And everything nice: the formula to the perfect Asian dish

No one has really dined until one has dined in Asia.

Throughout my not-so illustrious career as a self-declared home cook, I’ve dabbled with various recipes from all around the globe and have experimented on different ethnic dishes, all of which as mouth-watering as the next. But, in my personal opinion, no food even comes close to the explosion of flavors of Asian cuisines.

What’s the flavor?

Cooks of Asia are one of the known masters of herbs and spices.

Asian dishes are particularly difficult to prepare because of the various flavors that have to be balanced. It’s easy to distinguish Italian flavor—sweet and sour—from Mexican—spicy and garlicky. Asian dishes, however, are a different story.

Thailand’s Yam Som-O—pomelo and shrimp salad dressed with thick coconut milk—starts with a sweet milky taste, to be followed by a mixture of salty, sour, with a tinge of spicy in the end. This is just a common salad in Asia.

In Asian dishes, there is a transition of tastes. A fried chicken can go through an array of flavors when placed in the proper hands.

Whenever I cook Asian dishes, I never fail to hear the phrase, “and something else”. The food is sweet and spicy and “something else”. A flavor taste buds like but cannot comprehend.

I often wonder what this mysterious “something else” is. It lingers in my tongue and teases my brain. Unfortunately, I haven’t articulated a description that justifies the sensation of flavors that it gives. So, for now, it can only be described as a flavor that is “uniquely Asian.”

A cook’s purpose

As Confucius once said, “Everybody eats and drinks, yet only few appreciate the taste of food.”

Asian dishes are superb because cooking them is treated as an art form. We understand that a sprinkle of salt and pepper can drastically change the balance of a dish, and we are careful not to disturb that balance. Anybody can flip a burger, not everybody can make good ramen or sushi. It takes an incredible amount of discipline and patience to perfect an Asian dish.

Asians don’t just eat for nutrition, but for pleasure; Asians do not cook to eat, but to create.

#Food #Foodblog #Asia #Thailand