ORIENTAL CUISINE

Oriental cuisine styles can be broken down into several tiny regional styles that have roots in the peoples and cultures of those regions. The major types can be roughly defined as East Asian with its origins in Imperial China and now encompassing modern Japan and the Korean peninsula; Southeast Asian which encompasses Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Viet Nam, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines; South Asian states that are made up of India, Burma, Sri Lanka and Pakistan as well as several other countries in this region of the continent Central Asian and Middle Eastern.

Terminology
In the United Kingdom, "Asian cuisine" most often refers to South Asian cuisine, while in the United States and Australia it usually refers to East Asian (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) and Southeast Asian cuisine, in addition to South Asian cuisine. In much of Asia, the term does not include the country's native cuisines. For example, in Hong Kong and mainland China, Asian cuisine is a general umbrella term for Japanese cuisine, Korean cuisine, Filipino cuisine, Thai cuisine, Vietnamese cuisine, Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine and Indonesian cuisine; but Chinese cuisine and Indian cuisine are excluded. The term Asian cuisine might also used to address the eating establishments that offer wide array of Asian dishes without rigid cuisine boundaries; such as selling satay, gyoza or lumpia for appetizer, som tam, rojak or gado-gado for salad, offering chicken teriyaki, nasi goreng or beef rendang as main course, tom yam and laksa as soup, and cendol or ogura ice for dessert. In modern fusion cuisine, the term Asian cuisine might refer to the culinary exploration of cross-cultural Asian cuisine traditions. For example combining the culinary elements of Vietnam and Japanese, Thai and Malay, or Indonesian and Chinese.

By region

Uzbek Palov

Peking Duck, a national food of China

Japanese sushi platter

Tibetan momos served in a tomato-based broth

South Indian dosa

Chicken tikka, popular in India

Hoppers from Sri Lanka

Ponorogo chicken satay from Indonesia, satay also popular across Southeast Asia

Tom yum soup from Thailand

Lebanese-style Hummus

skender kebap from Turkey

The Three Cuisine Areas of Asia

The South West - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma The North East - China, Korea, Japan The South East - Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia ,Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Curries are very important to the cuisines of the South East and SouthWest, less so in the cuisine of the North East. South Western curries are generally based on yogurt, whereas the curries of the South Eastand North East are generally based on coconut milk. Rice is a staple starch in all three cuisines areas. In addition to rice, South Western cuisines include a variety of leavened and unleavend breads and South East and North East cuisines include rice and eggnoodles. In the South West, the major oil used in frying is ghee, or clarified butter. In the South East and North East, the major oils are vegetable oils. Garlic and ginger are used in all three cuisine areas, as are chilipeppers, although chilies are much more common in the South Westand South East. The North Eastern cuisines use soy sauce in nearly everything; the South East substitutes fish sauce; there is no equivalent in South Western cooking. In the South East, there are two additional flavorings that are not used in the other cuisines - galangal and lemon grass.
Cuisines of the South East

The original cuisine of the South East is probably the peasant cuisine of Thailand. Archaeology has recently discovered that the metal workingcultures of the central plain of Thailand date back to at least 3000 BC,easily in the same class as the ancient cultures of China and India. The peasant cuisine

associated with these early metal workers spread east across the mountains into Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, and south down the Malayan peninsula and the island arc of Indonesia. This cuisine did not develop in isolation, of course. As it spread, it was influenced by ideas coming from the North East and South West, and influenced them in return. Most recently, of course, the cuisines of Europe have influenced the native ones. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were French colonies, Malaysia was a British Colony, Indonesia was a Dutch colony. Thailand was a rarity in that it successfully resisted European colonisation. Rice is the staple grain of the North East and South East and is only slightly less important in the South West. It is the original crop that caused the conversion from hunter-gatherer to subsistence farmer inthis area; as such it spread across the region before regional cuisines began to evolve. Some Italians may object if you claim that Marco Polo brought spaghetti back from China, but there is little doubt tha tnoodles came to this region from China. Curries are a very common across the region, but less common in Vietnam where the Chinese influence is strong. The concept probably came from India and spread east, but the people of the South East modified the original by substituting coconut milk for yogurt as the basis for the sauce. The cooking utensil called the wok, and the stir fry technique using vegetable oils came to the area from the China. Garlic and ginger are common all across Eurasia and probably arrived in the area at almost the same time as rice. The arrival of chili peppers in the area can be placed with relative accuracy. Chili peppers, indeed all peppers, are native to the Americas and arrived in the region with European explorers/exploiters. This means they could not have arrived before about 1520, and were widespread by 1600. Fish sauce is probably a local invention, but the Romans had a similar concoction (liquamen), so it is possible the idea was imported. (Maybe that's where the lost legion ended up) There are many spices used in the region; cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka, cardamom and cumin from India, coriander and star anise from China, cloves, nutmeg and mace are native. Several herbs are common in the region, Thai basil, sweet basil and mint being the commonest. These herbs grow almost everywhere across tropical and subtropical Eurasia, so, while the idea of using them in cooking may have

been imported, the actual herbs used are native varieties. This is especially true of Thai basil, with its purple stems and licorice flavor. Citrus flavors are important to the region's cuisines, especially lime, which is native to the islands of Indonesia and Malaysia. Not just the juice and pulp are used, but also the zest and leaves. Last, but certainly not least, are lemon grass and galangal. These two flavors are the flavors which make the cuisines of the region unique. They are undoubtedly of local origin, for they are used nowhere else in the world. They are the two flavors which I have chosen to define the scope of this page.

Notes on Recipes

Equipment
The Wok The wok is the most important piece of cooking equipment in SouthEast Asia and China. If you plan to do much of this region's cooking you should invest in a good wok. A cast iron fry pan will serve in a pinch, but the rounded bottom of the wok provides a range of cooking temperatures in one pan, which can be important in stir frying. There are many type of woks available - round- bottomed and flat-bottomed, on- handled and two-handled, mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and teflon coated. The most traditional is hand beaten of mild steel with a round bottom and two handles. Mild steel is preferred for its heat transfer properties; thin stamped stainless steel or aluminum just don't hold enough heat, and cast aluminum takes to long to heat upand cool down. The traditional round bottom is designed to sit in theround hole of a charcoal burner. In a modern kitchen equipped with agas stove, the round bottomed wok might fit the burners, depending onthe design of the stove. If the wok does not fit the burners, it may be placed on a wok ring. In an electic kitchen, a flat bottomed wok is best, both for stability and for heat transfer. A properly conditioned iron wok is at least as non-stick as any teflon coating ever made. A new wok must be seasoned before use. Scrub it well with soap and water to remove any coating applied to protect it during shipping, rinse well, and dry. Place the wok over low heat, wipe lightly with vegetable oil and let stand on the heat for 10 minutes. Cool and wipe with paper towels to remove the dark film. Repeat the oiling, heating, cooling and wiping procedure until the paper towels come away clean. Once a wok has been seasoned, it should be cleaned with plain water only using a wok brush, never with soap or abrasive cleaners,

then dried and oiled before storing. If the metal ever rusts, clean with steel wool or fine sand paper and re-season. Wok Tools The most important wok tool is the long handled shovel-shaved scoop used to stir fry. Other wok tools include; a ladle, used to transfer liquids to and from the wok; a strainer with a brass or steel basket to remove foods from hot oil; a strainer with a bamboo basket fo rremoving foods from boiling water or stock; a bamboo whisk brush for cleaning; a rack which sits on the side of the wok for draining fried foods. Steamers Large dedicated steamers with multiple stacking are available instainless steel or aluminum, but more common are the stackable bamboo steamers. These are designed to be used in a wok over boiling water, and are often used as serving dishes. Clay Pot Clay pots - "hot pots", glazed on the inside but unglazed on the outside are used for baking or stewing. They are available in a range of sizes,and like woks, with either one handle or two. Cleavers The oriental cleaver is a very verstile instrument - it performs all the functions of the various knives of western kitchens. Light cleavers are used for general chopping, slicing and carving; heavier, thicker cleavers are used for chopping bones. A good set of kitchen knives can be substituted. Rice Cooker If you are cooking rice often, a rice cooker is worth the investment . Place rice and water in the cooker, plug it in and press the button. Perfect rice very time. Hand Held Blender or Small Food Processor Most South East Asian dishes require considerable fine chopping - a hand held blender with a mincer/chopper attachment or a small food processor will cut your preparation time in half.

Ingredients

Curry Pastes and Powders

Southeast Asian curries are normally based on curry pastes which are made from a variety of fresh and dried ingredients ground together in a mortar and pestle. This is the recommended process if you are cooking curries daily, but the pastes have a limited shelf life. If you are only cooking them from time to time it is more convenient to make up curry powders in advance and add the fresh ingredients at cooking time. All the recipes given here are based on curry powders, recipes for which are given in the section on Sauces, Relishes and Spices for the appropriate country. I would recommend that you buy fresh whole spices and grind them yourself in a spice or coffee grinder rather than buy pre-ground spices. Stored in an air-tight container in a dry place, curry powders will keep for a couple of months before their flavors start to decline. If you would prefer to make pastes, refer to a recipe for the appropriate curry in my Thai sauce pages - for instance, to make Thai red curry paste, refer to a recipe for a red curry of pork or chicken in the Thai recipe section. Use the proportions given in the recipe of onion, shallots, garlic,ginger, galangal, lemon grass, chili paste, coriander leaves and curry powder to make your paste. Pastes, of course, should be refrigerated after preparation. They will keep for a week or two. Chili Paste The chili paste referred to in the recipes can be made at home by grinding fresh chilies in a mortar and pestle or food processor. A little salt and vinegar may be added to thin the mixture slightly. Alternately, you may buy a prepared chili paste, but be sure it contains only chilies (with a little salt and vinegar as above). Obviously the color of the paste will depend on the color of the chilies used to make it. Use red chili paste in a red curry and green chili paste in a green curry if you can. If you can't, don't worry, the color of the finished product may not live up to the name of the recipe, but the taste will be pretty much the same. Coconut Milk When coconut milk is specified in the recipe, use canned coconut milk with no dilution. When making curry, the first part of most recipes calls for you to put about 1/2 cup of coconut milk in a pan and heat it up. It is VERY important that you not shake the can first. Open the can and skim the top cream off and

heat it until you see the oils starting to separate. Then add the curry paste/powder. Tamarind Liquid The Tamarind Liquid referred to in the recipes can be made as follows. Take 3 tablespoons of tamarind pulp, and soak in 1/2 cupwarm water for 10 minutes. Knead and rub with your fingers until the pulp dissolves. Strain the liquid to remove the seeds and fibers. Tamarind liquid may also be made from concentrate by soaking 1tablespoon of concentrate in 1/2 cup warm water, but the concentrate tends to be very dark in color, which can adversely affect the color ofthe dish. There are a few types of Tamarind available. Some recipes call for sweet tamarind and others call for the bitter types. If your recipe doesn't specify, use the sweet type. If the recipe is too sweet, you can cut it with a little salt or fish sauce. If you have access to fresh, sweet tamarind, it can be eated by breaking open the shell and eating the soft flesh. One of my favorites. My wife prefers the bitter type. She takes the seed covered with the flesh and covers it with a mixture of sugar and dried red pepper.

METHOD OF COOKING

ASIAN COOKING METHODS Stir-frying The most common acknowledged cooking method in the Far East involving quick cooking of small cuts over high heat. Generally little oil is necessary and it can be

totally eliminated when using non stick woks or pans. The beauty of this cooking method is that most vitamins and minerals but also textures will stay intact. When cooking on electric ovens it is important that the base of the pan has a suitable contact surface to distribute the heat evenly and economically. Common woks are designed to be used with an open flame only. Preparation is the key in preparing Asian stirfries. All ingredients, sauces and seasonings have to be in reach since the cooking time is greatly reduced.

Deep-frying This cooking method is not only used for frying spring rolls or crackers but in some dishes also to give meats and seafood a outer crunchy coat. The goods are then coated with flour and deep-fried until cooked. The sauce is then prepared and poured over the meat just before serving. Deep-frying is done swimming which means that the food must be able to float in the oil while cooking. If not enough oil is used the temperature will drop and will result in a soggy and oily product. If you follow the chefs you might want to deep-fry in a wok. Test the temperature by simply dipping a wooden spoon inside the oil. When it starts right away to generate bubbles it is time to cook. It is however more dangerous than using a commercially available electric fryer. The result will be identical whatever way of cooking you prefer.

If large pieces of food are to be cooked, the temperature of the oil should be lower.

Steaming Another healthy way of preparing Asian food is the use of Steam. While there are very useful and decorative baskets available in Asian markets, steaming can be done in almost any large pot. A popular variety of steamed food can be found in Chinese restaurants during lunch. Dim Sum is served and contains all kind of meats, seafood and vegetarian delights. Other Asian cuisines make also use of this nutritional valuable cooking method. It is very interesting to see what attractive food is produced by creative chefs that way.

Stewing Some meat cuts require longer cooking times than others. In Asia, chefs prepare generally every part of an animal into food. This calls sometimes for stewing meats. They used to be simmered in earthen pots over low heat charcoal flames but in our days your kitchen will do just fine. Some curries in Asia are calling for meats with more connective tissue such as the shank of beef or chicken legs. When simmered for longer periods of time the liquid in which it is cooked gains richness and flavour. Therefore it is worthwhile the wait until it has reached the point of tenderness.

Roasting Classical examples of roasting food in Asian kitchens is the preparation of Indian dishes such as Tandoori Chicken or the Chinese Peking Duck. Generally the ovens used are large and generate a high temperature. This ensures nit only a fast cooking time but also a juicy centre and crisp outside.

Blanching This method describes pre-cooking of items before they can be used as ingredient in recipes. In a large saucepan bring water to the boil. If you cook Asian food do not add any seasoning while in Western cooking salt can be added. Dip food into boiling water for a few seconds and remove immediately. Vegetables are then generally placed directly into ice water to preserve their natural colours.