21 Asian-Inspired Dinners for People Tired of Delivery Fees

Delivery charges can turn a simple takeout order into a surprisingly expensive dinner. These 21 Asian-inspired recipes cover fried rice, noodles, curries, soups, crisp vegetables, tender chicken, and homemade sides you can cook without watching the total climb at checkout. Serve them separately throughout the week, pair a main with one of the lighter sides, or keep a few reliable options ready for nights when another delivery order does not make sense.

A close-up of chicken tikka masala served on rice, garnished with fresh cilantro, with lime wedges and naan on the side. — Chicken Tikka Masala. Photo credit: Easy Indian Cookbook.

Egg Fried Rice

Oval dish filled with fried rice garnished with chopped green onions. — Egg Fried Rice. Photo credit: Splash of Taste.

Ready in 25 minutes, Egg Fried Rice combines jasmine rice with softly scrambled eggs, green onions, soy sauce, and sesame oil. High heat gives some of the rice lightly crisp, golden edges while keeping the eggs tender. Serve it hot with chili crisp or extra soy sauce, or eat it alongside dumplings, tofu, or stir-fried vegetables.
Get the Recipe: Egg Fried Rice

Seaweed Salad

Requiring only 5 minutes of prep, Seaweed Salad tosses wakame with sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, shallot, and sesame seeds. The recipe makes 2 servings and can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Serve it chilled beside a rice bowl or grilled fish, or eat it as a light starter before a richer main dish.
Get the Recipe: Seaweed Salad

Vietnamese Shaking Beef

A plate of stir-fried beef cubes with onions, garnished with cilantro, served on lettuce with tomato slices and lime wedges. Chopsticks rest beside the plate. — Vietnamese Shaking Beef. Photo credit: Your Perfect Recipes.

Cooked over high heat in 20 minutes, Vietnamese Shaking Beef sears 1-inch pieces of sirloin or tenderloin with red onion. Oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and garlic form the marinade and glaze. Serve the beef over watercress, salad, or steamed jasmine rice for a 4-serving dinner.
Get the Recipe: Vietnamese Shaking Beef

Spring Rolls

Filled and rolled in 35 minutes, Spring Rolls wrap lettuce, carrots, red cabbage, cucumber, avocado, mint, and green onions in rice paper. A cooked sweet-and-sour sauce brings together pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. The recipe makes 10 rolls, ready to serve with the sauce in a small bowl for dipping.
Get the Recipe: Spring Rolls

Crunchy Korean Cucumber Salad

Slices of cucumber tossed in spicy Korean dressing. — Crunchy Korean Cucumber Salad. Photo credit: Splash of Taste.

After a short salting and resting period, Crunchy Korean Cucumber Salad is ready in 35 minutes and serves 4. Thin cucumbers are tossed with gochugaru, scallion, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Serve it cold beside rice, noodles, or a rich chicken dish, and eat it while the cucumbers still have their crisp bite.
Get the Recipe: Crunchy Korean Cucumber Salad

Vegetable Stir Fry

On the table in 27 minutes, Vegetable Stir Fry cooks broccolini, mushrooms, green onion, and three colors of bell pepper over high heat. Soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey or maple syrup, and cornstarch make the glossy sauce. Serve the 4 portions over steamed rice or noodles, or add tofu when you want a more substantial dinner.
Get the Recipe: Vegetable Stir Fry

Naan Bread

A stack of flatbreads garnished with chopped parsley sits on a cloth, with a white pepper grinder, fresh herbs, a lemon wedge, and a bowl of yellow sauce nearby. — Naan Bread. Photo credit: Splash of Taste.

Cooked in a hot skillet, Naan Bread uses a yeast dough made with warm milk, yogurt, flour, and butter. The dough needs time to rise, bringing the total recipe time to 1 hour 15 minutes, though the cooking takes only 5 minutes. The batch makes 8 pieces to serve warm with curry, use for scooping sauce, or eat brushed with garlic butter.
Get the Recipe: Naan Bread

Crispy Baked Tofu

Crispy tofu cubes piled on a plate with a dish of green dipping sauce in the background. — Crispy Baked Tofu. Photo credit: Two City Vegans.

Pressed, seasoned, and baked, Crispy Baked Tofu coats extra-firm tofu with olive oil, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. The 4-serving recipe takes 1 hour 10 minutes, including the time needed to drain the tofu before baking. Serve the golden pieces in stir-fries or salads, or eat them with a dipping sauce and rice.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Baked Tofu

Sesame Soba Noodles

Two bowls of soba noodle salad with carrots, edamame, and radish slices, placed on a patterned cloth with wooden chopsticks beside them. — Sesame Soba Noodles. Photo credit: Two City Vegans.

Ready in 20 minutes, Sesame Soba Noodles mixes chewy noodles with edamame, carrot, radishes, cilantro, and toasted sesame seeds. Soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, mustard, sriracha, and maple syrup make the dressing for 3 servings. Serve the noodles warm immediately after tossing, or eat them at room temperature for an easy packed lunch.
Get the Recipe: Sesame Soba Noodles

Tofu Fried Rice

A bowl of fried rice with grilled tofu, diced carrots, peas, chopped green onions, and a drizzle of dark sauce, served on a red cloth. — Tofu Fried Rice. Photo credit: Two City Vegans.

Using cold, cooked jasmine rice, Tofu Fried Rice is ready in 30 minutes and makes 4 servings. Cubed tofu cooks with peas, carrots, green onion, garlic, soy sauce, vegetable oil, and sesame oil. Serve it straight from the skillet with more green onions on top, or eat it with cucumber salad or spring rolls on the side.
Get the Recipe: Tofu Fried Rice

Sticky Sesame Cauliflower

Baked until golden, Sticky Sesame Cauliflower coats cauliflower florets in a rice-flour and cornstarch batter before adding a sesame-soy glaze. Maple syrup, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, and sriracha give the sauce its sweet, savory heat. The recipe serves 6 in 55 minutes and can be served over rice with sesame seeds and green onions.
Get the Recipe: Sticky Sesame Cauliflower

Wonton Soup

A ceramic bowl of clear soup containing dumplings, sliced mushrooms, broccolini, chopped green onions, and cilantro. — Wonton Soup. Photo credit: Hungry Cooks Kitchen.

Simmered in 30 minutes, Wonton Soup combines frozen wontons with shiitake mushrooms, broccolini, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and chicken broth. The recipe makes 4 bowls and needs only 15 minutes of active preparation before cooking. Serve it hot with sliced green onion, or eat it as a complete lighter dinner with spring rolls alongside.
Get the Recipe: Wonton Soup

Sticky Chicken Thighs

Three glazed chicken thighs served on a bed of leafy greens, garnished with chopped green onions, on a beige plate. — Sticky Chicken Thighs. Photo credit: Hungry Cooks Kitchen.

Marinated and baked, Sticky Chicken Thighs use bone-in, skin-on chicken coated with honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, and black pepper. The recipe serves 4 and takes 1 hour 25 minutes, including 30 minutes of chilling time. Serve the chicken with steamed rice and green onions so the rice can pick up the honey-garlic sauce.
Get the Recipe: Sticky Chicken Thighs

Egg Drop Soup

Finished in 20 minutes, Egg Drop Soup streams whisked eggs and cornstarch into chicken broth seasoned with sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and pepper. The recipe makes 4 light servings with soft ribbons of cooked egg throughout the broth. Serve it with green onions, cilantro, or chili oil, or eat it before fried rice or a stir-fry.
Get the Recipe: Egg Drop Soup

Butter Chicken

A bowl of creamy curry with chicken pieces served over white rice, garnished with cilantro, and accompanied by flatbread. — Butter Chicken. Photo credit: Easy Indian Cookbook.

Marinated in yogurt, lime, and garam masala, Butter Chicken cooks chicken thighs in a creamy tomato sauce in 40 minutes. Ghee, garlic, ginger, cumin, chili powder, tomato paste, and heavy cream build the sauce for 4 servings. Serve it over rice with warm naan, using the bread to scoop up the remaining sauce from the plate.
Get the Recipe: Butter Chicken

Dashi

A wooden ladle pouring fish sauce into a white ceramic bowl, with ripples visible on the liquid surface. A brown napkin is partially visible in the background. — Dashi. Photo credit: My Reliable Recipes.

Made with only water, kombu, and bonito flakes, Dashi produces 4 cups of Japanese broth in 30 minutes. The kombu first soaks and simmers before the bonito flakes steep in the hot liquid, which is then strained. Use the finished broth to cook and serve noodle soup, miso soup, or other Japanese dishes that need a savory base.
Get the Recipe: Dashi

Chinese Steamed Chicken

A bowl of steamed chicken pieces with mushrooms, garnished with chopped green onions, with chopsticks picking up a piece. — Chinese Steamed Chicken. Photo credit: Your Perfect Recipes.

Steamed in 30 minutes, Chinese Steamed Chicken cooks boneless chicken thighs with sliced shiitake mushrooms for a 4-serving meal. Ginger, green onions, hot vegetable oil, light soy sauce, and sesame oil form the sauce spooned over the chicken. Serve it immediately with steamed rice, letting the rice absorb the ginger-scallion sauce and chicken juices.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Steamed Chicken

Black Bean Noodles

A bowl of stir-fried udon noodles with beef, cabbage, and green onion garnish, served with a pair of chopsticks on the side. — Black Bean Noodles. Photo credit: Your Perfect Recipes.

Coated in a thick Korean black bean sauce, Black Bean Noodles cook pork belly, cabbage, onion, garlic, and ginger with chunjang in 35 minutes. Oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil deepen the sauce, while cornstarch helps it cling to the noodles. The recipe serves 3 and is finished with cool strips of Persian cucumber.
Get the Recipe: Black Bean Noodles

Spicy Tuna Bowl

A bowl of white rice topped with sliced cucumber, shredded nori, chopped green onions, and a portion of tuna, with a pair of chopsticks resting on top. — Spicy Tuna Bowl. Photo credit: Your Perfect Recipes.

Built in 25 minutes, Spicy Tuna Bowl mixes canned tuna with mayonnaise, sriracha, soy sauce, sesame oil, and lime juice. The mixture is served over sushi rice with cucumber, nori, green onions, and sesame seeds, making 4 bowls. Serve each one freshly assembled so the rice stays warm and the cucumber keeps its cool crunch.
Get the Recipe: Spicy Tuna Bowl

Thai Yellow Curry

Simmered in 37 minutes, Thai Yellow Curry combines sweet potato, cauliflower, bell pepper, snow peas, and chickpeas in a coconut-milk broth. Yellow curry paste, ginger, garlic, red onion, and basil season the 4-serving pot. Serve it over jasmine rice with basil and red pepper flakes, or eat it with warm naan for scooping.
Get the Recipe: Thai Yellow Curry

Chicken Tikka Masala

Marinated with Greek yogurt, lime, garam masala, Kashmiri chili, cumin, and turmeric, Chicken Tikka Masala serves 4 in 1 hour, not including the marinating period. The cooked chicken is folded into a sauce of onions, garlic, ginger, crushed tomatoes, spices, and ghee. Serve it with white rice, cilantro, heavy cream, and warm naan.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Tikka Masala