Harmony Of Contrasts

By Fred Tscheulin

     Twenty years ago, if you asked most North Americans to name their favorite Asian foods, they would probably have ticked off a list of Chinese dishes. Few would have been able to describe anything Southeast Asian. But what a difference a couple of decades have made. In the 1980s and 90s, Thai restaurants flourished all over the country, followed closely by Vietnamese eateries. More recently, Malaysian and Indonesian restaurants have begun popping up. In local supermarkets, as well, Southeast Asian foods have emerged. Jasmine rice, peanut sauce and Thai curries are all available, just to name just a few..
     Several factors have contributed to this trend. While Asians are among the fastest-growing minority groups in the United States, it’s not a shift in demographics alone that has driven the trend. The popularity in Southeast Asian cuisine has coincided with the public’s love affair with complex, spicy, herb-infused flavors and with cuisines that put rice and vegetables – not meat – at the center of the plate.  Tourism has become a major industry and travelers return home wanting to recreate their exotic dining experiences. All of these developments have ensured Southeast Asian foods and flavors a place on the contemporary food scene.
     The flavors of Southeast Asia represent a harmony of contrasts. Sweet, salty, acid and spicy heat coexist. To the uninitiated, the heat from fiery chili peppers seems to dominate. A second taste, however, reveals a culinary paradox: the flavors sing out their individual notes in high contrast, but together they make harmony. Whether it’s the shock of hot chili peppers, sweet palm sugar, salty fish sauce and creamy coconut milk in Thai chicken curry, the clash of cool fresh herbs against hot broth in a Vietnamese beef noodle soup, the jolt of hot chili peppers in creamy peanut sauce in Malaysian grilled meats, or a Burmese catfish stew, Southeast Asian cooks are constantly conducting a culinary symphony.
     Perched between the Pacific and Indian Oceans and rich in natural resources, Southeast Asia has been the center of international trade and the target for the world’s political and military strategists for several thousand years. As a result, the region’s foodways were enriched by the continual influx of newcomers. A fusion of cooking methods and foods resulted. China’s fast, efficient woks caught on throughout the fuel starved region. Traders from India brought spices, Southern Indian Hindus brought fiery vegetarian dishes and their Arab neighbors brought fragrant rice dishes. The chili peppers that distinguish many dishes were probably transported from the Americas by the Portuguese and Dutch. The Spanish introduced olive oil, lard and baked goods and the French introduced bread, pastry and dairy products to the area then known as French Indochina. 
     The ingredient that sets Southeast Asian cooking apart from other cuisines is fish sauce. Made from brined, fermented fish, it is as indispensable to Southeast Asia as salt is to the west. Acidic ingredients, such as lemon, lime, kaffir lime and its leaves, lemon grass, tamarind juice and palm vinegar play a dual role. Acids act as preservatives, offer ing relief from the tropical heat. Throughout the region coconut milk is a principal fat as well as a cooking liquid. Herbs, such as basil, and cilantro add complexity, as do spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and turmeric. These flavorings are mashed into pastes and seasoning mixes and used as cooking ingredients and/or condiments. Strong flavors, perhaps, but the result is a harmony of contrasts.

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