Understanding Asia’s Cultural Diversity The Key to Mastering Asian Ingredients and Cooking Techniques (1/2)

By Eric Carre and Dari Carre, Amazing Food Creations! Undoubtedly, cultural influences and culinary exchanges have occurred since time immemorial. Staples such as noodles from Asia have shown up as spaghetti on Italian plates. Rice found its way from China to India, then West Africa and finally on to the Americas. Peruvian Incans had since cultivated potatoes before the Spanish Conquistadores brought them to Europe. Continuing on this path, classical French and Italian cooking and techniques went on to influence the way food was prepared way beyond their own country’s borders. What’s happening today? The Western world is now becoming aware of the longstanding and diverse culture, food and cooking techniques of Asia. Comprised of many distinct countries – and their regional cooking styles within, an array of unique ingredients as well as cooking techniques are now being applied to the cuisines of the world. (A perfect example of diversity is the rice grain. Though ubiquitous throughout Asia, the generality stops there, given the many different varieties of flavor, type and size, as well as cooking techniques!) Unlike Western-style cooking, where a single meal is comprised of separate elements, Asian cuisine is more complex. It is based on the intricate combination of layering flavors, textures, colors and even temperature of the food. There’s no better example than a sushi roll filled with fried shrimp (or soft shell crab)! From that first bite into the nori seaweed, an intense sweet ocean flavor couples with a slight physical resistance to the tooth. The next layer -sushi rice – is softer, until you reach the crunchiness of the shrimp. Although sushi is served cold, if you’re lucky, the shrimp will still be warm from frying. This residual heat also bolsters the spiciness of the sauce contained within. A customary dip into soy sauce completes this simplistic yet multifaceted taste sensation. Complex taste experiences can be built into dishes in any number of ways. Coriander, for example, can have more than one “identity”, if you will. In the ground state, it provides a desirable monochromatic flavor. Then add in some that is coarsely ground or cracked, and your flavor delivery has intensified while adding a textural layer. Another way is through the use of whole leaves of lettuces and herbs. A French dish may call for chopping or thinly slicing (en chiffonade) herbs, the protein is front, center and singular (chicken or beef or fish), and rarely do you see food rolled in whole raw leaf lettuces. By contrast, a Vietnamese spring roll may be filled with a combo of pork and shrimp, the latter lending a pleasant sweetness. Freshness of flavor and texture is accomplished upon finally rolling it into whole mint and then lettuce leaves. A pungently flavorful nuoc nam sauce for dipping is a perfect foil for this delicate creation. While fish or chicken may be cooked in the Western en papillote style and baked in the oven, in the East, a whole fish may be wrapped in nori or banana leaf and cooked in a bamboo steamer. As chefs have come to see, the highlights of Asian cooking styles go beyond merely the goal of feeding. What’s required is an understanding and appreciation for how the distinct aspects of Asian ingredients and cooking techniques interplay to create a fulfilling food experience. It is also essential to understand – and respect that spices and seasonings from Asia have their own individual characteristics, their own personality, not unlike people. If you don’t know how to use them, they will take advantage of you (and many an unexpected reaction can occur)!