Most of what makes these recipes work is five bottles: soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, oyster sauce and hoisin. Stock those and nineteen of the twenty-five below become weeknight cooking rather than a special trip. The sixth useful thing is cornstarch, which is what turns a thin pan liquid into a sauce that coats.

Twenty-five recipes grouped by type: stir fries first, then noodles, teriyaki, salmon and seafood, chicken, bowls, and sides. These are Asian-inspired home cooking rather than regional authenticity, with the exception of the Filipino adobo and the dan dan noodles, which follow their traditions closely. Every entry lists the real total time, the servings and the ingredient count.

Stir Fries

Three. All three are twenty-five to thirty minutes, and two are built on ground turkey, which is the cheapest way to make a stir fry.

Ground Turkey Broccoli Stir Fry

Nine ingredients: a pound of ground turkey with four full cups of broccoli, garlic, ginger and two tablespoons of soy sauce over rice or noodles. Twenty-five minutes. View the full recipe — 25 minutes · 4 servings · 9 ingredients

Hoisin Ground Turkey Stir Fry

Eight ingredients: a pound of ground turkey with three tablespoons of soy sauce, two of hoisin, sesame oil and a teaspoon of cornstarch. The shortest list in this collection. View the full recipe — 25 minutes · 4 servings · 8 ingredients

Ginger Soy Chicken Green Beans

A pound of chicken with a full pound of green beans in soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, two tablespoons of coconut sugar, sesame oil and fresh ginger. Nine ingredients. View the full recipe — 30 minutes · 4 servings · 9 ingredients

Noodles

Five noodle dishes. Three are twenty-five minutes, and the dan dan noodles are the one worth buying sesame paste for.

Soy Sauce Chow Mein Noodles

Seven ounces of fresh chow mein noodles with both light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil, with onion and bell pepper. The two soy sauces do different jobs: light for salt, dark for color. View the full recipe — 25 minutes · 2 servings · 11 ingredients

Supreme Soy Noodles with Green Onions and Oyster Sauce

A pound of fresh noodles with eight green onions, two cloves of garlic, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and mirin. Nine ingredients and no meat at all. View the full recipe — 25 minutes · 4 servings · 9 ingredients

Sesame Chili Dan Dan Noodles

Half a pound of ground pork over Chinese wheat noodles in a sauce of two tablespoons of sesame paste with chili oil, rice vinegar and dark soy, topped with crushed peanuts. Twelve ingredients. View the full recipe — 25 minutes · 4 servings · 12 ingredients

Sesame Soy Chicken Lo Mein

Seven ingredients: eight ounces of lo mein noodles with a pound of chicken, two cups of mixed vegetables and a sauce of broth, soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil. View the full recipe — 30 minutes · 4 servings · 7 ingredients

Hokkien Noodle Stir Fry

Fourteen ounces of Hokkien noodles with eight ounces of chicken, bell pepper, carrot and green onions in soy and oyster sauce. Nine ingredients. View the full recipe — 45 minutes · 4 servings · 9 ingredients

Teriyaki

Four. Two are slow cooker, which suits a sweet glaze because there is no risk of scorching it.

Juicy Teriyaki Burgers

A pound of ground beef with a quarter cup of teriyaki sauce worked into the patty rather than brushed on. Eight ingredients, twenty-five minutes. View the full recipe — 25 minutes · 4 servings · 8 ingredients

Salmon Teriyaki Bowl

Four salmon fillets glazed with coconut aminos, sesame oil and honey, over brown rice with edamame and avocado, with a spicy yogurt sauce. Fourteen ingredients, twenty-seven minutes. View the full recipe — 27 minutes · 4 servings · 14 ingredients

Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki

A pound of chicken breast with half a cup of teriyaki sauce, broth, garlic and ginger, thickened with cornstarch at the end, with broccoli and bell pepper over three cups of rice. View the full recipe — 4 hours 25 minutes · 4 servings · 10 ingredients

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Meatballs

Two pounds of frozen meatballs in a sauce of a cup of pineapple juice, half a cup of soy sauce, brown sugar, honey and rice vinegar. Serves eight and holds on warm for hours. View the full recipe — 5 hours 15 minutes · 8 servings · 10 ingredients

Salmon and Seafood

Three, all under forty minutes. Fish takes a soy-based glaze better than almost anything else.

Sheet Pan Hoisin Salmon and Asparagus

Four skin-on fillets with half a cup of hoisin, fresh ginger and soy sauce, roasted on one pan with a pound of asparagus and six scallions. Twelve ingredients, twenty-five minutes. View the full recipe — 25 minutes · 4 servings · 12 ingredients

Honey Soy Glazed Salmon

Seven ingredients: four salmon fillets with a quarter cup of honey, two tablespoons of soy sauce, garlic, lemon juice and butter. Thirty minutes. View the full recipe — 30 minutes · 4 servings · 7 ingredients

Soy Marinated Grilled Tuna Steaks

Two tuna steaks in soy sauce, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and chili flakes. Seven ingredients, sized for two, and tuna wants to stay rare in the middle. View the full recipe — 38 minutes · 2 servings · 7 ingredients

Chicken Dinners

Three. The adobo is the most traditional recipe on this page and the one with the fewest ingredients.

Soy Vinegar Braised Chicken Adobo

Eight ingredients: two pounds of bone-in chicken braised in half a cup each of soy sauce and white vinegar with ten cloves of garlic, bay leaves and whole peppercorns. Filipino adobo, and the vinegar-to-soy ratio is the recipe. View the full recipe — 1 hour 10 minutes · 4 servings · 8 ingredients

Sticky Honey Soy Chicken Thighs

Two and a half pounds of bone-in thighs or drumsticks with three tablespoons each of honey and soy sauce, cider vinegar and sesame oil, baked until the glaze thickens onto the skin. Serves six. View the full recipe — 1 hour 15 minutes · 6 servings · 10 ingredients

Shredded Sweet Soy Chicken Breast

A pound of chicken breast slow cooked in a third of a cup each of soy sauce and white vinegar with three tablespoons of fruit jam and whole peppercorns, then shredded. Eleven ingredients. View the full recipe — 5 hours 15 minutes · 4 servings · 11 ingredients

Bowls and Stuffed Peppers

Three. All three are built on rice or cabbage and serve four.

Ginger Sesame Egg Roll Bowl

A pound of ground pork with fourteen ounces of coleslaw mix, garlic, a tablespoon of fresh ginger, soy sauce and sriracha, topped with crispy wonton strips. Egg roll filling without the wrapper. View the full recipe — 25 minutes · 4 servings · 10 ingredients

Asian Turkey Broccoli Bowl

A pound of ground turkey with four cups of broccoli in a sauce of broth, soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil thickened with cornstarch, over four cups of rice. Eleven ingredients. View the full recipe — 35 minutes · 4 servings · 11 ingredients

Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken and Rice Stuffed Peppers

Four yellow bell peppers filled with a pound of ground chicken, a third of a cup of teriyaki, fresh pineapple, rice and shredded carrots. Ten ingredients. View the full recipe — 50 minutes · 4 servings · 10 ingredients

Sides and Starters

Four. The ramen salad is fifteen minutes and the one people ask for the recipe to.

Crunchy Asian Ramen Noodle Salad

Two packages of ramen noodles crushed raw over four cups of coleslaw mix with sliced almonds, in a dressing of rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Eight ingredients, fifteen minutes. View the full recipe — 15 minutes · 4 servings · 8 ingredients

Garlic Sesame Cucumber Salad

Four Persian cucumbers with two cloves of garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar and red pepper flakes. Eight ingredients, twenty-five minutes including the rest. View the full recipe — 25 minutes · 4 servings · 8 ingredients

Crispy Zucchini Carrot Pancakes with Asian Dipping Sauce

Shredded zucchini, carrot and cabbage bound with half a cup of flour and an egg, pan fried, with a soy, rice vinegar and ginger dipping sauce. Fifteen ingredients. View the full recipe — 30 minutes · 4 servings · 15 ingredients

Sesame Crusted Tofu Steaks with Teriyaki Sauce

Fourteen ounces of extra firm tofu pressed into four tablespoons each of white and black sesame seeds, pan fried, with a soy, mirin and sake sauce. Fourteen ingredients. View the full recipe — 40 minutes · 4 servings · 14 ingredients

Questions About Cooking These at Home

What should I buy first?

Light soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, oyster sauce and hoisin. Those five appear across nineteen of the twenty-five recipes here. Dark soy sauce is worth adding sixth, since it is what gives chow mein and supreme soy noodles their color.

What is the difference between light and dark soy sauce?

Light soy sauce is the salty, thinner one you season with. Dark soy sauce is aged longer, thicker, slightly sweet, and used mostly for color. The chow mein, supreme soy noodles and dan dan noodles all use both, which is why they look right as well as taste right.

Why does almost every sauce here use cornstarch?

Because a stir fry sauce has to coat rather than pool. A teaspoon or two of cornstarch slurried into cold liquid and added at the end thickens in under a minute. The hoisin turkey, the crockpot teriyaki, the turkey broccoli bowl and the teriyaki meatballs all do this.

What is the fastest recipe here?

Crunchy Asian Ramen Noodle Salad at fifteen minutes with no cooking. Of the dinners, both ground turkey stir fries, the chow mein, the supreme soy noodles, the dan dan noodles, the egg roll bowl and the teriyaki burgers are all twenty-five minutes.

Are these authentic regional recipes?

Mostly no, and the page says so. These are Asian-inspired home cooking that works with supermarket ingredients. The two closest to their traditions are the Filipino chicken adobo, which is a genuine soy and vinegar braise, and the dan dan noodles, which use real sesame paste and chili oil.

How do I get a proper sear in a stir fry?

High heat, a dry surface and not crowding the pan. Pat the protein dry, cook it in two batches if the pan is small, and add the sauce only at the end. A crowded pan drops in temperature and the meat steams instead of browning.

Which of these are vegetarian?

Supreme Soy Noodles, the sesame crusted tofu steaks, the zucchini carrot pancakes, both cucumber and ramen salads, and the chow mein noodles as written. Six of the twenty-five.