Asian Bites: A feast of flavors from Turkey to India to Japan

226 Pages·2008·12.68 MB·English

by  Tom Kime

asian bites
A feast of fl avors from Turkey to India to Japan
Tom Kime

asian bites

asian bites
A feast of flavors from Turkey through India to Japan
Tom Kime
Special photography by Lisa Linder
London New York Munich
Melbourne Delhi
Thanks go to my wife, Kylie Burgess Kime, for her ongoing love and support of our great life, and for being
such an enthusiastic travel companion. To my mother, Helen, for being the inspiration behind my love of
food; to my father, Robert, for igniting my love of travel and discovery; and to my sister, Hannah, for her
ongoing curiosity and encouragement to pursue my goals. To my godchildren Frank, Alice, and Raphael,
with whom I look forward to sharing many meals. To everyone who loves food and travel.
Project Manager and Editor Managing Editor
Siobhán O’Connor Dawn Henderson
Photographic Art Direction and Design Senior Art Editor
Simon Daley Susan Downing
Food and Author Photography Editorial Assistant
Lisa Linder Ariane Durkin
Food Stylist Production Editor
Alice Hart Jenny Woodcock
Prop Stylist Production Controller
Rachel Jukes Mandy Inness
First American Edition, 2008
Published in the United States by DK Publishing
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014
08 09 10 11 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
JD071—March 2008
Copyright © 2008 Dorling Kindersley Ltd
Text copyright © 2008 Tom Kime
All rights reserved
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced
into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited
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ISBN: 978-0-7566-3384-4
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Contents

8 Introduction
14 Smoking hot
|
Seared scallops with fresh chutney Stir-fried greens with garlic
|
Malaysian fried noodles Stir-fried bean sprouts with chile bean
| |
paste Marinated grilled mackerel Chinese barbecue spare ribs
|
Grilled beef patties with shallots and cumin Keynotes Ginger
| |
Spicy green beans with chile Indonesian fried rice Stir-fried beef
|
with chile and onion relish Spiced shrimp cakes on sticks of
| |
lemongrass Pork balls with garlic and pepper Isaan-style grilled
| |
chicken Keynotes Soy products Sardines with green chile
| |
sambal North Vietnamese fish brochettes Chinese barbecue
| |
pork Garlic and coriander naan Sumatran duck sate
Marinated barbecue beef
54 Crisp and fiery
|
Keralan spiced chickpea and lentil dumplings Fried squid flowers
| |
with ginger and spices Scallion pancakes Fried puffed potato
| | |
bread Turkish zucchini fritters Crisp peanut wafers Potato
|
and cauliflower pakoras Keynotes Curry pastes and spice blends
| |
Curried sweet corn fritters Shrimp and chive spring rolls Spicy
| |
lamb-stuffed pancakes Pork and cabbage dumplings Sesame
| |
tempura Burmese turmeric fishcakes Rice flour pancakes
| |
Gujarati eggplant fritters Keynotes Chiles Happy crêpes
|
Sumatran eggplant sambal Burmese spiced split pea fritters
92 Hot and steamy
|
Fried bean sprouts and clams Miso soup with seven-spice chicken
| |
Steamed shrimp wontons Sichuan chicken dumplings Steamed
| |
barbecue pork buns Keynotes Rice and noodles Lamb pilaf with
| |
saffron and nuts Steamed green vegetable rolls Mushroom pot-
| |
stickers Scallion and chive flower rolls Singapore coconut laksa
|
Nonya pork, shrimp, and crab ball soup Nonya-style spicy pork
116 Fresh and aromatic
|
Sesame chicken salad with white pepper Chilled seared tuna with
| |
ginger Citrus dipping sauce Cured shrimp with shredded lime
| |
leaves Fresh lettuce cups with chicken Grilled eggplant salad
|
Chilled soba noodles with seared salmon Rena’s South Indian
| |
mango pickle Fresh coconut chutney Crisp cabbage salad with
| |
peanuts Nonya bean curd salad Keynotes Coriander, basil, and
| |
mint Asian salad with pea shoots and sprouts Pickled daikon
| |
salad with fried garlic Sashimi of sea bass with hot dressing Hot
and sour green papaya salad
146 Tangy and refreshing
| |
Malay beef rendang Sri Lankan smoky eggplant dip Sichuan spicy
| |
pickled cucumber Vietnamese peanut dipping sauce Tamarind
| |
fried shrimp Keynotes Preserved fish products Roast pork with
| |
fresh mint and peanuts Spicy apricot chutney Carrot pachadi
| |
Korean hot pickled cabbage Spiced stuffed eggplant Laotian
| |
spice-pickled scallions Sichuan peppered beef Lemon and
|
saffron chicken kebabs Potato with turmeric and mustard seeds
|
Keynotes Citrus and lemongrass Fried eggplant with toasted
| |
sesame seeds Tomato chutney with green chile Tamarind
beef with peanuts
182 Sugar and spice
|
Citrus and young coconut jelly Yogurt and pistachio cake
|
Keynotes Nuts and seeds Persian rice pudding with cardamom
| |
Afghan new year compote Sour cherry sherbet Pineapple with
| |
caramelized chile Elephant ear pastries Pomegranate and
|
blood orange fruit salad Pear fritters with cinnamon honey syrup
| |
Stuffed apricots Keynotes Aromatic spices Mangosteen, lychee,
| |
and mango salad Yogurt and mint drink Saffron ice cream
with pistachio nuts
212 Menu ideas
218 Glossary
219 Useful websites
220 Index
224 Acknowledgments
Introduction
It is often said that Asian people are always eating. integral part of life. I refer to this as the “anthropology
There seem to be so many opportunities to eat at of food,” and it makes the connection between food
any time of the day or night. For a chef and a writer and travel in regions of Asia so enjoyable.
that makes Asia an ideal place to travel and sample For example, the significance of rice throughout
the wares. Ever present throughout the vastly Asia goes much further than as a food staple. How it
different countries and cuisines of Asia, with its many is cooked is paramount to the success of an Asian
hundreds of ethnic groups, is a healthy obsession meal. Rice is a cultural cornerstone in many ancient
with food. The constant grazing on freshly cooked heritages that have formed over millennia across a
ingredients allows visitors to experience a vast land that covers thousands of miles. The importance
wealth of flavors, textures, and taste combinations. of rice lies not only in the food and eating etiquette,
These in turn create layers of flavor and three- but also in the society as a whole: the art, literature,
dimensional tastes that result in food with subtleties, music, religion, spiritual superstitions, economics,
contrasts, and nuances, so that no one ingredient and politics of this vast continent. In many Asian
stands out, overpowering the meal. cultures, the food that is eaten becomes a meal
This same description can be applied to the when eaten alongside rice; without it, the same food
cultures of Asian countries. Asia is full of blends of would just be a snack. In China, the phrase chi fan
(“to eat rice”) also translates as
“Asia is full of blends of people, beliefs, and religion, “to eat.” In Thailand and Vietnam,
with layers of migration, conquest, and history that there are scores of phrases that
use rice to describe aspects of
work to highlight, complement, and contrast, forming
society, such as generosity, love,
countries with a wealth and depth of heritage.” and waiting a long time for
something to happen—referring
people, beliefs, and religion, with layers of migration, to the cultivation of rice. In Thailand, the word for
conquest, and history that work to highlight, rice is khao; a common term of greeting is “Kin
complement, and contrast, forming countries with a khao laew reu yang?” (“Have you eaten rice yet?”).
wealth and depth of heritage. This layering becomes Another common greeting in Asia translates roughly
even more interesting because, across the vast as, “Hi, there. You must be hungry.” When greeted in
continent of Asia, it is impossible to separate the this manner, I cannot help but accept the generous
connection of food and society. The styles of food offer of more food, even if I have just eaten.
differ enormously from region to region, and the The use of chiles is now synonymous with many
ingredients and recipes change, but the significance Asian cuisines, and it would be hard to imagine the
of the food remains constant. The food of Asia is an foods of Thailand, India, and Malaysia without this
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