2010 November: Cuisines of Asia ~ H Block at the CIA.

Cuisines of the ASIA's : Chef Smythe

     With a laundry list of new and unusual ingredients, plus the only kitchens with wok stations, a Chinese smoker and a tandoori oven we were in for a new skill set.  The French traditions and standard cookware were gone and a 3,000 year old culture and its food basket were being dumped in our lap for this three week class.  Chef Smythe was firm and demanding.  When we were late on service or the prep had not been as focused as neccessary we would end up at the end of the day with lectures on professionalism and focus on mise en place to "inspire" us for the next day.   

treasure of the sea

     We drank authentic whole leaf teas exploring the various styles: white, green, oolong, black and several that were inbetween.  We tasted the strange new ingredients to begin our foundation in the Asian cuisine flavor profile.  Who new there were so many styles and types of just soy sauce.

    Chinese food, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Malasian, Vietnamese, and Indian.  Everyday was a trial in prep speed and organization while working with ingredients that most of us had just read about.  By the end of the three weeks we had a new grasp and appreciation of this far reaching and expansive cuisine.

  I had missed the first day of class and had to write a 10 page report on the cuisine of China and how it had effected American cuisine.  That paper is posted on this blog.   While writing the paper I came across several awesome websites that are a wealth of information.  They as well are posted for your enjoyment.