Prunes and Red Wine Are Keys
An Alternative to the Standard American Burger
Potatoes
This Japanese approach to Hamburgers braised with Prunes and Red Wines is a delicious veresion, which stands in remarkable contrast to the commonly eaten Burgers which are so common in the Standard American Diet, which usually come with a White Bun and a large serving of deep-fried Potatoes. Continue reading
Tropical Approach to a Popular Fish
Almonds and Coconuts are the Key
Worcestershire Sauce
This Southeast Asian Fusion dish combines some unusual ingredients, including Worcester Sauce, Mace and Black Pepper. The key elements are a sauce combining Continue reading
Japanese Fusion
Nutmeg Meets Lemon Meets Nikka
Lemons
These little cookies are good with any Whiskey, even Bourbon or Rye. But they seem to work better with Japanese Whiskey, Canadian or a Scotch blend. Continue reading
A Recipe from South India
A Pacific Rim Favorite
This is a Southern Indian recipe for a basic Congee. It is probably one of the most ancient ways of making Congee. Continue reading
Ginger Meets Chocolate Meets Figs
From Montezuma to Henry VIII
Cocoa Powder
If you make Ginger Chocolate Truffles, this can be a kind of ultimate Fusion food.
Already in the time of Henry VIII, an Asian spice, Ginger, was known to the Royal physicians and King Henry’s army doctors relied on it.
And in ancient Mexico, the local Continue reading
Buddha Meditating, India 12th c.
Fish Curry From Bananas
Halva From Meat
“It is possible to eat what you believe to be a fish curry only to learn it was made from unripe bananas, or to taste a sweet halva and find it was made not of fruit or vegetables but meat.” — Attia Hosain and Sita Pasricha
An Ancient People and Cuisine: The Indian civilization is one of the oldest and most important in Continue reading
A Nation of Islands
Rijsttafel, Sate, and Sambals
“Indonesia isn’t a country, it’s a happening.” — Christopher Lucas [1]
Garuda, Indonesia, 14th cent.
Indonesia stretches from the Asian mainland towards Australia, like a jade necklace across the southern ocean. The nation contains more than 17,000 islands, and its people represent several hundred ethnic groups, speaking many different languages.
Indonesia is an ancient country and its Continue reading
The Manila Galleon and the Third Route
Tomatoes, Chili Peppers and Beche de Mer
“Tang cookery sounds like modern Japanese cookery — plain food, sometimes raw, with few savory mixtures or interesting sauces.” — Edward Schafer
“The best of modern Chinese cooking developed in relatively modern times under the influence of foreign taste and customs, in particular those of India and the lands of the Desert and the Isles.” — Edward Schafer
Curly Haired Man, Malayan
Silk Road, Tang Dynasty
We sometimes forget how many of the foods we associate with Pacific Rim cuisines today were not native to much of the region in the oldest times and have migrated back and forth along the ancient trade routes. Continue reading
The Southern Sea Routes
Before Marco Polo
 Jackfruit “The Po-Lo-Mi (jackfruit) is the size of a pumpkin, its outer skin covered with nodules like the hair on a Buddha’s head. Its color is green while growing, and turns yellow when ripe. The pulp is of extreme sweetness.” — Zhao Rugua“Even in Dunhuang, further out on the camel road, grape wine was an expensive addition to an important celebration, like champagne for our festivals.” — Edward Schafer |
Edward Schafer researched the movement of men, goods and ideas along the Silk Continue reading
