A Beginner’s Guide to Asian Cuisine

posted in Lists and Leftovers by Lisa Freeman

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12 Comments

tafkajp said:

I would like to point out that sushi is not necessarily raw fish. Sashimi is raw fish.

Kathy Maister said:

Thanks Tafkaijp for the clarification! Cheers, Kathy

Marcy said:

Thank you for this great clarification of the wide and wonderful world of Asian Cuisine. I am a huge fan of all kinds of Indian food (North and South) and you rarely hear it explained, so thank you!!

Nancy Sparacino said:

You did a great job of explaining the various Asian cuisines, with one exception.

Japanese sushi does not necessarily include raw fish. Sashimi is raw fish. Sushi always has sweetened rice and then the ingredients vary widely. Some sushi is wrapped in nori (dried seaweed), some is not. Some sushi includes vegetables, seafood (cooked or raw), fish roe, and spicy sauces. The recent popularity of sushi bars in this country has inspired a lot of creativity and variety by sushi chefs. There is definitely something for everybody where sushi is concerned, whether or not raw fish interests you.

Jon (Sacker) said:

I’m going to put my hand up and take responsibility for Kathy’s sushi error.

As I have travelled fairly widely in SE Asia (though not Japan) Kathy asked me to cast an eye over this entry before she posted it. I didn’t pick up on the sushi mistake mea culpa. Sorry guys – guess I’ll just have to go to Japan some time

Jon

Lisa Freeman said:

Well, geez, Jon, I have to take greater responsibility since I wrote it. Honestly, I meant “sushi” from the generic Japanese food perspective–meaning raw fish and sometimes cooked, of course! (I do adore my unagi (bar-b-qued eel! Yum!). But our sharp-eyed readers on smartcooking.com are very precise in terms of their info–which is a very wonderful and good thing!

Glad to see we have such an intelligent bunch of readers who are keen editors, too! LOL!

Lisa

bella said:

Indonesia/Malaysia also have wonderful variety of cuisine that are distinct from other Asian food. And very delicious too!

Kathy Maister said:

Bella you are so right! Unfortunately when I have tried to duplicate some of these wonderful dishes at home, some of the ingredients are very difficult to find.

Joni said:

There are other styles within the region that one can investigate as well. Sri Lanka, Laos, Myanmar (Burma) even the Philippines…..I live in Australia and therefore we have this region at our doorstep, but for those interested in Asian cuisine of any kind the best referenence book for this is Charmaine Solomon’s Asian Cookbook. It details most countries (if not all) in the region and starts with an Introducton to the country, with the spices used, and an anecdote….well worth the read – starts from the basic influences/ingredients and gives a very authentic finish! (Well seemingly authentic anyway!)

Kathy Maister said:

Thanks Joni for the great tip!

Amazon (USA) has 39 reviews for Charmaine Solomon’s Asian Cookbook and they are all 5 stars!

I just love discovering GREAT cookbooks!

Naruto said:

Thanks for the introduction. Reading this is a good way to get acquainted with Asian cuisine.

Barry said:

I like having soup for breakfast! Is that weird? When I lived in Thailand I had soup everyday for breakfast with fish. Why are so many Americans against fish soup for breakfast? In Ecuador it is the preferred dish. Lol

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