Ingredients

Combining soy sauce,ginger,garlic,and scallions together for a sauce can lay the foundation for many Chinese recipes – yet it can also do the same for Korean or Japanese. The ingredients are only one part of the recipe, the final flavor profile is a sum of many elements. Contrary to many chefs’ point of view, a limited larder of ingredients can actually inspire innovation and creativity, not inhibit it – the chef needs to rely on their culinary ingenuity to create a variety tastes, textures, and appearance with a restricted number of ingredients. This process over time develops a traditional cuisine that is uniquely authentic. Having every ingredient at your on hand is not always to your advantage (and definitely not realistic.) It is in this paradox that we as the developers of tomorrow’s fare need to operate. Individual ingredients can be seen throughout many cuisines and how they are used can sometimes be unique to an area. From the coriander plant we get both the dried coriander seeds, coriander root and the fresh cilantro plant – each form has it’s uses. Coriander seeds can be found around the globe – to infuse a spicy broth for noodles in Malaysia, pounded into the curry pastes of Thailand, or pulverized into the curry powders of India. Brilliant green leaves are tucked into a fresh rice paper wrap in Vietnam, chopped and tossed with fried catfish for a salad in Thailand, and can be discovered suspended in a Chinese gingered chicken broth. Lemongrass is used in most of Southeast Asia’s cuisines – it is in Vietnam where they minced the lemongrass and marinate strip of pork that will be grilled and top a pile of cool rice noodles, the Thais may bruise the fragrant stalk and infuse a Hot and Sour soup, then if you were in Malaysia you may find that the cook grinds thin slices of the fibrous plant into a rempahs, a spice paste to form the base of a beef curry. As with a research chef, chefs in restaurants also face the challenge of our selection of ingredients, which is constantly being narrowed by the boundaries that we must impose on ourselves when we are responsibly procuring our supplies. Inventory management may limit the number of ingredients that you will want to have on-hand-four varieties of basil is your warehouse manager’s nightmare. What if it needs to be GMO-free? Trying to find a traditional flavor profile Red Curry Paste from a source that can provide the documentation your need for your upcoming audit can be a daunting challenge. This is where your resources such as the Research Chef Association list serve, connections that you have met at the latest Institute of Food Technologists show, or even that amazing pressurized Avocado that you sampled at the National Restaurant Association annual conference comes in to play. Developing a system that works for you and your team is essential to your success be organized, make the information accessible to each member of the team and update your resources often.