Fast, Fresh and Flavourful Asian Food

On my first culinary journey to Asia in the mid-1980s, I was intrigued by the ingredients of Thailand, Japan and China.

They’re fresh, full of flavour and impressive — and they require little effort to prepare and to serve.

Visiting the floating markets in Northern Thailand, I tasted the country’s greatest treats — its ripe fruits: crispy-cool guavas; mangosteens, with juicy white pearls encased in a ruby-red shell; hairy rambutans; more than two dozen types of bananas; papayas, eaten both green and ripe; and the sweetest pineapples in the world.

A fish sauce (nam pla), made by fermenting anchovies with salt, also fascinated me. It adds a salty, savoury flavour to soups, stews and sauces that soy sauce can’t match. Thai food wouldn’t taste the same without it.

Five-spice powder, a bold mix of cinnamon, clove, fennel seed, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns, is used extensively in Chinese restaurant cooking and is said to balance the yin and yang in food. It adds an exotic flavour to even simple dishes.

Eating is a major pastime in Asia. You’ll find the best street food imaginable in tiny sidewalk restaurants or at street vendor stalls offering spicy grilled baby squid, shrimp toast and noodle soups.

In Asian restaurants, dishes are composed in assembly-line order; at home, they are also easy and relatively quick to prepare. A well-stocked ethnic aisle in the supermarket has the basics required, although a stop at a Japanese market for special ingredients like kasu (sake lees) might be necessary.

Masaaki Tsujimoto’s Gindara (Sablefish)

Sablefish, or Alaskan black cod, is a meaty fish that is perfect for a marinade. Substitute salmon if sablefish is not available.

This recipe, originally from Masaaki Tsujimoto, chef at Vancouver’s Hapa Izakaya, is adapted from Vancouver Cooks 2 by the Chefs’ Table Society of BC (Douglas & McIntyre, $40).

2 ¼ cups white miso

1 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine) or sherry

½ cup sake

½ cup granulated sugar

4 5-oz fillets sablefish (or salmon), skinless

Vegetable oil, for baking sheet

Marinade: In a bowl, mix together the miso, mirin or sherry, sake and sugar in the bottom of a shallow glass baking dish. Add the fish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12 hours.

Remove the fish from the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Oil a heavy rimmed baking sheet. Drain fish, rinse gently and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper and arrange fillets on baking sheet.

Roast in the oven for about 6 to 7 minutes, or until the flesh is barely opaque and flaky. Brown the tops quickly under the broiler, then remove from oven. Serves 4.

The Wine Match: Off-dry riesling

Want more delicious Asian recipes?

Asian Snack Mix

Chinese-Style Asparagus

Chilled Noodles with Barbecued Pork

Jean-Georges’ Ginger Rice

Mango Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce