a dessert based on milk solids that are kneaded into a dough, shaped into balls, and deep-fried in ghee. The balls then get soaked in a sugary concoction flavored with saffron, green cardamom, and rose water. When served, gulab jamu... READ MORE

This traditional Thai rice pudding is a favorite way to finish any Thai meal. The dish is prepared with glutinous rice that is first steamed, then doused in sweetened coconut milk. Lastly, the rice is served sided with slices of fresh mango. This ... READ MORE

Although it is believed to have its origins in Persia, zulbia or jalebi is an international dessert with variations that spread throughout the Middle East, India, and Asia. In its basic form, this sweet dessert is created by combining flour with y... READ MORE

Egg waffle is a popular Hong Kong delicacy consisting of egg whites and yolks, milk, butter, sugar, flour, and salt. It is characterized by its puffy visual appearance and a pull-apart texture. These tiny treats are traditionally sold throughout H... READ MORE

This internationally known, decadent, and sugar-packed dessert is usually made with a mixture of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt, which is deep-fried and then bathed in syrup or honey. The origin of lokma fritters is ancient but often debated. It is... READ MORE

Hotteok is a popular Korean pancake that is usually filled with cinnamon, brown sugar, and nuts such as peanuts and walnuts. It is commonly sold as street food at numerous Korean street stands, especially when the weather is cold. The pancakes can... READ MORE

Taho is a sweet Filipino dessert which consists of fresh soft tofu doused in arnibal syrup and sprinkled with plump sago pearls. Similar desserts can be found in numerous Asian countries, and most of them call for the usage of th... READ MORE

Fried bananas or plantains are a common everyday snack eaten throughout Indonesia. They come in numerous versions in which the fruit is simply fried in shallow oil, but more often sliced banana pieces are coated in batter before they are fried unt... READ MORE

This sweet turnover pancake comes under various names throughout Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Singapore. Regardless of the location, it can be prepared either in a thin and crispy variety or as a thick and soft pancake. Traditional fillings ty... READ MORE

These traditional, small-sized Indonesian pancakes are usually prepared with rice flour and coconut milk. The pancakes are incredibly versatile, they come in sweet and savory versions, and can be adapted with wheat flour and various toppings such ... READ MORE

Mysore pak was invented in 1935 at the Mysore Palace by the royal chef Madappa. As the King Krishna Raja Wodeyar was ready to have his lunch, the chef began experimenting with a sweet dish, combining gram flour, ghee butter, and sugar into a syrup... READ MORE

Dou fu fa is a popular Asian dessert consisting of creamy tofu topped with various savory or sweet garnishes. It is made with coagulated soy milk to create a tofu product with a mild taste and an incredibly soft consistency. Like other varieties, ... READ MORE

Usually sold by street vendors, this steamed cake is prepared with glutinous rice flour that is flavored and colored with pandan leaves. The mixture is traditionally steamed in bamboo tubes, while the center of the cake is filled with palm sugar. ... READ MORE

Khao lam or kralan is a unique Southeast Asian dessert consisting of sweet sticky rice, either white or red, steamed in bamboo tubes, popular in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. The simplest, original version included only rice mixe... READ MORE

This unusual Turkish dessert is usually prepared by street vendors on small stoves with individual compartments. Each compartment is filled with a thick, colorful toffee paste that the vendor then wraps around a wooden stick, creating a sort of mu... READ MORE

Churchkhela is a traditional Caucasian candy that is shaped into a sausage. This candy is made by dipping a long string of nuts (usually walnut halves) in concentrated grape juice, ... READ MORE

Sachima is a sweet Chinese pastry that is consumed as a snack, consisting of a deep-fried combination of batter and sugar syrup. There are numerous regional varieties of this popular treat, but sachima is most often sprinkled with sesame seeds, de... READ MORE

Dalgona is a traditional and nostalgic candy originating from South Korea. It has recently been popularized by the Netflix hit show called Squid Game. The dalgona is made by melting sugar and mixing it with baking soda. The mixture should start to... READ MORE

This versatile Indonesian dessert is made with boiled and mashed cassava. The cassava base is then sweetened and often enriched with coconut and natural or food colorings in order to create decorative sweets. The rustic version combines mashed cas... READ MORE

Maruya are the famous Filipino banana fritters which consist of sliced or mashed bananas that are dusted with flour, battered, then fried until crispy. The fritters are usually made with Filipino saba bananas and can come in various forms... READ MORE

Fried bananas are a popular Vietnamese street snack usually made with small, fragrant, and ripe chuối xiêm bananas. Before they are fried, lengthwise banana slices are flattened and then coated in a batter that typically combines ri... READ MORE

Usually associated with northern Indian regions, this refreshing treat combines thin falooda noodles and kulfi, a traditional Indian ice cream made with slowly simmered whole milk that is flavored with pistachio, rose water, and saffron. The whole... READ MORE

Pa thong ko is the Thai take on popular Chinese crullers called youtiao. To make the crullers, a mixture of flour, yeast, baking ammonia, alum powder, lukewarm water, salt, sugar, and some baking powder is formed into a dough, which is th... READ MORE

Kluai thot, or deep-fried bananas, is a sweet street food item commonly found throughout Thailand. This Thai treat is traditionally prepared with peeled and sliced burro bananas, known locally as kluay nam wa, which are entirely immersed ... READ MORE

These walnut cookies are a winter staple in South Korea. They consist of a walnut shell that is prepared with a thin walnut-based batter and a filling which combines pieces of walnuts and sweet red bean paste. The cookies were first invented in 19... READ MORE

Kue ape, also known as serabi Jakarta, is regarded as an Indonesian take on Indian pancakes known as appam. Indonesian version, which is usually associated with Jakarta, is prepared with a batter consisting of wheat flour, palm sugar, coconut milk... READ MORE

This sweet variety of the traditional Malaysian roti employs bananas as the star ingredient. The unleavened roti dough is stretched until thin, and the combination of sliced bananas, eggs, and sugar is then wrapped in the dough. Roti is usually pa... READ MORE

Khanom tom is a traditional dessert consisting of boiled rice flour dumplings, coated with shredded coconut, and stuffed with a filling of shredded coconut melted along with palm sugar and coconut milk. The coconut filling is commonly infused with... READ MORE

Thong muan is a traditional sweet snack of a crispy wafer shaped like a cigar. The name translates to "gold roll," referencing the dessert's golden color and rolled shape. Thong muan is made from a batter that typically includes rice flour, coconu... READ MORE

Bánh cam and bánh vòng are traditional donut-like fritters originating from Vietnam. Bánh cam is traditionally sold together with bánh vòng, and the difference lies in the fact that bánh cam is roun... READ MORE

Espasol is a soft, chewy Filipino rice cake prepared with a combination of toasted glutinous rice flour and grated green coconut that is slowly cooked in coconut milk. The mixture turns into soft, pliable dough that is shaped into long cylinders o... READ MORE

O mai is a traditional snack and a specialty of Hanoi. The term refers to preserved sugared or salted fruits such as apricot, dracontomelon (sau), peach, plum, tamarind, pineapple, mango, star fruit, and kumquat. The fruits are first chec... READ MORE

One of the most popular sweet snacks in the Philipines is banana cue, made by deep-frying saba bananas which are generously coated in a thick layer of caramelized sugar. Because they are usually enjoyed as street food, the sweet bananas a... READ MORE

Daheen is a traditional sweet originating from Najaf, where it is usually sold at street markets. It has a fudge-like texture and consists of flour, milk, sugar, clarified butter, and date syrup. Before serving, daheen is traditionally sprinkled w... READ MORE

Khao niao sangkhaya or sticky rice with custard is a traditional dessert and street food originating from Thailand. The dessert is made by topping glutinous rice with coconut custard and coconut milk. Although there are many variations, typical in... READ MORE

Peanut powdered mochi is a sweet and sticky rice ball with a peanut powder coating. This Taiwanese sweet treat consists of a steamed mixture of glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water. Small bite sizes of the sticky dough are pinched off with chops... READ MORE