From biryani to bibimbap, discover Asia’s most beloved rice dishes

In Asia, rice isn’t just a staple—it’s the soul of the meal. From hawker stalls in Singapore to rural kitchens in Laos, this humble grain is central to daily life. Beyond sustenance, it has shaped economies, rituals and even languages (in many Asian languages, “to eat” literally means “to eat rice”).

Cultivated for more than 9,000 years, rice adapted to Asia’s diverse landscapes—from glutinous varieties in the Mekong region to fragrant jasmine in Thailand. While a bowl of plain steamed rice is ubiquitous, the continent’s rice dishes are anything but ordinary.

Here, rice is transformed—braised, scorched, stir-fried, and soaked in spice—into iconic dishes that carry stories of place, memory and invention. Below, we explore 14 of Asia’s most beloved rice dishes, each rich in heritage and flavour.

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Bibimbap (Korea)

Bibimbap (Photo: Jakub Kapusnak via Unsplash)

Translating to “mixed rice”, bibimbap is a harmony of flavour and texture. Served in a hot stone bowl (dolsot) or a regular bowl, it layers steamed rice with sautéed vegetables, gochujang (chilli paste), sesame oil and egg. Regional varieties abound, including Jeonju bibimbap famous for its unique bean sprout soup, and Haehoe bibimbap from Andong, with its special sauce made from fermented soybeans.

Originally a thrifty way to use leftovers, bibimbap is now a showpiece. When served in a dolsot, the base crisps into a golden crust prized for its texture and known as nurungji.

Nasi goreng (Indonesia/Malaysia)

Nasi goreng (Photo: Anil Sharma via Pexels)

More than just fried rice, nasi goreng gets its deep, smoky flavour from sweet soy sauce, shallots, garlic, chilli and shrimp paste. Topped with a fried egg and served with prawn crackers called krupuk, it’s an umami-rich comfort food.

Variations across Indonesia and Malaysia include additions like ayam goreng, sate, or beef rendang. The dish is a flavour bomb—sweet, savoury and spicy in every bite.

Read more: 13 Malaysian rice and noodle dishes to know

Claypot rice (Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore)

Claypot rice (Photo: Uncle Lim via Unsplash)

This isn’t your average stovetop dish. Claypot rice is cooked directly over flame in a traditional earthen pot, allowing the grains to soak up the dripping fat and juices of lap cheong, salted fish and marinated chicken or pork. The toppings can differ depending on preferences, but the exciting part is when the bottom forms a smoky, crunchy crust—called fan jiu in Cantonese. The entire dish is often finished tableside with a pour of dark soy sauce. The result? One of the most deeply comforting, deeply satisfying rice dishes built on precision and patience.

Hainanese chicken rice (Singapore/Thailand/Malaysia)

Hainanese chicken rice (Photo: Change C.C via Pexels)

What looks like deceptively simple poached chicken and rice is actually a complex play of textures and temperatures. The rice is cooked in chicken fat and broth infused with ginger and garlic, giving it an aromatic, savory richness. Its accompanying chicken, on the other hand, is poached at a low simmer and then often plunged into an ice bath to create that tender meat and taut, silky skin. Hainanese chicken rice comes with a trio of sauces (ginger-scallion, chili and dark soy), and sometimes a clear soup, which is typically the broth in which the chicken was cooked. It's beloved across Southeast Asia, but in Singapore, it's practically a national dish.

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Biryani (India/Pakistan/Bangladesh)

Biryani (Photo: RDNE via Pexels)

A regal dish of spiced meat and basmati rice, biryani is both technique and ritual. The rice is layered with marinated meat and cooked dum-style—sealed to trap aromatic steam, allowing the ingredients to cook together.. From nearly every region in India boasting its own style of biryani, each variation is fiercely defended and passionately prepared. More often than not, expect saffron, cardamom, fried onions and a riot of flavour.

Tamago kake gohan (Japan)

Tamago kake gohan (Photo: Tomoko Uji via Unsplash)

Proof that simplicity can be transcendent, tamago kake gohan involves hot rice topped with a raw egg and a dash of soy sauce. That’s it. Stirred vigorously, the egg gently cooks in the heat of the rice, forming a custardy coating around every grain. The freshness and quality of the raw egg are paramount for this dish. In Japan, for instance, eggs are often pasteurised or held to very high hygiene standards, making raw consumption safe.

Tamago kake gohan is minimalist comfort food with maximum intimacy. It is rarely served in restaurants, but that only adds to its rustic appeal.

Khao kluk kapi (Thailand)

Khao kluk kapi (Photo: PoppyW via Wikimedia Commons)

This Thai rice dish is all about funk and freshness. The rice is stir-fried with shrimp paste (kapi), which provides the foundational savoury and pungent profile that defines this dish. It’s then plated with an ensemble of toppings: shredded green mango, sweet pork, chili, shallots, egg and cucumber. Eaters mix it all themselves, adjusting sour, sweet, spicy and umami notes to personal taste. It’s a dynamic plate that changes with every bite.

Nasi ulam (Malaysia)

Nasi ulam (Photo: Gunawan Kartapranata via Wikimedia Commons)

A herb-heavy rice salad traditionally eaten at room temperature, nasi ulam mixes cooked rice with shredded herbs like coriander, lemongrass, torch ginger, and mint. These specific herbs can change depending on region, but you can also expect wild betel leaf, turmeric leaf and torch ginger flower. Anchovies, toasted coconut, and sometimes salted fish or dried shrimp give it depth.

As with all the rice dishes here, nasi ulam is a masterstroke of balance: refreshing yet punchy, humble yet intricate. An embodiment of Malay culinary wisdom. If you need more to love about it, it’s also considered healthy thanks to the herb-heavy recipe.

Yakimeshi (Japan)

Yakimeshi (Photo: Jay Abrantes via Pexels)

Often mistaken for generic fried rice, yakimeshi is another Japanese take on the dish. It is made with short-grain rice, eggs, scallions and often bits of pork or seafood. What sets it apart is the texture: Japanese rice is stickier, and the wok technique (teppan or skillet-based) yields a lightly chewy, toasted result. Mastery lies in achieving wok hei, the smoky “breath of the wok”, which imparts a nice, smoky, charred profile.

Sinangag (Philippines)

Sinangag (Photo: Elmer B. Domingo via Wikimedia Commons)

Humble yet powerful, sinangag is made by sautéing cold, day-old rice with copious amounts of golden, crisped garlic and sometimes a splash of soy or fish sauce or maybe a dash of MSG. You must enjoy it with a fried egg and meat dishes like longganisa sausages, cured pork tocino or cured beef tapa. If you’ve ever heard of the beloved Filipino “silog” meals, this is where it starts.

Cơm tấm (Vietnam)

Cơm tấm (Photo: Christopher Crouzet via Wikimedia Commons)

Here is a dish with fractured origins, literally. Cơm tấm translates to “broken rice,” referring to the imperfect rice grains once considered peasant food. Today, it’s a Saigon classic, topped with grilled pork chops, steamed egg meatloaf called chả trứng, shredded pork skin and often a fried egg. Drenched in the Vietnamese fish sauce called nước chấm, cơm tấm is an umami powerhouse where every topping plays a bold role.

Nasi liwet (Indonesia)

Nasi liwet (Photo: Gunawan Kartapranata via Wikimedia Commons)

Hailing from Solo in Central Java, nasi liwet is rich, ceremonial and deeply communal. The rice is cooked in coconut milk and chicken broth until silky, then served with shredded chicken, egg, coconut curry (opor), and spicy tofu or tempeh (sambal goreng). Nasi liwet is traditionally eaten liwetan-style, that is, laid out on banana leaves and enjoyed with clean hands. This adds to that shared dining experience.

Takikomi gohan (Japan)

Takikomi gohan (Photo: Pelican via Wikimedia Commons)

A one-pot dish where rice is simmered with dashi, soy sauce, vegetables, mushrooms and sometimes seafood or chicken. The ingredients infuse the rice with layered savoury flavour. It’s a seasonal home-cooked staple with subtle depth.

Kao mok gai (Thailand)

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A Thai-Muslim take on biryani, kao mok gai features turmeric-and-spice-marinated chicken buried in saffron-hued rice. Served with a cucumber relish and green chili sauce, it’s fragrant, fiery, and often overlooked outside of southern Thailand. The dish highlights Thailand’s cultural intersections—Indian spice logic, Thai herbaceousness, and Islamic culinary influence—all on one aromatic plate.

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