Home > Everyday Gourmet > Archives > 2009 > June > 02 > Entry
Exploring Asian Food Inspiration
“In the 1950s Asian food meant chop suey and fortune cookies to most Americans,” states an internet source. Travel and immigration have influenced changes in this perspective, and in today’s food scene in the United States, yes, in Waco, too, the myriad of flavors from many Asian countries have brought an awareness of the richness and diversity of these fascinating countries and their cuisines.
Attempting to write about Asian foods is too daunting a task to do alone. I found help from Han Ashley, personal chef and owner of The Epicurean. According to Han the general Asian philosophy is that meat is a condiment with the main emphasis is on fresh vegetables and whole grains. Ginger, garlic and onions are the “trinity” for all Asian cuisine with Southeast Asians using fresh ingredients such as lemongrass, cilantro, Thai basil and peppers. Indian foods tend to have dried herbs and spices such as saffron, cardamom and turmeric.
The availability of foodstuffs affects our cooking. (We Americans have become accustomed to an abundance of everything. Is that the reason we go to a buffet and pile on the food?) Asian countries seem to have a different idea about food. The Asian carefully builds the plate to fit the palate, carefully combining and tasting and enjoying the blends of flavors. Soups and stir fry are the everyday meals, and fancy foods that are more labor-intensive are prepared for special occasions and may involve the extended family in the preparation.
This is only a slight scratch on the surface of the subject. Another day, another conversation, another blog about curry or ginger or lemon grass or… . In the meantime here’s a refreshing spring-summer salad and a good way to use left-over chicken.
Asian Chicken Salad
2 T. brown sugar
1 t. Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
2 t. soy sauce
1 t. fresh ginger, grated
1 T. sesame seed oil
3 T. rice vinegar
¼ c. vegetable oil
A little sea salt
Combine the above ingredients 30 minutes before serving time. Pour into a salad dressing carafe.
4 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
1 large package mixed salad greens or l medium head Iceberg lettuce
1 c. chow mein noodles
3 green onions, chopped
1 Mandarin orange, peeled and sectioned or 1 8oz can Mandarin oranges, drained
1 T. sesame seeds, toasted
In a large bowl combine lettuce, cooked and shredded chicken, green onions, orange slices and toasted sesame seeds. Let chill for 10 minutes. Just before serving add noodles, pour dressing over top of salad, toss and serve immediately.
Notes: For a mild dressing, omit the Sriacha Hot Chili Sauce.
This salad dressing makes a GREAT marinade for pork ribs, loin chops, and chicken.
Although I shy away from sweeter wines, a nice Reisling or, yes, even a white Zinfandel pairs nicely with these foods. Try the Polka Dot Reisling, either dry or sweet. It tastes great with these flavors and it has a cool bottle.
Happy Cooking and Eating!
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By Chris
June 4, 2009 10:44 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
One of my favorite subjects. If you never have I’d highly recommend you spend some time in an Asian supermarket and play around with some of the unusual ingredients that you can’t find elsewhere…roasted pork belly with 5 spice and szechaun pepper, miso glazed fish or chicken, thin egg noodles with chinese sausage bok choy and maitaki mushrooms in a soup, jackfruit smoothies, and banh mi with real rice flour baguettes are a few of the things I love to eat that you can’t get in Waco restaurants and can’t make yourself with a trip to HEB.