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April 2007, Volume 3, Issue 4 |
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April showers bring…savory springtime cuisine! Our April chefs have clearly spent a lot of rainy days indoors, perfecting their recipes. Inspired by everything from childhood pastimes to sensual Vietnamese legends to the hippity-hop of the Easter bunny, these renowned culinary maestros open up their ovens to show you what's cooking.
Whet your appetite with an Amuse Bouche of Kenny Lao (NYC's Rickshaw Dumplings), soak up sauces from Peng S. Looi and Ming Tsai, and sit At the Table with Khai Duong, the mastermind behind San Francisco's Ana Mandara. Speaking of San Fran, it's our Destination city of the month! We'll clue you in on the best restaurants and grocery stores that the famous Bay Area has to offer.
As always, we love to hear from you, our favorite foodies! E-mail info@newasiancuisine.com with questions, comments, and other tasty tidbits.
Wendy Chan & Grace Niwa
Producers & Co-Authors
New Asian Cuisine |
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Image Credit:
Lucy Schaeffer |
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Kenny Lao's youthful energy is infectious, a zesty joie de vivre that colors both his personality and his food. The owner of New York City's Rickshaw Dumplings, California native Lao graduated from Brown University and earned an MBA from NYU's Stern Business School, but all the while suspected that his heart was in his stomach. (In a good way.) Inspired by a family who taught him the virtues of an adventurous palate, Lao embarked on a quest to spread the gospel of homemade dumplings. Rather than dive in head first like a rookie, he worked front-of-the-house jobs at esteemed restaurants like Nobu and Tribeca Grill to garner experience in the restaurant industry. That's right; he probably took your coat one night. But, the unglamorous diligence paid off; Rickshaw Dumplings is a smash success, giving diners dynamite twists on traditional Asian flavors, all to the smooth groove of a customized soundtrack (another reflection of Lao's hipster zeal).
Click here for Kenny Lao's interview |
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Chef Khai Duong is beloved by Vietnamese cuisine aficionados for his marriage of traditional Southeast Asian recipes with classic French techniques, thanks to his studies at Le Cordon Bleu. His San Francisco restaurant, Ana Mandara, certainly embodies Eastern mysticism and European romance; 'Ana Mandara' translates to 'beautiful refuge' and refers to a Vietnamese legend about forbidden lovers who flee to a South Vietnam island and feast upon the foods indigenous to their paradise. The restaurant is world-renowned for creative, complex dishes with whimsical names like "Elixir of Innocence", a soup of kaffir lime and lemongrass broth with filet mignon, and "Tales from the West Sea", whole fried New Zealand snapper with green mango sauce. Chef Duong's passion for philanthropy rivals his zeal for flavors and freshness; he is a founding member of both the Asian Chefs Association, where he sits on the board of directors, and the ACA's 'Chefs Without Borders', a disaster relief organization comprised of dozens of chefs from around the world.
Click here for Khai Duong's interview |
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| Restaurants |
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Rubicon Restaurant
558 Sacramento Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 434-4100 |
Ozumo Restaurant
161 Steuart Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 882-1333
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| Grocery Stores |
Heart of the City Farmers' Market
1182 Market Street Ste 415
San Francisco, CA 94102-4990
(415) 558-9455
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Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market
Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 291-3276
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Patricia Yeo, known for her appealing fusion cooking at Sapa, has left the restaurant for a revamped Monkey bar at Hotel Elysee. Strip House owners Peter and Penny Glazier have closed Monkey Bar and are reopening the venue with an Asian makeover and with Patricia Yeo as executive chef in May.
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David Chang, proprietor and chef of the great Momofuku Noodle Bar, has introduced New York to one more of his genius creations. His newly opened Momofuku Ssäm Bar located in the East Village is turning some heads in New York City. It has already won a three-star review from Adam Platt, a skeptic of hot restaurants. New York Magazine writes, “even the sturdiest, most jaded eater” is reduced to “weak-kneed paroxysms of glee,” by David Chang’s two-fisted cookery. Read Adam Platt's Review |
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Pichet Ong, along with Genevieve Ko, presents a creative, elegant and flavorful array of Asian desserts. His book focuses on the ways in which authentic Asian ingredients and techniques can be fully incorporated into American desserts. Traditional dessert recipes from Asia are presented with adaptations of Western treats and the resulting dishes are at once innovative and intimately familiar. With over 100 recipes ranging from cakes to cookies, pies to puddings, candy, frozen treats, fruits and drinks, Ong has a dessert for every sweet tooth. The book has already received a red starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and is scheduled to hit the bookstores in June.
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While Kroger, Publix and Wal-Mart still dominate the grocery market in metro Atlanta, Super H-Mart is betting that the buying power of suburban Asian professionals is strong enough to build on. The New Jersey-based company has ambitious plans to expand into Johns Creek, Suwanee and Doraville in the next two years. Super H-Mart now has 22 stores nationwide, includ ing concentrations in New York, New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic seaboard.
Read More |
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Second from left: Salman Rushdie, Third from left: Rohini Dey |
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Maneet Chauhan and Rohini Dey of Chicago’s Vermilion treated guests with their stunning, anything-but-traditional Indian-Latin fusion cuisine for the Hindu festival of Holi at the James Beard House. Vermilion was joined by Booker winner Salman Rushdie, Top Chef host and model Padma Lakshmi, Pulitzer finalist Suketu Mehta and AIF Co-founder, Rajat Gupta.
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Peng S. Looi's Asiatique Sauces
Chef- owner Peng S. Looi of Kentucky-based restaurants August Moon Chinese Bistro and Asiatique offers his Asiatique gourmet line of sauces for anyone who wants to enjoy his exquisite flavors. Originally, the sauces were used at his Asiatique restaurant hence the name and he continually had requests from diners to take home the sauces. Currently, he offers three sauces, the Lemongrass & +Hoisin Marinade, Stir-Fry Sauce and the Sweet Chili & Basil Dipping Sauce. Read More |
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Ming Tsai’s Stir-fry Sauces
Along with his list of accomplishments that includes chef, author, television host and producer, Ming Tsai continues his Blue Ginger line with six signature stir-fry glazes, available in Cranberry-Teriyaki, Lime-Teriyaki, Roasted Garlic-Ginger, Dim Sum Dipper, Lemongrass Vinaigrette and Mango-Pineapple Sweet Sour Salsa. The glazes can not only be used to stir- fry with, but also to glaze a protein, use as a marinade or as a dipping sauce. Read More |
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The origins of Songkran combine Buddhist belief, ancient astrology and the solar calendar. Songkran, which means "move" or "change place," is the day when the sun shifts its position in the zodiac, beginning a new astrological year. In ancient times, the traditional Thai New Year was celebrated as a moveable feast, set to occur as the sun moved into the Aries portion of the zodiac. However, in modern times, the festival is fixed as April 13. Pad Thai (stir-fried rice noodles with eggs, fish sauce, tamarind juice and chili, garnished with crushed peanuts and coriander), chicken with green curry, and kanom krok (coconut rice pancakes) are a few of the more universal Thai foods enjoyed during the festival. Read More
 Try Special Recipes for Songkran: Coconut Rice Pancakes (Kanom Krok) and Chicken with Green Curry (Gaeng Kiew Wahn) by ARN |
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| New trends in the U.S. culinary scene has seen an explosive demand for Asian cuisine. And keeping up with this trend could introduce you to a wealth of flavors for your palate. Here’s what’s on our plates in 2007. |
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Chilled beverages have become America’s preferred cool-down tool, and apart from old favorites like milkshakes, malts, and coolers, new chilled concoctions, with and without alcohol, are appearing at restaurants across the country. One of the recent favorites is boba teas or bubble tea. Originating in Taiwan, they have recently gained widespread U.S. popularity in teahouses, coffee shops, and restaurants. Bubble teas come in various flavors like peach, lychee, mango, passion fruit, honeydew, green tea, black tea, and chocolate. At the bottom of the cup, you will find black, chewy tapioca balls about the size of marbles. These popular drinks are served with a huge straw so that the tapioca can be slurped along with the liquid, and are especially popular with the younger crowd. |
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Originating in India, chai is a beverage that can be served hot or cold, and is always a summer favorite. Chai contains plenty of spices, such as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, and allspice, and can be served black or with milk or cream. Thai iced tea is just one variation of chai that has recently gained popularity in the U.S.; it's chai, plus coconut milk, star anise, vanilla, orange, and sugar. |
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Japanese Izakaya is the newest restaurant trend in the U.S and could be the perfect place for you to grab a snack. An 'izakaya' is a homey place with modestly priced small plates of foods and oversized bottles of beer and sake. Here are some NAC recommended Izakayas: Bozu (Brooklyn, NY), Daiji's Izakaya (Houston, TX), Izakaya Haru Ulala (Los Angeles, CA), Izakaya Japanese Restaurant (Coral Gables, FL), Izakaya Restaurant (San Jose, CA), Musha (Santa Monica, CA), Taneko Japanese Tavern (Scottsdale, AZ), WAAN (Seattle, WA), Zenkichi (Brooklyn, NY) |
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Satay, originally an Indonesian dish, is gaining popularity in Asia and in the Western World. While traditional American kebabs have cubes of meat and vegetables like onions, tomatoes, squash and potatoes, Satay is made from long strips of meat on bamboo skewers, which are grilled over a wood or charcoal fire. It is usually served with a variety of spicy sauces.
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| Check New Asian Cuisine’s celebrity chefs’ Restaurants to keep up with these new trends, and also check out our listing of more than 1200 Asian stores in U.S. to find a shopping site for Asian ingredients. |
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Fragrant pears originated in far western China in the Xinjiang region and has been prized in Asia for over a thousand years. These small and roughly oval fruits have thin edible skin that are jade green in color with reddish patches.They are as crisp as Asian pears but are incredibly juicy and sweet as well. Because of their unique shape, flavor and fragrance, fragrant pears are regarded as distinguished fruits to present loved ones in China. They will keep sweet for months if refrigerated. Read New York Times article on Fragrant Pears |
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Bitter melon or bitter gourd is a very popular vegetable in Asian countries, and is sold in many Asian grocery stores in the United States. It has an extremely bitter taste and is primarily used for diabetes, cancer and for stimulating digestion. Bitter gourd also increases body’s resistance to infections and is helpful in the treatment of various blood disorders such as psoriasis and scabies. But health reports say high doses of bitter melon can sometimes make heartburn and ulcers worse.
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Ana Mandara
891 Beach Street,
San Francisco, CA 94109,
(415) 771-6800
Ana Mandara's Chef Khai Duong rocked the epicurean world in 2000 with the debut of San Francisco's Ana Mandara. Partners Don Johnson and Cheech Marin added a celebrity touch to the cause celebré opening of this stunning, multi-tiered restaurant reminiscent of a French-Colonial Vietnamese movie set. Gourmet Magazine declared the restaurant "...unlike any other Vietnamese restaurant in America." The restaurant has also been featured in Bon Appetit, InStyle Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The San Francisco Chronicle, and many others. Ana Mandara is one of the few Asian restaurants in the U.S. that has a full-time sommelier and has consistently been awarded the Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence.
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The hills of San Francisco are alive with culture and cuisine. Cable cars zip along the city streets, carting people to and from colorful neighborhoods like Haight-Ashbury and Mission Bay. San Francisco has one of the densest Chinese populations in the country, thanks to a 1970s influx of immigrants, and the city's Chinese New Year parade is the oldest and largest cultural event of its kind, combining elements of the traditional lantern festival with the patriotic flair of the American parade. San Francisco also boasts the country's oldest and largest Chinatown, founded in the 1850s. Over 150 years later, San Francisco is a hotbed of authentic Asian flavors, serving up some of the best Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai food in the Western world.
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