ECLECTIC WRITER: March 2008

East meets West

Your imagination is the only limit when you combine different styles of cuisine.

Fusion cooking, despite its relatively recent and avant garde name, has been around for hundreds of years. Fundamentally this type of cooking combines key elements of ethnic recipes and cooking styles with some variations on flavors and spices to create new dishes which look and even taste like the original ones.

A good illustration of this would be the "shish kebab," so common in Middle Eastern countries. Shish is a Turkish word which means "skewer", and "kebab" refers to meat (usually lamb) that is cooked over an open fire.

The authentic shish kebab is made with pieces of cubed lamb arranged on skewers, alternating with onions and green peppers. It is seasoned with cumin and served with yogurt into which crushed fresh garlic and mint have been stirred.

Contemporary North American cuisines have successfully fused this popular dish into their repertoires for many years by using beef, chicken, turkey, pork and even fish. Usually grilled on a charcoal or under the broiler, the fusion version of the shish kebab incorporates vegetables such as mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes or red peppers in addition to the classic onions; and seasonings may vary from Asian flavors of sesame oil with soya sauce to more European hints of olive oil with balsamic vinegar.

At its best, fusion cooking can be compared to a culinary palette where the East meets West, and gives rise to delicious, innovative and colorful dishes. It’s a brilliant showcase that combines cross-cultural, versatile ingredients in harmony under the craft of the chef, and presents them so that they complement each other on the same plate as well as on the palate.

The alchemy of better-known ingredients with lesser known ones is the best approach for successful fusion. For example, a tablespoon of adobo sauce (made from smoked, dried jalapeno chilies, tomato, vinegar and spices) stirred in at the last minute into a humble chicken stew would not only create a fusion dish, but also offer an exotic flavor.

There’s no big secret to fusion cooking other than using the freshest ingredients and the cook’s own imagination and creativity. If you want to experiment with fusion cooking at home, be adventurous and take the first step by using spices other than those for which the recipe calls. But go easy on your first attempt until you see how the chemistry works on your palate.

Be resourceful and make similar substitutions when you cannot find the original item listed in the recipe. For instance, Sumitra Senapaty, a Delhi-based freelance writer on food and culture, suggests using lemon zest for lemon grass in a seafood risotto, or coconut milk for some of the heavy cream in a baked custard. The slightly different but delightful taste will be the result of a fused cuisine.
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Here are two starter recipes for trying fusion cooking at home.

Ginger Garlic Beef with Lime and Teriyaki Sauce

Three key ingredients in Chinese cooking — garlic, ginger, and sesame oil — are combined with lime juice and teriyaki sauce in this fusion dish.

1 pound sirloin steak cut into 2-inch slices
1 small yellow onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 stalk celery, sliced diagonally
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, julienned
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. pineapple teriyaki sauce
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 tsp. Asian sesame oil, divided
1 small red onion sliced
1/4 cup cold water
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms
pinch red pepper flakes
juice of 1 lime

Combine the steak, yellow onion, green pepper, celery, ginger, soy and teriyaki sauces in a bowl. Add garlic and 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil in a large pan. Add the red onion and the steak-vegetable mixture.

Cook over medium heat until the meat is cooked through (about 8 minutes), stirring often. Stir in the mushrooms and stir-fry another minute. Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water and add to the contents of the pan to thicken the juices. Season with red pepper flakes and lime juice. Serve over rice or noodles and garnish with lime slices.

Asian fusion Orzo-Chicken Salad ~ Yield: 8-10 servings

Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta popular in Italian and Middle Eastern cooking.

450 grams orzo, cooked and drained
1 small cooked chicken, skinned, boned and diced (you can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
1 cup water chestnuts, drained, rinsed and sliced
150-200 grams sugar snap peas (fresh or frozen)
1 red bell pepper, cut in 5-cm strips
3 green onions, sliced on the diagonal
1 to 1-1/2 cups light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. hoisin sauce
1/3 cup toasted, slivered almonds, optional
ground black pepper and salt to taste

In a large bowl, combine sugar snap peas, orzo, water chestnuts, chicken, green onion, and red bell pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegars, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, salt and pepper. Pour over orzo mixture and toss gently to coat. Stir in toasted almonds.

Serve at room temperature. Keep unused portion refrigerated. Taste improves next day.