Asian Alliances

Eastern flavors are meeting Western demand for bolder and lighter fare

By Laura Yee, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 6/1/2003

Phyllo-crusted shrimp, baby squid and sea scallop in herbal broth characterizes Chef David Bouley's Eastern approach to food.

The New American fare at Blue Hill in New York City acquires Eastern spin with soy-citrus marinated squid with pan-roasted asparagus.

The menu merger of East and West has moved to a new phase, stirring up changes that alter the perception of Asian flavors from exotic status to everyday.

Ingredients that form the backbone of Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian and Vietnamese cooking are turning up in all types of operations, from QSRs to four-stars. Many operators believe that the consumer appetite for bold, Asian flavors has grown so strong that the ingredients quickly are becoming commonplace in the American repertoire.

Some current restaurant approaches to incorporating Eastern influences:

Alter traditional Asian flavors and presentations to suit American dining preferences.
Borrow liberally from the Asian pantry to build and layer flavors.
Create a menu of traditional Asian dishes that acknowledges Western sensibilities.
Combine ingredients from multiple Asian cuisines.

“We’ve seen a huge shift over the past several years in what people want to eat,” says Judy Edner, director of foodservice at the University of California in Santa Barbara. “Our students today have very educated palates. The look and flavor of Asian ingredients are what makes the food so appealing.”

ASIAN-AMERICAN INNOVATIONS
The Carrillo Dining Commons on the Santa Barbara campus reopened last summer after extensive renovation transformed it into a “state-of-the-art dining facility featuring 21st-century cuisine,” Edner says. The new dining area offers several options, including hearth oven-baked pizza and a grilling station with American favorites such as burgers—all prepared exhibition-style.

Among the many choices, the most consistently popular area is the 3-by-4-foot flat-top Mongolian grill. Turning out stir-fries that top rice or noodles, the grill has become such a hit that two other dining facility renovations will include the concept.

“Picking out your ingredients and seeing the food made in front of you says fresh, light and healthy, and that’s what today’s students want,” she says. About 25% of Edner’s customers request traditional Chinese dishes such as shrimp stir-fry with black-bean sauce or sesame beef with Asian vegetables. The rest of the students, though, gravitate to American-style Asian. For instance, a Thai-inspired red-curry or green-curry sauce added to a stir-fry is typically milder to accommodate the American palate, explains Edner. The teriyaki chicken bowl—stir-fried chicken with broccoli, carrots and onions—is an American twist on Japanese fare but remains a favorite with the majority of students.

INSTRUMENTAL INGREDIENTS
There’s no doubt that David Bouley’s New York City restaurant Bouley is grounded in haute French cuisine. His food starts with classical French technique and inspiration, but it is difficult finding a menu item that does not include the quiet whispers of an Asian ingredient. His signature appetizer, Return from Chiang Mai, begins with chilled Maine lobster, mango, artichoke and serrano ham and is finished with a passion fruit, fresh coconut and kaffir-lime dressing. Atlantic salmon is flavored with garlic chives, ginger, Chinese broccoli, pea leaves and clementine sauce.

The food does not taste Asian, however. That’s because Bouley approaches the Asian pantry with a subtle hand, using just enough of a particular ingredient to achieve contrast and balance. The flavors are subtle but high-impact, adeptly balanced and brilliant.

“Asian ingredients have a certain brightness and complexity that make them very powerful,” says Bouley. “When we do a new dish, we form an intimate relationship with the components and build on it so that it sings. The sauces are light but complex, and all together, you are working only with two or three components.”

Bouley believes that chefs are increasingly interested in the Eastern pantry because of the characteristics of such ingredients as soy sauce, rice vinegar and mirin. Through subtle use, they can achieve depth and contrast. And unlike so many French sauces, Asian ingredients tend to be light and clean-tasting.

Jack Stevenson, executive sous-chef at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in San Francisco, uses an approach similar to Bouley’s, although it is more pronounced. At Silks, his menu is California cuisine accented with Asian flavors. The goal: bold, robust dishes, with components carefully selected to achieve that purpose. For example, sea bass is coated with a mix of flour and ground, dehydrated corn and seared. It is served with sweet-potato bread pudding and fiery wok-seared greens.

“The earthiness and sweetness of the corn goes with sweet potatoes that also have a hint of curry. The greens are hit with mirin, rice-vinegar sambal and lots of garlic, so what you have are intense vinegary, spicy and sweet flavors that bring the dish together,” Stevenson says.

TAILORED TASTES
When Rosemead, Calif.-based Panda Restaurant Group launched its first concept in Southern California 30 years ago, Szechuan-style Chinese cooking was cutting edge. Today, stalwart preparations such as orange-flavored chicken and spicy chicken with peanuts continue to be a part of the core menu, but in the past decade the Chinese chain has been tailoring its tastes to suit customer preferences.

At its Panda Express restaurants, frequent limited-time promotions keep the menu current, says Anna Yee, executive director of marketing. Dishes often are anchored by a Chinese-influenced base sauce of soy, garlic and other flavors that gets a twist with the addition of Thai basil and peanuts. The sauce, called Cousin Thai, has turned out to be a winning one for Panda Express, debuting in Cousin Thai Chicken and evolving to include Cousin Thai Shrimp.

“When we ventured into Cousin Thai, we were after Thai nuances but not after a Thai dish,” Yee says. “The flavors are very appealing.”

SMARTLY AUTHENTIC
Adam Willner, who started the Zao Noodle Bar chain in San Francisco, wanted to bring authentic Asian street food to the masses but was determined to keep the vibrant, full-bodied flavors authentic. When he recently decided to focus on Southeast Asia, he eliminated Japanese dishes that were an initial part of the concept. “We were more excited about Vietnamese and Thai,” he says. Willner remains true to his intent with a yellow-curry sauce that balances pronounced heat, spice and sweetness. The sauce seasons such American vegetables as broccoli and squash and is served with high-quality traditional Shanghai noodles.

“Customers look for full flavor and an authentic experience,” he says. “But you also have to give them what they want—and that may result in more Western influences.”

He cites salad as an example of a Western-influenced creation. “People like to eat entrée salads so we do an East-West twist to make them happen,” he says. Bangkok chicken salad contains breast meat marinated in green curry, grilled and placed atop romaine and cabbage that has been tossed with a spicy sesame dressing. “I can’t say that it is anyone’s traditional salad, but it tastes great,” says Willner.

When adapting traditional Vietnamese pho—soup—Willner found he had to include a good portion of meat in the broth so that it would convey value. Chicken pho, which does not exist in Vietnamese cooking, is a hit at Zao and is similar to a beef version flavored by star anise, cloves, ginger and green onion in a rich broth.

“Some items are more authentic than others,” says Willner. “Sometimes you compromise to give consumers what they want, like chicken pho. What’s important is that you maintain the integrity of the flavors.”