asian cuisine

1. ASIAN CUISINE OVERVIEW
ASIA IS THE LARGEST CONTINENT AND COVER ABOUT 30 PERCENT OF
THE WORLDS TOTAL LAND AREA.
ASIA IS DIVIDED INTO FIVE MAJOR DIVISIONS:
EAST ASIA: CHINA, JAPAN, MONGOLIA, NORTH KOREA AND SOUTH
KOREA.
SOUTHEAST ASIA: PHILIPPINES, SINGAPORE, THAILAND , VIETNAM,
BRUNEI ,CAMBODIA, INDONESIA AND LAOS
SOUTH ASIA: MALDIVES, BANGLADESH, BHUTAN INDIA, NEPAL AND
PAKISTAN
SOUTHWEST ASIA: AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, IRAN, ISRAEL, JORDAN ,
KUWAIT

2. DEFINITION AND BASIC CONCEPTS
FOODHABITS- A PERSON FOOD HABITS ARE
CUSTOMARY WAYS OF EATING , DEVELOPED FROM THE
FAMILY OR STABLISHED BY CHOICE DUE TO INDIVIDUAL
PREFERENCES, LIFE STYLE, HEALTH NEEDS, AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIO- ECONOMIC AND OTHER
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS.

3. •FOODWAYS- THESE INCLUDE NOT ONLY
FOODHABITS TYPICL MEAL PATTERNS AND TIME
OF EATING , BUT CULINARY PRACTICES. THE
CUISINE OF A COUNTRY IS AN ART AND SCIENCE
AND IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF ITS FOOD
CULTURE.

4. CULTURE- THE COMPOSITE OF CUSTOMS, TRADITIONS,
VALUES ART AND LITERATURE HISTORY AND OTHER NORMS
THAT ARE DEVELOPED, LEARNED SHARED AND PRACTICED BY
A GROUP OF PEOPLE CONSTITUTE CULTURE, THESE ARE
PASSED DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION AND
MAYBE MODIFIED BY KNOWLEDGE, ACCULTURATION TIME
AND OTHER FACTOR.

5. FACTORS AFFECTING FOODWAYS AND
CULINARY PRACTICES.
• 1. RELIGION
• 2. ECONOMIC FACTOR
• 3. HEALTH CONCERNS
• 4. PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
• 5. CLIMATE

6. WOK
The wok will be one of the most versatile tools
in your kitchen. You can stir-fry, roast, steam,
boil, pan-fry and braise foods in your wok.
Once properly seasoned, it will be naturally
“non-stick”. It’s almost impossible to replicate
certain Chinese dishes using a regular non-
stick pan because the wok can withstand
much higher temperatures than a non-stick
pan; and most stir-fry dishes call for very high
heat.

7. WOK SPATULA
A wok goes hand-in-
hand with a wok spatula
while the ladle comes in
handy for soups and
sauces. bamboo, silicone
and wooden spatulas
should not be used in a
wok as they won’t be
able to properly pick up
all of the food from the
bottom of the wok.

8. BAMBOO SKIMMER
A bamboo skimmer
(also known as a
“spider skimmer”)
comes in really handy
when deep-frying or
blanching food in your
wok. You can pick up
much more food with a
skimmer as opposed to
using your wok
spatula.

9. BAMBOO STEAMERS
Bamboo steamers are
famously used for dim
sum but you can steam
just about anything that
you can fit into the
steamer. Simply boil
some water in your wok
and place the bamboo
steamer right over it

10. A mortar and pestle
are used to grind
spices, make pastes,
etc. I love to use it
to mince garlic and to
make sambal (ground
chilies).

11. A Chinese cleaver,
also known as a
vegetable cleaver or
cai dao, is a useful
tool for slicing, dicing,
and mincing both
meat and vegetables.