The top ethnic cuisine in the U.S. is Italian, followed by Mexican. It has been this way for decades, but now we’re seeing the growing popularity of Asian cuisine and it does not look like it is just a fad, because Asian dishes can now be found on almost any menu.
Years back, Americans started experimenting with Chinese ingredients and found this to be a great idea, just as they did combining French cooking techniques with traditional American cooking. More recently, Japanese cuisine barged into the scene with their sushi and sashimi and Japanese restaurants have flourished since.
Today, we see the use of ingredients from Vietnam, Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia from fast food joints to the poshest restaurants. The increasing popularity of Pan Asian food is driven both by the clients’ more discriminating palates and chefs who love reinventing their menus. They rave about the uniqueness and versatility of these flavors and reinterpret traditional dishes with these new inspirations.
A chef-owner of a popular fusion restaurant in Boston explains that Western food needs a shot in the arm because its ingredients are rather monotonous in texture and flavor. According to him, the use of Asian ingredients provide the pleasing counterpoints of hot and sour, salty and sweet.
Even the fast food industry has picked up on the novelty of the Pan Asian appeal. Some McDonald’s branches now serve Premium Asian Salad, as do Einstein Bros. Bagel outlets. The latter’s version blends the exotic flavors of rice or crunchy noodles, peanuts, Asian sesame flatbread, Asian dressing, and vegetables such as napa cabbage and snow peas with tender chicken breast.
At the Temple Restaurant and Bar, the cuisine is called “French Asian Fusion.” From their appetizers to their main entrees, you’ll experience the wonderful thrills with a menu that’s anything but ordinary. The steamed mussels, for instance, are served with Thai chili rouille crostini and black bean curry sauce. The Asench onion soup is basically a French onion soup but infused with Asian herbs and Gruyere cheese. Can you now see where the name “Asench” came from?
If you’re craving a steak, you can order a 12-oz New York Strip with a twist – one served with caramelized shallots, wasabi-whipped mashed potatoes, and sautéed shiitake mushrooms with papaya reduction. You’ll almost feel like you’re one of the judges on The Iron Chef!
Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in Beverly Hills has on its menu samplings of Asian flavors such as broiled Japanese black cod with sesame miso vinaigrette; steamed grouper Hong Kong style cooked in garlic and chili oil and served with jasmine rice, snap peas, and baby bok choy; Shanghai noodles with velvet chicken and sweet shrimp; and Japanese and Thai salads.
Thanks to the proliferation of cooking programs on TV, we’re now more open to trying new tastes and attempting to prepare party fare other than burgers and the usual pasta. So if you want to give your dishes a new twist, start venturing into an Asian grocery store and look for kaffir lime leaves, Vietnamese mint, galagal, fish sauce, or miso.
