East meets West

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

Copyright © 2007 All Rights belong to Füsun Atalay

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.

Copyrighted Material ~ Copyright © 2007 All Rights belong to Füsun Atalay

The Stinking Rose

Text and Photos by : Füsun Atalay ~ Copyright © 2006

In 1861, Isabelle Mary Beeton became the most famous cookery writer in the British history when she published "Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management," in which she wrote "... the smell of this plant is generally considered offensive, and it is the most acrimonious in taste."

Much has changed since her time, and a lot for the better - especially in the fascinating world of cooking, even though it may have taken a while for the English speaking world to embrace garlic, the "offensive," stinking rose.

Today, garlic is used around the world in many ways - raw, cooked, crushed, sliced or whole. It tastes stronger raw than it does when it's cooked.

Minced garlic is stronger in taste than sliced garlic, just as roasted whole garlic has a completely different taste from crushed raw garlic.

Cooking or roasting whole garlic gives it a milder, almost a sweet taste so unlike its raw, finely chopped counterpart reserved for the real aficionados.

It should go without saying that the longer garlic cooks the more mellower it will taste - as along as the cloves are left whole.Roast an entire bulb of garlic for about 20-25 minutes in a 350° F oven. Cut about 1 inch off the top and squeeze out the pulp inside. Mash it to a purée and spread it on toasted bread or flavour your favourite recipes. Simply delicious!

But first, it's important to know the difference between a bulb (sometimes called head) and a clove.

Garlic is a plant of the genus allium and it grows under the ground in large bulbs, covered by an off-white, papery skin. Anywhere from 10 to 20 individual cloves with a pinkish skin can be found inside each bulb.

Leeks, onions and shallots are garlic's well-known cousins in the Alliaceae family. Cultivated garlic (allium sativum) is what is most commonly sold in the supermarkets.

Occasionally, one may see the elephant garlic which may look attractive because of its huge cloves, but as far as taste goes it is very mild and a poor substitute for "The Real McClove."When buying garlic, seek firm bulbs with plenty of papery layers. If green shoots are visible, don't buy it. A garlic bulb that's past its prime will crumble when you squeeze it slightly between your fingers.

Store garlic bulbs in a cool and dry place away from direct light. Specially designed earthenware garlic keepers with air holes are ideal for storage because they allow the bulbs to breathe as the air circulates. Refrigerator or a plastic bag is not a friendly environment for garlic because it will cause mould.

A chopping board, a chef's knife and some coarse salt are the best tools for chopping garlic. Sprinkle coarse salt on the chopping board, place the garlic clove on it and give it a good "whack" with the flat part of the blade. Then proceed to chop the smashed clove as finely as you desire.The salt absorbs the exuding juices as well as providing a stable bed for the chopping. However, if you're finicky about having garlic odour on your hands, use a garlic crusher.

Aside from its culinary popularity, this "stinking rose" has also has enjoyed an unparalleled reputation in mythology and folk medicine for its health giving properties. In the 19th century Louis Pasteur discovered - under laboratory conditions - that bacterial cells ceased to exist when they were saturated with garlic.

Albert Schweitzer used garlic in treating typhus and cholera, while British doctors relied on its antibacterial powers in treating the wounded during a battle in the Second World War.

A number of modern studies confirm that garlic is definitely effective against many bacteria, fungi and viruses and should be considered as an aid in fighting certain infections.

Next time you want to reach for a natural and powerful antibiotic, crush some raw garlic and add it to your cooked soup or stew shortly before serving it.

Worried about unpleasant smelling breath afterwards? Chewing raw parsley is a commonly recommended panacea to alleviate this condition.

Pilâki Serves 4

This family recipe with Romano beans, carrots, potatoes and garlic in an olive-oil tomato sauce is a delicious vegetarian meal that is eaten at room temperature.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, chopped

10-12 garlic cloves, peeled, left whole

1/3 cup diced tomatoes

1 large potato, cubed

2 stalks celery, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

1/2 cup water

1 -28 oz can Romano beans, drained

salt and black pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped parsley

lemon slices, for garnish

In a saucepan heat oil and saute onions. Add garlic cloves and diced tomatoes, cook for a minute. Stir in potatoes, carrots and celery; season with salt and pepper, add water, cover and simmer over medium heat until vegetables are tender but firm (about 10 minutes). Add Romano beans, stir to mix and cook for another 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with chopped parsley and garnish with lemon slices. Serve at room temperature with extra squeeze of lemon juice.

Slow Cooked Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic Serves 6

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh sage

4 springs fresh Italian (flat) parsley

40 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1 Tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 kg whole chicken

3 stalks celery, cut in half

French bread,sliced and toasted

Place 1 sprig thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley in chicken cavity. Place celery on stoneware in a criss cross pattern. Rest chicken on top of celery. Add garlic cloves around chicken. Chop and sprinkle remaining herbs, salt and pepper over chicken.Cover cook on Low setting 8-10 hours or on High setting 4-6 hours. Do not open the cover during cooking.To serve, place chicken, garlic and celery on serving plate. Squeeze roasted garlic out of skins onto toasted bread slices and spread with a knife.