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    Home » Festive Asian Recipes

    Published: Dec 10, 2021 · Modified: Mar 25, 2022 by Zen

    18 Easy Asian Christmas recipes

    Christmas is a big holiday in Singapore, even if you're not Christian. The roads are decked with lights and most people get a Christmas tree. This year, I got my 1st real live tree, which was very exciting! It makes the house smell lovely. It's traditional to serve Roast Turkey or Ham for Christmas, but I prefer to "Do as the Romans do, when in Rome" so my Christmas menu is going to be more Asian-centric and include more local ingredients. Here are some easy Asian Christmas recipe ideas for you if you want to do something different this year.

    Jump to:
    • Alternatives to Turkey for Christmas
    • Asian-flavoured turkey
    • Asian Seafood Recipes for Christmas
    • Vegetarian & Vegan Asian Christmas Showstopper Recipes
    • Vegetarian & Vegan Asian sides
    • Asian desserts

    Alternatives to Turkey for Christmas

    Instead of getting a turkey- I've never developed much of a taste for turkey as it can get so dry! - why not make these delicious pork ribs that are as easy as counting 12345? Moreover, given that most households will be having fewer guests thanks to COVID, you won't have as much leftover as compared to if you roast a turkey!

    12345 Chinese pork ribs

    3 pieces of caramelised 12345 spare ribs on a plate.
    12345 Chinese ribs taste very similar to tang Chu pai gu (vinegar ribs) but are much easier to make!
    Easy 12345 pork ribs (5-ingredients)
    The ultimate sticky caramelized Chinese pork ribs made in 1 pot- no cutting required!
    Check out this recipe
    3 pieces of caramelised 12345 spare ribs on a plate.

    Asian Porkballs in a umami sauce

    You could also make these delicious Asian pork meatballs which come in a tangy caramel sauce!

    A pair of chopsticks picking a meatball out of a bowl
    Asian pork meatballs in a tangy sauce`
    Make a huge batch of these 5-star meatballs and the rest can be frozen for the New Year!
    Check out this recipe
    A pair of chopsticks picking a meatball out of a bowl

    Goan Pork Sorpotel Curry

    Goan Pork Sorpotel, or Indian Pork Curry
    One of the favourite dishes to cook for Christmas in Goa, and perfect for the cold festive season. Best of all, curry tastes even better the next day so you don't have to worry about cooking too much!
    Check out this recipe
    A bowl of Indian pork curry (sorpotel) next to a dried chilli

    Fish Sauce Chicken Wings

    You can also use the sauce as a marinade for a whole roast chicken!
    Sticky vietnamese fish sauce chicken wings (baked) recipe
    Check out this recipe
    6 baked vietnamese fish sauce chicken wings on a vintage plate.

    If you like chicken wings but not fish sauce, try these other Asian chicken wing recipes.

    Asian-inspired beef

    Sliced Asian Flank steak with greens on a plate
    Chimichurri Asian Flank Steak
    This Asian-inspired flank steak recipe has 5 stars from 38 people, so you shouldn't miss it! Moreover, the recipe is so easy it's as foolproof as it is delicious.
    Check out this recipe
    Sliced Asian Flank steak with greens on a plate

    Asian-flavoured turkey

    5-spice Roast Turkey

    For those who are traditionalists at heart, jazz up your turkey by using this Asian spice rub. I even have a recipe for homemade 5-spice powder here!

    Five Spice Christmas Turkey
    If you think it's not Christmas without Turkey but are tired of the regular flavour, try something new with this 5-spice turkey roast!
    Check out this recipe
    A table of Christmas dishes, including Asian Roast Turkey

    Asian Turkeyballs

    A great idea to incorporate turkey into your Christmas menu, but in a new form, is to make these Asian Turkey Meatballs!

    A pile of Asian Turkey meatballs on rice
    Asian flavoured Turkey meatballs
    And they're keto too! Who says Christmas turkey must always be in the form of a roast?
    Check out this recipe
    A pile of Asian Turkey meatballs on rice

    Asian Seafood Recipes for Christmas

    Pan Seared Sea Bass marinated with an Asian Sauce
    Sea Bass is a very popular fish in Chinese cooking, although we usually cook it whole (head and tail included)! Recently, fancy Chinese restaurants have taken to filleting the seabass and selling them in per-person portions. Make your own at home by marinating the fish with an Asian-inspired sauce then searing on the stove.
    Check out this recipe
    Seared Sea Bass on a plate with lemon on the side

    Singaporean Assam Fish Curry

    Or why not make a fish curry? Curries are great to cook for parties as they heat up so well!

    Singaporean assam fish curry with coconut
    A healthier alternative to the typical Singapore assam fish, as no sugar is added.
    Check out this recipe
    Assam fish curry with broccoli and rice

    Vegetarian & Vegan Asian Christmas Showstopper Recipes

    If you're not a meat eater, you can still cook up a delicious Asian Christmas meal. Veggies don't always have to be an afterthought, they can be the star of the feast too!

    Kung Bao Cauliflower

    Kung Pao Cauliflower
    I confess to not being a fan of cauliflower but I must admit it soaks up flavour wonderfully well, and I do like it in dishes such as Har Cheong Cauliflower, Korean Fried Cauliflower and, of course, this amazing Kung Pao Cauliflower!
    Check out this recipe

    Vegan Bao Buns

    3 Vegan Bao Buns with Extra Bread at the side
    Vegan Bao Buns
    Traditionally filled with pork belly, vegans can enjoy this traditional Chinese dish too, by subbing the meat with vegetables. Mushrooms or tofu is often used but this recipes calls for aubergine, which is a flavour-sponge
    Check out this recipe
    3 Vegan Bao Buns with Extra Bread at the side

    Vegan curry puffs

    I've tried baking and air frying curry puffs, but they just don't taste as good.

    Curry puffs are great party appetisers as you can batch make them in advance. Although best served hot, they taste good at room temperature too!

    Vegetarian curry puff potato filling recipe (karipap)
    An easy, vegan curry puff recipe- one of the most popular snacks in Singapore- that tastes good both hot and at room temperature.
    Check out this recipe
    Vegan potato curry puff fried to a crisp golden brown on a plate.

    Vegetarian & Vegan Asian sides

    Asian cucumber salad inspired by Din Tai Fung

    Refreshing Asian Cucumber Salad
    After all the roasts and heavy dishes, a refreshing cucumber salad is called for! This is a favourite of 1 of my London besties so I used to make my own version very often. Make it beforehand and chill in the fridge to better soak up the flavours. And don't forget to give the cucumbers a good smack so that they're split open to help absorption!
    Check out this recipe
    Asian Cucumber Salad

    Cabbage Salad with Asian flavours
    Not a fan of cucumber? Try this 5-star Asian Cabbage Salad instead!
    Check out this recipe
    A platter of Asian-inspired Cabbage Salad

    Mushrooms and garlic with cauliflower sprinkle

    Mushroom with garlic and cauliflowers
    Mushrooms are one of my favourite dishes, as they're full of umami. Guess I'm not the only 1 as this is another 5-starred recipe!
    Check out this recipe
    A pan of garlic mushrooms with cauliflower sprinkled on top

    Asian desserts

    Chinese Peanut Cookies

    They're usually made for Chinese New Year, but Chinese Peanut Cookies make a great after-dinner snack for Christmas too!

    Chinese peanut cookies on a plate with its ingredients peanuts, peanut oil, flour, sugar and egg
    Inspired by the "How to cook the Perfect..." column in The Guardian (UK newspaper), I baked over 1000 cookies before coming up with this ultimate Chinese peanut cookie recipe. Typically eaten over Chinese New Year, but there's no reason why you can't have it on regular days as well 🙂
    Chinese Peanut Cookies
    A recipe that was developed after making over 2000 of these cookies- someone once ordered over 20 jars at a go!
    Check out this recipe
    12 types of Chinese peanut cookies made from 12 different recipes on a plate

    Vegan Egg Tarts

    Vegan Egg Tarts served on a pretty plate with tea at the back
    Vegan Egg Tarts
    Egg Tarts are 1 of the most popular Chinese desserts, especially in Hong Kong- try this vegan version which is a 5-starred recipe.
    Check out this recipe
    Vegan Egg Tarts served on a pretty plate with tea at the back

    Bird's nest & wolfberries in coconut

    Bird's nest is often on the menu during special occasions, such as weddings, so why not at Christmas? Serve it in a coconut for presentation points! If you end up with more coconut than you need, here are some ways to cook with coconut water.

    Easy steamed bird's nest and goji berries (3 ingredients)
    The easiest bird's nest dessert you could ever make!
    Check out this recipe
    Close up of red goji berries and birds nest steamed in a coconut
    « Easy steamed Chinese bird's nest soup dessert
    39 Best South East Asian Lemongrass recipes »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Julie says

      December 23, 2021 at 3:25 am

      Woah so many beautiful recipes to choose from!!! 5 stars!

      Reply
      • Zen says

        December 23, 2021 at 3:57 am

        Glad u like them Julie, hope to see some on your IG feed one day 🙂

        Reply
    2. Cynthia | What A Girl Eats says

      December 16, 2021 at 4:59 am

      Thank you for including me! Pinned, yummed and tweeted!

      Reply
      • Zen says

        December 16, 2021 at 7:37 am

        Aw thanks for popping by and for all the support, and for letting me include your awesome recipe! Happy holidays to your family and you!

        Reply

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    Greedygirlgourmet eating 2 sandwiches in Scotland

    Hi I'm Zhen! I couldn't boil water till I was 18 but after living abroad (in St. Andrews then London) for 11 years and having to cook for myself, I now love having friends and families over, and cooking for them. I tend to be slightly obsessive-compulsive, so I like to try many different versions of a recipe before coming up with my own "ultimate" version. Check out www.greedygirlgourmet.com every week for new tried-and-tested (on my guinea pigs aka guests!) Asian recipes which are full of flavour!

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