You'll find that baking is not a common cooking method in Asia. But with so much time spent at home (social distancing, and trying to work from home), we decided to gather some of the best Asian bakes, including melt-off-the-bone meat dishes, tender fish meals and of course, delicious desserts! We might add that baking is usually incredibly healthy, needing little unhealthy additives like fat or salt, and it does not typically cause nutrients in a dish to break down (as in the searing heat of a wok). But the best part? After prep, leave it in the oven for the most part of the recipe. Perfect for an undisturbed time at home. 

1. Baked Potato with Sambal

Elevate the traditional baked potato dish to another level with our unique Baked Potatoes with Sambal. This recipe is so simple that it calls for only a few key ingredients that you can find in most kitchens anywhere and takes you an average of 5 minutes to prepare. Perfect as a side with your favorite meat dish or on its own as a snack. Enjoy it, quite literally, hot off the oven!

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2. Baked Mooncake

Hankering for mooncake but can’t get it outside of the Mid-Autumn Festival? Our Baked Mooncake recipe has you covered! It's quite fun to choose from different mooncake molds, from traditional Chinese scripts to fun floral designs. Then, simply buy pre-made lotus seed paste, or any other sweet paste really, fit into lovely mooncake molds and slide into the oven. 

3. Gastronomial Baked Fish with Spicy Strawberry Chutney

Fish is an amazing ingredient to bake – not only does it do well in retaining lovely flavours, it's also great for picky eaters because this manner of preparation reduces the “fishy” smell and makes it more palatable. Sounds good? Then try our Gastronotmical Baked Fish with Spicy Strawberry Chutney recipe. Tangy and sweet with a kick of spice, guaranteed to whet your appetite and leave you satisfied!

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4. Green Curry Baked Rice

Love baked rice? Then you are going to love this Thai-inspired Green Curry Baked Rice. Baked, this dish maintains the creamy goodness of green curry while successfully smothering it with melted cheese. What more could you ask for? Oh, we forget the irresistible curried smells wafting from out the oven. Thankfully, that might be the only part of the recipe that takes attention off your work! 

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5. One-Dish Gula Melaka Banana Pudding

Baked to a gooey and saucy mess, this One Dish Gula Melaka Banana Pudding by Sarah Huang Benjamin will have you and your lucky diners going for seconds, and thirds… and fourths! Truly a wonder recipe, Bread and Butter Pudding is a classic British dessert that’s perfect for a Christmas gathering, and way more. And here, she's given it an indulgent and familiar Asian twist with tropical flavours of pandan kaya and gula melaka palm sugar.

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6. One-Pan Palak Paneer Baked Gnocchi

This is one baked vegetarian dish that you will have no regrets trying. Palak Paneer is a smooth rich spinach gravy with cubes of Indian cottage cheese. A rich, already creamy dish, it’s made even better when you blended it with any kind of starch just to cut its strong flavour - from rice, prata, even pasta. And here, we’ve mixed Palak Paneer with gnocchi in this One Pan Baked Palak Paneer recipe. A great family dinner, or to bring to a potluck, especially if your crowd favours Indian and Western cuisine - it’s a perfect combination of both!

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7. One-Pan Slow-Baked Wuxi Pork Ribs

This slow-baked pork ribs dish will you have jumping for joy (and sucking the bones!) Combining Asian and Western cooking techniques makes this an easy, one-pot dish. All the flavour from the Chinese sauces penetrates the ribs during a low and slow bake in the oven, where they become meltingly soft and fall-off-the-bone tender.

8. Prata Curry Puff

We’ve hacked the ol’ favourite curry puff and made it healthier… by baking!  Not only is Prata Curry Puff easy to make since the frozen pratas are readily available at any major grocery stores, but it is also a perfect afternoon snack for everyone at home, at work, or just anywhere on the go. Grab some potatoes, chicken thigh, onions, and frozen pratas and start making your Prata Curry Puff.

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9. Salt-Baked Chicken

First refrigerated then baked till tender, moist and incredibly flavourful, the Salt Baked Chicken is a signature Hakka dish that is a salty, savoury, lightly spiced chicken that pairs addictively well with rice. After spending a night in the fridge to become firm, the chicken is wrapped in baking paper, encased in a thick shell of coarse salt, and left to soak in its juices. Perfect to have it with rice and soup at after a long day.

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10. Salted Egg Kale Chips

Pop the whole tray in the oven and let it crips and cook! It's delicious chips that are baked… and made of... kale? We know that probably doesn’t sound extremely appetising, but now that we’ve thrown in salted egg, you'll go positively mad for it. The superfood, kale, is baked in buttery goodness, curry leaves, the heat of chillies and the super side-kick -creamy umami-filled salted eggs. Need some sweetness? We used gavia instead, it's a sugar replacement and a rare sugar equivalent. But other sugar replacements work too. Be warned though, it's addictive and absolutely keto-friendly.

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