This rich red curry from Thailand is crowned the best dish in Asia by TasteAtlas

Nasi lemak, chilli crab, bahn mi, pad thai...travelling through Asia is always guaranteed to be a riot for the tastebuds. There are thousands upon thousands of dishes to try in this corner of the world that reflect the diverse cultures here, from Chinese and Indonesian to Thai and Vietnamese and all the sub-ethnicities within. 

If you don't know where to start, how about taking some pointers from TasteAtlas's ranked list of 100 Best Dishes in the World? The food encyclopedia pulled this delicious list together based on more than 300,000 ratings for 11,258 dishes in its database as part of its TasteAtlas World Food Awards 24/25. 

Thailand's phanaeng curry emerged as the fifth-best dish in the world and the best dish in Asia. TasteAtlas describes the red curry as having a "thick texture and salty-sweet peanut flavour". A popular rendition of the dish includes pork, which is stewed with coconut milk, panang curry paste, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, and palm sugar. If you're dying to try this, TasteAtlas recommends spots like Baan Rim Pa Patong in Phuket and May Veggie Home in Bangkok. 

Indonesia's rawon dish also ranked high at No. 8 on the global list. Said to originate from Surabaya in East Java, this flavourful beef soup stands out for one special ingredient: buah keluak, an Indonesian black nut that's fermented (so it loses its toxicity) and which TasteAtlas says gives the soup "its earthy and sour taste" and "unique dark black colour". Give it a go in its hometown of Surabaya at Rawon Setan and Warung Sedap Malam. 

Many more iconic dishes from Asia also made it to TasteAtlas's list of the 100 best dishes in the world. There's springy biang biang noodles from China (No. 11), unadon from Japan (No. 15), khao soi from Thailand again (No. 17), and pempek from Indonesia (No. 23), among many others. 

There are all the Asian dishes in TasteAtlas's 100 Best Dishes in the World list: 

1. Phanaeng curry, Thailand (#5)
2. Rawon, Indonesia (#8)
3. Biang biang noodles, China (#11)
4. Unadon, Japan (#15)
5. Khao soi, Thailand (#17)
6. Pempek, Indonesia (#23)
7. Tonkotsu ramen, Japan (#25)
8. Murgh makhani, India (#29)
9. Hyderabadi biryani, India (#31)
10. Samgyeopsal, South Korea (#32)
11. Nasi goreng ayam, Indonesia (#33)
12. Taiwanese hot pot, Taiwan (#34)
13. Karē, Japan (#36)
14. Sinigang, Philippines (#41)
15. Murgh karahi, Pakistan (#43)
16. Gulai, Indonesia (#44)
17. Miso ramen, Japan (#48)
18. Maguro nigiri sushi, Japan (#49)
19. Pai huang gua, China (#54)
20. Beijing roast duck (#55)
21. Massaman curry, Thailand (#60)
22. Galbi, South Korea (#61)
23. Tom kha gai, Thailand (#65)
24. Rendang, Indonesia (#67)
25. Dan dan noodles, China (#68)
26. You bao xia, China (#71)
27. Inasal na manok, Philippines (#72)
28. Kai yang, Thailand (#73)
29. Hong shao, China (#82)
30. Phat kaphrao, Thailand (#84)
31. Sichuan hot pot, China (#87)
32. Tsukemen, Japan (#88)
33. Gunkanmaki, Japan (#89)
34. Liangpi, China (#91)
35. Pho bo, Vietnam (#93)
36. Unagi nigiri sushi, Japan (#94)
37. Chicken 65, India (#97)
38. Keema, India (#100)

Check out the full list here and explore more categories like 100 Best Cuisines (Indonesia gets a nod here) and 100 Best Food Cities (Mumbai, India shines). 

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