Monday, October 27, 2008
The Delights of Southeast Asia
Tasting the food of Southeast Asia is one of the most enjoyable and accessible ways of experiencing Southeast Asia. The region stretches east from India and Bangladesh to the southern border of China, encompassing the mainland countries of Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and the island countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Each country has its history cooked into its dishes. For example, in Indonesia and Malaysia the predominance of Islam means that pork is eliminated from the diet and Vietnamese food retains the flavours of centuries of French occupation.
Food in Southeast Asia functions as an ethnic marker, distinguishing one cultural group from another. There is a rich diversity of cuisines influenced by geography and ecology, as well as by ethnicity and religion. While the countries maintain distinct identities, they also have a great deal in common, and their cuisines share histories as well as many staple ingredients and methods of cooking. Across Southeast Asia one can find distinctive and common ingredients such as coconut milk, lemon grass, laos (a root in the ginger family), palm sugar, local fruits, Asian basil, mint, shrimp paste or fish sauce, the varied spices of the Spice Islands--and lots of chillies. However, by combining these ingredients and cooking them in different ways, give the different cuisines their distinctiveness.
Most Southeast Asian societies interacted with each other and beyond, especially with India and China for many centuries. Some dishes have become common to much of the region while others have been imported and given a native twist. Furthermore, all Southeast Asian societies have large Chinese and/or Indian immigrant populations, with their own cuisines.
Thus the major influences on Southeast Asian cuisines have been exerted by China from the east (the wok, noodles) and India (curries) from the west. But perhaps the most profound impact on the region's cooking was made in the 16th century, when the Portuguese brought the chilli from the Americas. Today the fiery chillies make many a spicy hot Southeast Asian meal.
The food of any region is not only the result of what ground and climate will produce, but also of who has been there, what powers have influenced it, how poor or wealthy the people are, and what its sensibilities prefer.
A standard Southeast Asian meal has no courses. All the parts of a meal are presented at once and eaten together. The Southeast Asian cook aims for a harmonious balance of textures, temperatures and flavours: sweet, sour, salty, bitter. The food can be eaten with a spoon, knife, and fork, chopsticks or with their (right) hands.
Food found in Malaysia
Many restaurants can be found in Malaysia. There are Malay Restaurants, Chinese restaurants, Indian Restaurants, Thai Restaurants and more. Eating out in Malaysia is a real gastronomic adventure. Popular Malaysian dishes include satay, nasi lemak, rendang, roti canai, murtabak, laksa, chicken rice, and fried noodles.
The food found in Malaysia has been greatly influenced by the long-ago traders from neighbouring countries.
Hawkers selling food, fruits or drinks in push-carts or mobile stalls are a common sight around the country, especially on Penang Island.
Nyonya food, also referred to as Straits Chinese food or Lauk Embok Embok, is an interesting amalgamation of Chinese and Malay dishes.
The nasi lemak, which is rice cooked in coconut milk and flavoured with cloves and pandan leaves, is an all time favourite...
Food found in Thailand
Whether chilli-hot or comparatively blands, harmony is the guiding principle behind each dish. Thai cuisine is essentially a marriage of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences harmoniously combined into something uniquely Thai. The characteristics of Thai food depend on who cooks it, for whom it is cooked, for what occasion, and where it is cooked to suit all palates. Originally, Thai cooking reflected the c haracteristics of a waterborne lifestyle. Aquatic animals, plants and herbs were major ingredients. Large chunks of meat were eschewed.
Due to their Buddhist background, Thais shunned the use of large animals in big chunks. Big cuts of meat were shredded and laced with herbs and spices. Traditional Thai cooking methods were stewing and baking, or grilling. Chinese influences saw the introduction of frying, stir frying and deep-frying. Culinary influences from the 17th century onwards included Portuguese, Dutch, French and Japanese. Chillies were introduced to Thai cooking during the late 1600s by Portuguese missionaries who had acquired a taste for them while serving in South America.
The ghee used in Indian cooking was replaced by coconut oil, and coconut milk substituted for other daily products. Overpowering pure spices were toned down and enhanced by fresh herbs such as lemon grass and galanga. Eventually, fewer and less spices were used in Thai curries, while the use of fresh herbs increased. It is generally acknowledged that Thai curries burn intensely, but briefly, whereas other curries, with strong spices, burn for longer periods. Instead of serving dishes in courses, a Thai meal is served all at once, permitting dinners to enjoy complementary combinations of different tastes.
A proper Thai meal should consist of a soup, a curry dish with condiments, a dip with accompanying fish and vegetables. A spiced salad may replace the curry dish. The soup can also be spicy, but the curry should be replaced by non spiced items. There must be a harmony of tastes and textures within individual dishes and the entire meal.
Food found in Cambodia
Khmer cuisine is another name for the food widely consumed in the country Cambodia.
Khmer cuisine is noted for the use of prahok, a type of fermented fish paste, in many dishes as a distinctive flavoring. Coconut milk is the main ingredient of many Khmer curries and desserts. In Cambodia, there is regular aromatic rice and glutinous or sticky rice. The latter is used more in dessert dishes with fruits such as durian. Almost every meal includes a bowl of rice.
Cambodian cuisine also uses fish sauce widely in soups, stir-fried 
cuisine, and as dipping
sauces. Curry dishes, known as kari shows the ties between Indian and Cambodian cuisine. The many variations of rice noodles show the influences from Chinese cuisine. Beef noodle soup, known simply as Kuyteav, is a popular dish brought to Cambodia by its Chinese settlers.
Typically, Cambodians eat their meals with at least three or four separate dishes. Each individual dish will be either sweet, sour, salty or bitter. Chili is usually left up to the individual to add themselves.
Food found in Myanmmar
Myanmar food has its own special identity. Although it draws on its' neighbours, it is neither as hot as Thai, as spicy as Indian nor does it resemble Chinese cooking much except in the stir-fry vegetables. Nowadays various kinds of Myanmar food and snacks are available in the street stalls, market stalls and local restaurants. Also most of hotels in different destinations offer Myanmar set menus, which allows visitors to try the taste of the Myanmar cuisine.
Myanmar dining tables are round and low-footed. Family members sit on the mat around the table to have meals. Unlike the Western kitchen, food is not served in courses. Dishes with different items are spread out on the table for people to take themselves form onto their plates. Food is eaten with the fingers of the right hand. Homes in cities and towns have dining tables and chairs, some people eat with fork and spoon.
Food found in Laos
Lao cuisine is the cuisine of the Lao ethnic group of Laos and Northeast Thailand. Lao food is distinct from other Southeast Asian cuisines. The staple food of the Lao is sticky rice. Galangal and fish sauce are important ingredients. The Lao national dish is laap (sometimes also spelled larb), a spicy mixture of marinated meat and/or fish that is sometimes raw with a variable combination of greens, herbs, and spices.
Lao cuisine has many regional variations, according in part to the fresh foods local to each region. A French influence is also apparent in the capital city, Vientiane, such that baguettes are sold on the street, and French restaurants (often with a naturally Lao, Asian-fusion touch) are common and popular.
Food found in The Philippines
Philippine cuisine has evolved over several centuries from its Malay roots to a cuisine of predominantly Spanish base, due to the many Mexican and Spanish dishes brought to the islands during the colonial period. It has also received influence from Arab, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and American cooking.
Due to non-Hispanization, the cuisine of the indigenous Moro and Lumad peoples of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago differ greatly from the majority of cuisine in the Philippines, having more in common with the Malay cuisines of Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Common ingredients include coconut milk, sambal, cumin, chilli, curry and lemon grass, with a well-known dish from the region being Satti. Filipinos traditionally eat three main meals a day - agahan (breakfast), tanghalían (lunch), and hapúnan (dinner) plus an afternoon snack called meriénda (another variant is minandál or minindál).
Dishes range from a simple meal of fried fish and rice to rich paellas and cocidos. Popular dishes include lechón (whole roasted pig), longganisa (Philippine sausage), tapa (beef jerky), torta (omelette), adobo (chicken and/or pork braised in garlic, soy sauce, and vinegar or cooked until dry), kaldereta (goat in tomato stew), mechado (beef or pork cooked in tomato sauce), pochero (beef in bananas and tomato sauce), afritada (pork or beef simmered in a tomato sauce with vegetables), kare-kare (oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce), crispy pata (deep-fried pig's leg), hamonado (pork sweetened in pineapple sauce), sinigang (pork, fish, or shrimp in tamarind stew), pancit (stir-fried noodles), and lumpia (fresh or fried spring rolls).
Food found in Indonesia
Indonesian food is one of the most vibrant and colourful cuisines in the world, full of intense flavour and varied textures. With 6,000 islands, there is a huge range of regional specialties, but wherever you are in Indonesia, most meals, including breakfast, are based around rice.
There is also an abundant use of sambals, an accompaniment based on chilli and garlic which can be raw or cooked. It's said that because of the hot and humid climate chilli and sambal help maintain your appetite. Indonesians need a 'kick start'; to their palate from chilli and from pickles, a burst of sour crunch. So each meal is generally rice, sambal, pickles with small amounts of meats, seafood or vegetables, often in curry form. People eat either with their right hand or with a spoon and fork.
Some of the intense flavour in Indonesian food comes from very sweet and sour ingredients - like the thick sweet soy sauce called kecap manis which is used in countless dishes. The sour note in the cuisine comes from tamarind and lime and the aromatic elements from eschallots, ginger, galangal, pandan, turmeric, lemongrass and lime leaves.
Two foods adored by Indonesians are tempeh - fermented soybeans usually found in block form which are high in protein and fibre - and krupuk or deep fried crackers made from prawn, seafood or vegetables and eaten at the start of a meal.
Due to the humid climate and volcanic soil, tropical fruits, vegetables and spices are found in abundance. Indonesia was known as the Spice Islands when nutmeg and mace, pepper and cloves were grown and traded. Dried spices such as coriander seeds, cardamom pods, cinnamon quills, cumin seeds, cloves and nutmeg are still used every day in many dishes and each curry has a number of dried spices as well as fresh herbs.
Over the centuries many different races have visited and left their stamp on the cuisine - Indian, Chinese, Arab, Portuguese, Spanish, English and Dutch. As many Indonesians are Muslim, the Islamic code of generosity to the guest means newcomers are welcomed and a banquet prepared.
Desserts are some of the most exuberant in South East Asia, especially the favourite 'eis cendo'l, made with pandan-flavoured mung bean flour 'worms';, sweet potato and taro, beans or tropical fruit, palm sugar syrup and coconut milk, served with a small mountain of shaved ice.
Food found in Vietnam
With the balance between fresh herbs and meats and a selective use of spices to reach a fine taste, Vietnamese food can be considered one of the healthiest cuisines worldwide.
Vietnamese cuisine is known for its common use of fish sauce, soy sauce, rice, fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables. Vietnamese recipes use many vegetables, herbs and spices, including lemon grass, lime, and kaffir lime leaves. Throughout all regions of Vietnam, the emphasis is always on serving fresh vegetables and/or fresh herbs as side dishes along with dipping sauce. The Vietnamese also have a number of Buddhist vegetarian dishes. The most common meats used in Vietnamese cuisine are pork, beef, chicken, shrimp, cockles and various kinds of seafood. Duck and goat are used less widely.
Food in Brunei
Food in Brunei is very similar to that of its neighbors, Malaysia and Singapore. They are rich and spicy with rice and noodles being the staple food. Brunei is famous for its diverse and great food. Being a melting pot, you can have a great range of food throughout the day.
Food found in East Timor
The staple East Timor Food consists of Rice. Besides, the other food crops grown here include Maize, sweet potatoes, cassava, and Taro. The vegetables that form a part of the East Timor Food consist of cabbage, spinach, beans, cowpeas and onions. In fact in many houses poultry, pigs and goats are domesticated and they also serve as a source of meat. Besides, East Timor Food also includes fish as a part of it. Also, the Timorese people cultivate bananas, watermelons, mangoes, papaya and coconuts.East Timor Food recipes make the use of a variety of spices.
My Reflections
I chose to research on the topic of food as I feel that the food in Southeast Asia is very unique. The food of each country has its own distinct taste which makes it special. Unlike in Singapore, it is possible to sample many of the Southeast Asian food because of the multiracial society. Personally, I have tasted Malay, Filipino, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine and I hope that I would have the opportunity to taste the rest of the Southeast Asian delights.
Doing the research for my blog has helped me to gain a better understanding of Southeast Asian cuisine. Although the countries in Southeast Asia prepare their food differently, I realised that many of the food cooked in the countries actually have some similarities. The cooking styles practiced and ingredients used are quite similar throughout the countries in Southeast Asia.
Bibliography
http://www.sawadee.com/thailand/food/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Cambodia
http://www.uniteam-travel-myanmar.com/food.html
http://www.marimari.com/content/malaysia/food/main.html
http://www.cuisinenet.com/glossary/seaed2.html
http://www.camden.rutgers.edu/~wood/food.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Laos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_cuisine
http://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/3324/Indonesian-Safari-Featured-About#
http://www.vietnam-beauty.com/food-a-drink/vietnamese-food.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Vietnam
http://www.marimari.com/cOnTENT/brunei/food/food.html
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you make me want MORE. <3