Week 4: All about Southeast asia
Including: thailand, vietnam & indonesia
SUSTAINABILITY: animal husbandry
RESEARCH:
Introduction:
- Method Of Cooking: stir-frying is the most popular! Similar to Chinese cuisine, there is a balance between sweet, sour, salty & bitter flavor profiles.
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- Learning Objectives:
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Introduce three of the most influential countries of South East Asia, their histories, geography, cultural influences, and climates.
- Thailand, Vietnam & Indonesia. Thailand has a different history vs. the rest of SE Asia; the nation has never been colonized by European powers, therefore making the country more "pure" in its culture. The history is washed with periods of inhabitation by various groups, including: the Burmese migration, the Cambodian- Khmer migration, The cultural influences in Thailand include many factors, but namely religious factors. The nation is primarily Buddhist, and with this comes many food restrictions. Overall, many Buddhists in Thailand are vegetarian, or very strict vegan (Framingham, 2009). Indonesia is also heavily influenced by religion; because of a high population of Muslim peoples, pork is not a part of most diets (Cuisine Net, 2021). Vietnam was occupied by France for a very long time, on until WW1, therefore giving the country lots of French influence.
2. Introduce the culinary cultures, regional variations, and dining etiquette of Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
Thailand: there are 4 regions with varying flavor profiles & geography: North- Poor & Spicy, NorthEast- Rustic & Creative, Central- Mild & Sweet, Southern Isthmus & The Gulf- Tropical, Simple & full of flavor! People always eat with a spoon, fork, and knife- maybe chopsticks if they are desired by the guest.
Vietnam: wide variety of geography including: caves, lagoons, dunes, beaches, peaks in the north, central plateus, and lowlands all in-between (the book). Vietnam is unique for eating solely with chopsticks! Spoons may be used for serving, but nothing else at all.
Indonesia: wider span of culinary cultures because of its location in the middle of shipping trades/routes! Very rich in spice production; has a long history of merchants from India & China trading lumber and spices, and giving food, cooking techniques, language, political ideologies, art & religion (the book).
3. Identify the foods, flavor foundations, seasoning devices, favored cooking techniques of Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, and how they differ and where they are similar.
Indonesia: the masters of all things seafood & coconut! Flavor foundations come from a mix of Chinese, Indian, Arab & Western influences. Starch is very crucial, but in other forms because many can not afford rice. The three islands, Java, Sumatra & Bali have the greatest variety of food.
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4. Technique and recipes of the major dishes of Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
To be seen in lab and the reflection
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- Prior Knowledge: My prior knowledge about this area of the world & its cuisine is growing because of this course! The chapter reading is so interesting. I'm learning already that a lot of preconceptions are made about Asian food as a whole, and we are beginning to scratch the surface on the actual truth in this class.
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Background Info:
Research:
All of these countries we are studying have their own individual personalities when it comes to food- but there is also so much that they share. One of the major influences shared is from China- including the wok, dumplings & noodles. India has also been a huge influence & specifically Thailand has adopted the curry style dishes (Cuisine Net).
Method Of Cooking: The method of cooking in all of these areas, and across all Southeast Asian kitchens revolves around these items: "a coal or wood fire, a wok, a mortar & pestle, a cleaver, and a way to cook rice/starch, nowadays a rice cooker is used" (Cuisine Net, 2021).
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Discussion of Dishes:
Dish/Method Variations:
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Recipes:
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Plan Of Works:
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Reflection:
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Results/Lab Outcomes:
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- Success Of Cooking Method:
- Sensory Results:
- Taste
- Flavor
- Texture
- Appearance
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Evaluation Of Results:
What worked well?
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What did not work well?
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Improvements to be made:
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Conclusions:
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