Sambal goreng, which translates to "fried sambal," is a term used in Indonesian cuisine that can refer to a variety of spicy, fried dishes made with sambal.
As a dish, sambal goreng can range from vegetables, meat, to tofu or tempeh, all cooked with a spicy mixture of ground chilies, shallots, garlic, and often includes shrimp paste (terasi), along with other ingredients like tomato, tamarind for sourness, and palm sugar for a hint of sweetness.
VARIATIONS OF Sambal goreng
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Stir-fry shrimps or you bao xia is a Chinese dish where whole shrimps are stir-fried in a wok until crispy. They are then soaked in a savory sauce that typically consists of chicken broth, black vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and Shaoxing wine.
Scallions and ginger slices are often used during the cooking process, but they might also be used as garnishes before the dish is served. Stir-fry shrimps are especially popular at Chinese New Year celebrations.
MOST ICONIC You bao xia
Nasi goreng ayam is a traditional fried rice dish that's also popular in Singapore, Brunei, and Malaysia. Although there are many versions of this nasi goreng variety, it is usually made with a combination of chicken thighs, oil, salt, white pepper, shallots, rice, turmeric, soy sauce, fish sauce, galangal, ginger, garlic, scallions, kecap manis, and hot peppers.
Most of the ingredients are fried with rice, and the dish is then topped with fried eggs, fried shallots, and sliced chili peppers. It's recommended to serve nasi goreng ayam with prawn crackers on the side.
Tibs is an Ethiopian dish consisting of stir-fried meat and vegetables. The dish can be served in a wide variety of manners – ranging from mild to hot and containing a small amount of vegetables, lots of vegetables, or no vegetables at all.
Due to the usage of various types of meat, there are numerous variations of this Ethiopian delicacy. Tibs is usually prepared as a sign of respect to someone, or as a festive dish at special events and holidays.
VARIATIONS OF Tibs
MOST ICONIC Tibs
Pad Thai is Thailand's national dish, a flavorful stir-fry (pad in Thai) dish consisting of rice noodles, tofu, dried shrimp, bean sprouts, and eggs. If it's made with meat, chicken and pork are some of the most popular choices. The flavors are an intricate combination of sweet, sour, and salty, with a well-balanced contrast of textures.
Pad Thai is probably one of the most popular Thai dishes abroad. Its origins can be traced to a period of nationalism in the country, after the 1932 revolution that ended the absolute monarchy. There was a public contest to find a new national noodle dish, and the winner was a Pad Thai consisting of noodles, radish, sprouts, peanuts, and eggs.
MOST ICONIC Pad Thai
View moreTwice cooked pork is a Sichuan specialty prepared by cooking fatty pork leg or belly (with the skin intact) in two different ways. Pork is first simmered in a pot and cooled in the refrigerator in order for the meat and fat to firm up. After that, the meat is sliced and stir-fried with vegetables such as cabbage, bell peppers, leeks, and mushrooms until it develops a brown color and the skin gets crispy on the edges.
Ingredients may vary from one cook to another, but most of them add a sauce made with rice wine, soy sauce and various other condiments to the wok along with meat and vegetables. It is believed that the dish was invented during the Song Dynasty period by a poet who was preparing a pork dish for his friend.
MOST ICONIC Hui guo rou
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Lomo saltado is a traditional dish consisting of stir-fried marinated slices of sirloin or beef tenderloin, onions, yellow Peruvian chilis, and tomatoes. The dish is typically served with French fries and rice on the side, and can be found on the menus of almost all Peruvian restaurants, whether simple or upscale.
The dish has had a big Asian influence due to the influx of Chinese immigrants during the 19th century. Over the years, some Chinese cooking techniques were combined with the Peruvian, and new dishes were invented, such as lomo saltado. Today, there are many variations on the dish, so beef can be replaced by chicken, when it is called pollo saltado.
MOST ICONIC Lomo saltado
View moreBeef chow fun is a Cantonese dish prepared by stir-frying previously marinated beef slices together with flat, wide rice noodles (hor fun), and bean sprouts. Because of the preparation method, beef chow fun is a true measure of any accomplished Cantonese chef.
Specifically, it is necessary to get two things right: wok hei — the cooking technique of stir-frying the ingredients at high heat which imparts them with a special umami flavor; and pow wok — a way of quickly tossing the ingredients without the use of a spatula, which prevents sticking and does not break the delicate rice noodles.
MOST ICONIC Chow hor fun
View moreThis traditional Thai stir-fry combines minced meat or seafood with holy basil and various other ingredients such as shallots, garlic, and chili peppers. The dish is flavored with soy sauce, sugar, and fish sauce, and typically comes served with rice, fried eggs, and fish sauce on the side.
Interestingly, phat kaphrao is ranked as the fourth most common dish ordered by foreigners in Thailand.
MOST ICONIC Phat kaphrao
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Dak galbi is the South Korean variety of stir-fried chicken. It is a communal dish that's cooked tableside, on large cast iron skillets. Typical elements in dak galbi include various chicken cuts, cabbage, tteok rice cakes, carrots, chili peppers, and sweet potatoes.
When served in restaurants, the server will bring all the ingredients and cook the dish for the guests. Occasionally, perilla leaves are incorporated into dak galbi, but the final addition is always a generous amount of spicy sauce made with spicy chili paste, chili flakes, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and onions.
MOST ICONIC Dak Galbi
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 Stir-fry Dishes in the World” list until March 20, 2025, 5,776 ratings were recorded, of which 4,428 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.
32 (Pancit) and 34 (Pancit Bihon) have the same noodles used in the article. Both are called "bihon" same as the Chinese bihon. However Pancit (32) is the fresh type of noodles (fresh) used similar to Japanese Yakisoba. In the Philippines, there are 3 MAIN and general types of noodles used: 1. Pancit or Pansit - the fresh type of noodle used for soups or stir fries. 2. Bihon - the thin glass noodles also used in "palabok" or pancit "luglug" like the ones in Jollibee's menu. and 3. Sotanghon or commercially known as vermicelli - the one used in chicken soup or sometimes in Pancit Sotanghon stir fried noodles. Others are 1. Lomi - thick noodles similar to udon of Japan. 2. Udong - Egg noodles mainly used in canned sardines dish or stew. 3. Misua or similar to Japanese somen eaten widely in summer in Japan. Misua is used in soup too in the Philippines. Some people in the capital don't distinguish well Bihon, Sotanghon and Canton. Generally they just reffer to all of them as pancit/pansit. Maybe this is the reason why 32 and 34 have the same pictures represented.