Southeast Asian cuisine emphasizes lightly prepared dishes with strong aromas, featuring such flavors as lemongrass, fermented fish sauce and pastes, and ginger. Ingredients in the region contrast with the ones in the Eastern Asian cuisines, substituting fish sauces for soy sauce and including such ingredients as galangal, tamarind and lemongrass. Cooking methods include stir frying, boiling and steaming.
Bruneian cuisine is similar to, and heavily influenced by, the cuisine of neighboring Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, with additional influences from China, India and Arab.
Burmese cuisine has been influenced greatly by China, India and Thailand. However, Burmese cuisine has retained unique preparation techniques and distinct flavors, and there are many regional variations of "standard" dishes. The Burmese eat with their right hand, forming rice into a small ball with only the fingertips and mixing this with various morsels before popping it into their mouths. The Burmese eat a great variety of vegetables and fruits, and a variety of meat. A very popular vegetable is the danyin thi, which is usually boiled or roasted and dipped in salt, oil and sometimes, cooked coconut fat.
Cambodian cuisine encompasses the cuisines of all ethnic groups in Cambodia, whereas Khmer cuisine refers specifically to the cuisine of the ethnic Khmers. Over time, Khmer cuisine has absorbed elements from Indian, Chinese and more recently French cuisine, and due to historic interaction and shared influences, Cambodian cuisine has many similarities with neighboring Thai, Vietnamese, and Lao cuisines.
Christmas Island cuisine has influences from both Australian cuisine and other Asian cuisines, particularly Malaysian and Indonesian.
Cuisine of East Timor is the cuisine of one of the newest Southeast Asian countries.
Filipino cuisine has evolved over several centuries from its Austronesian origins to a mixed cuisine with many Hispanic, Chinese, American, and other Asian influences adapted to indigenous ingredients and the local palate. For more information refer to: Filipino cuisine; regional specialties.
Kapampangan cuisine is the cuisine native to the Kapampangan people originating from the province of Pampanga, in Central Luzon. One of the best examples of Kapampangan dish is sisig, which is a popular dish across the Philippines.
Bicol's cuisine is noted for its gastronomic appetite for the fiery or chili-hot dishes and coconut milk dishes. Perhaps the most well-known Bicolano dish is the very spicy Bicol express. The region is also the well-known home of natong also known as laing or pinangat (pork or fish stew in taro leaves).
Being surrounded by waters and rich land, Visayas is abundant in marine and land products as indicated in various Visayan cuisines. Few examples of famous Visayan foods include Cebu's Lechon variant, Iloilo's La Paz batchoy, Bacolod's inasal and piaya, and Leyte's roscas, humba, moron, and bukayo.
Mindanao cuisine's dishes are richly flavored with the spices common to Southeast Asia. Some parts of Mindanao are predominantly Muslim, where pork is rarely consumed. Most notable dishes in Mindanao cuisine are: Satti, Sambal, Tiyula itum, and Zamboanga's Alfajor, curacha, and rebosao.
Hmong cuisine is the cuisine of the Hmong people, originally of China, now a diaspora across Southeast Asia with a significant Hmong American community in the United States.
Indonesian cuisine is diverse, in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 populated islands.[40] Many regional cuisines exist, often based upon cultural and foreign influences.[40][41][42] For example, Sumatran cuisine often has Middle Eastern and Indian influences, featuring curried meat and vegetables, while Javanese cuisine and Sundanese cuisine are more indigenous.[40]
Acehnese cuisine is the cuisine of the Acehnese people of Aceh in most western Sumatra.
Balinese cuisine is the cuisine and culinary traditions of Balinese people from the volcanic island of Bali.
Banjar cuisine: is the cooking tradition and cuisine of Banjar people of South Kalimantan in Indonesia.
Batak cuisine is the cuisine and cooking traditions of Batak ethnic groups, predominantly found in North Sumatra region.
Indo cuisine is a fusion cooking and cuisine tradition, mainly existing in Indonesia (nationwide) and the Netherlands, as well as Belgium, South Africa and Suriname.
Indonesian Arab cuisine is characterized by the mixture of Middle Eastern cuisine with local Indonesian style. Indonesian Arabs brought their legacy of Arab cuisine originally from Hadhramaut, Hejaz and Egypt.
Indonesian Chinese cuisine is characterized by the mixture of Chinese with local Indonesian style. Chinese Indonesians bring their Chinese cuisine legacy.
Indonesian Indian cuisine is characterized by the mixture of Indian cuisine with local Indonesian style. Indian Indonesians bring their Indian cuisine legacy.
Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people. In wider sense, Javanese cuisine might also refer to the cuisine of the whole people of Java Island, Indonesia; which also includes Sundanese in West Java, Betawi in Jakarta and Madurese on Madura Island off East Java.
Betawi cuisine is rich, diverse and eclectic cuisine of Betawi people in Jakarta due to the Betawi people that create them were composed from numbers of regional immigrants that came from various places in the archipelago.
Madurese cuisine is the cuisine tradition of Madurese people in Madura island on the northeastern coast of Java.
Sundanese cuisine is the cuisine of Sundanese people of West Java, Indonesia. In Sundanese restaurants, it is common to eat with one's hands. They usually serve kobokan, a bowl of tap water with a slice of lime for handwashing.
Makassar cuisine is the cuisine of the Buginese people and Makassar people in South Sulawesi.
Malay cuisine is the cuisine of Malay people with many regional and foreign influences.
Manado cuisine is the cooking tradition of the Minahasan people of North Sulawesi. This cuisine has influences by Eurasian cuisine, especially Dutch cuisine.
Padang food, also known as Minangkabau cuisine, is the cuisine of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is among the most popular food in Maritime Southeast Asia. It is known across Indonesia as masakan Padang.
Palembang cuisine is the cuisine of the Palembang people in South Sumatra.
Peranakan cuisine combines Chinese, Malay, Javanese and other influences into a unique blend.
Laotian cuisine is the cuisine of Laos, which is distinct from other Southeast Asian cuisines. Laos shares borders with neighboring countries and as a result, Lao cuisine has strongly influenced the neighboring cuisine of Northeastern Thailand (Isan) and some Lao culinary influences have also reached Cambodia[43] and Northern Thailand (Lanna).[44]
Malaysian cuisine reflects the multicultural aspects of Malaysia. Malaysia is an amalgamation of three major races, Malay, Chinese and Indian, as well as a myriad of ethnic groups from Sabah and Sarawak. The potpourri is enriched further with the influence of the Thai from the north, Indonesian from the south, Filipino from the east, and British, Dutch and Portuguese through hundred years of colonization.[45]
Malay cuisine is the cuisine of Malay people with many regional and foreign influences. For examples, cuisine of Johor often has Middle Eastern and Javanese influences while cuisine of Kelantan often has Thai influences.
Malaysian Chinese cuisine is characterized by the mixture of Chinese with local ingredients.
Malaysian Indian cuisine is characterized by the mixture of Indian with local ingredients.
Sarawakian cuisine is the cuisine of Sarawak, Malaysia
Sabahan cuisine is the cuisine of Sabah, Malaysia with influences from Filipino cuisine and Indonesian cuisine
Peranakan cuisine combines Chinese, Malay and other influences into a unique blend. Peranakan in Penang often has Thai influences while Melaka and Singapore often has Indonesian influences.
Eurasian cuisine combines Kristang, Dutch, British, Malay and other influences into a unique blend, predominantly found in Melaka
Singaporean cuisine is similar to, and heavily influenced by the cuisine of neighboring Malaysia, as a product of centuries of cultural interaction owing to Singapore's strategic location.[46] The predominant cuisine in Singapore is Chinese,[46] along with Malay, Indian[46] and English traditions since the founding of Singapore by the British in the early 19th century.
Thai cuisine can be described as four regional cuisines corresponding to the four main regions of the country: Northern, Northeastern (or Isan), Central, and Southern.[47] A fifth cuisine is Thai royal cuisine, based on the palace cuisine of the Ayutthaya kingdom (1351–1767 CE), which was influential upon the cuisine of the Central Thai plains.[47] Each cuisine has similarities to foods and cuisines in neighboring countries and regions, including the Cuisine of Burma, Yunnan cuisine, Lao cuisine, Cambodian cuisine and Malaysian cuisine.[47]
Vietnamese cuisine is a style of cooking derived from Vietnam with Chinese and French influence. Fish sauce, soy sauce, rice, fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables are commonly used. Vietnamese recipes utilize a diverse range of herbs, including lemongrass, mint, Vietnamese mint, long coriander and Thai basil leaves.