Asian Recipe Files

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• There are three cuisine areas of Asia.  The South West - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma;  The North East - China, Korea, Japan;  and The South East - Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei.

• Curries are very important to the cuisines of the South East and Southwest, less so in the cuisine of the North East.  South Western curries are generally based on yogurt, whereas the curries of the South Eastern North East are generally based on coconut milk.

• Rice is a staple starch in all three cuisines areas.  In addition to rice, South Western cuisines include a variety of leavened and unleavened breads and South East and North East cuisines include rice and egg noodles.

• In the South West, the major oil used in frying is ghee, or clarified butter.  In the South East and North East, the major oils are vegetable oils.   Garlic and ginger are used in all three cuisine areas, as are chili peppers, although chilies are much more common in the South Western South East.  The North Eastern cuisines use soy sauce in nearly everything; the South East substitutes fish sauce; there is no equivalent in South Western cooking.  In the South East, there are two additional flavorings that are not used in the other cuisines - galangal and lemon grass.

Try these recipes from the following countries...