This article is part of a series where we explore cultural cuisines. We will be embarking on a journey to explore the rich flavors, ingredients, and cooking techniques of cultures across the globe. We are starting by taking a deep dive into the rich and diverse cuisine of Asia. Asia is the largest and most populated continent making it one of the most diverse places for cuisine from the fresh sushi of Japan to the spicy curries of India.
Exploring Staples in Asian Cuisine:
Asian cuisine is often thought of for its colorful and aromatic flavors in dishes across the continent. The diverse landscape of the region allows for a variety of ingredients. There are some similarities in the ingredients across this vast continent that are staples in several dishes. Some of these ingredients include:
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Rice
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Fresh Ginger
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Garlic
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Sesame Seeds
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Chilies
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Soy
Popular Cooking Techniques and Regional Variations:
Popular cooking techniques across Asia include stir-frying, braising, steaming, and grilling. There are a wide variety of cuisines within each country and culture in Asia. For example, Chinese culture varies drastically from fiery Sichuan dishes that use a variety of chili oils and pastes, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and star anise to the sweet flavors of Cantonese dishes that use soy sauce, rice wine, hoisin sauce, and sweet and sour sauce. Thai food brings a powerful flavor punch by combining spicy, salty, sweet, bitter, and sour flavors. Japanese food has more simple ingredients such as wasabi, soy sauce, and miso paste, while India generally uses curries, ginger, cumin, cardamom, and coconut milk.
Health Benefits of Asian Cuisine:
Asian cuisine is often known for its health benefits. These health benefits are due to a variety of factors such as their use of fresh vegetables, and lean proteins, especially from plant-based proteins or fresh fish. Also, a lot of Asian cuisine uses flavorings that are rich in antioxidants and provides anti-inflammatory benefits such as ginger, turmeric, green tea, and garlic. Lastly, cooking techniques of steaming, braising, and stir-frying help preserve the nutrient content of vegetables as well as limit added fats.
The diverse range of ingredients, cooking techniques, and regional variations makes Asian cuisine an endless source of cooking inspiration!