Importing Authentic Chinese Flavors

[Ethnic Cuisines] Vol. 22 No. 6 June 2012 ww Importing Authentic Chinese Flavors

By Aspen Burkhardt, Contributing Editor

American cuisine has been influenced by Asian flavors since the mid-1800s when Chinese immigrants from Canton began settling in California. Young cosmopolitans in the 1920s considered it exotic, and had the means, during The Gilded Age, to seek it out. After World War II, Asian cuisines (notably Chinese, Japanese and Polynesian) piqued the interest of mainstream America, and in the mid-1990s Asian fusion entered the mainstream.

Its influence continues to grow. The Selig Center for Economic Growth, Athens, GA, estimates the buying power of Asian Americans will reach $752 billion in 2013, nearly doubling since 2005. That buying power, coupled with the growing taste for Asian influences among non-Asian Americans, is being reflected in our country’s cuisine, driving new interest in diversified and modern takes on Chinese cuisine.

Dining around Asia

Our culinary team traveled to Asia in 2011. During the trip, which we call DineAround®, our team examined cooking styles, ingredients, restaurants and street food, ultimately identifying the differences between mainstream Asian food in the United States and its native roots, and seeking out applications that might translate into the new Asian-American culinary landscape.

During last year’s DineAround, we visited the Canton region. While our main focus was Hong Kong, we ventured across the bay to Macau and Zhuhai and sampled many dishes that could be seen in the various regions of China. We found that many dishes in the United States are prepared with techniques similar to those used in China—stir-frying, wok-frying, deep-frying, braising, stewing and steaming are all quite common.

Since so many American Chinese dishes were initially made by Chinese immigrants, ingredients and flavor profiles are similar to their ancestors. Where the dishes differ will not come as a surprise to most food scientists or chefs. American Chinese is sweeter. For example China’s version of sweet and sour leans toward the sour end of the spectrum, largely due to use of Chinese black vinegar (typically made with black glutinous rice, wheat, millet and/or sorghum, along with malt).

Lunch and dinner are also more focused on vegetables. In many American Chinese buffet restaurants, the focus is on the protein and sauce—think Mongolian beef, General Tsao’s chicken, sweet-and-sour pork—while the vegetables drown in a sea of sauce. In China, vegetables, like Chinese long beans, cabbages, onions, carrots, Chinese broccoli, peas and squash, tend to fill the center of the plate. Even the consummate example of Chinese cuisine—Peking duck—relies on more than just the meat. As Coco Lin and Steve Harris, Gemmy Industries, Hong Kong, described it as “a fantastically rich and sweet combination of flavors, and wonderful contrasts in texture of crunchy roasted duck skin, crispy green onion and soft and chewy crêpe.” www.foodproductdesign.com Page 1

[Ethnic Cuisines] Vol. 22 No. 6 June 2012

Regional distinctions

The historic flavor profiles of Chinese cuisine encompass a broad range, and base ingredients change as the environment changes throughout the eight different food regions of China: Anhui, Guangdond (Canton region), Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan and Zhejiang.

In the cooler Northern and Western regions of Beijing and Sichuan, respectively, corn, potatoes and wheat are integral to the native cuisine. Cornmeal breads are common, and stir-fries include the baby corn common in United States. Potatoes are par-cooked, shredded and wok-cooked with other vegetables, ginger, garlic and chiles, while sweet potatoes are served roasted. The presence of wheat crops means that Chinese buns (bao) are popular, along with mien (wheat) noodles.

Cattle are more prevalent in the north than in other regions, and beef is used in many forms. Ground or thinly sliced, beef is wok-cooked and served with a variety of sauces, or used as a filling for dumplings and buns. Stewing and roasting is also common, and often the beef is left raw for customers to cook themselves in a simmering hot pot. Pickled vegetables, including cabbage, cucumbers, carrots and peppers, are also popular in the northern regions, an outgrowth of the cold winters. The vegetables are often served with dried, smoked Chinese sausage, lap cheong, and dried red chiles to add some heat. As the altitude increases, so does the craving for hot drinks, so tea comes in every form in the mountainous areas. Black vinegar is widely used, and parts of the North, specifically the Shanxi region, are known for their red wines, mostly Bordeaux blends, with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Moving to the south, the Guangzhou region serves up Cantonese cuisine, and shows influence from the British and Portuguese explorers that traveled to the region during Colonial times. The Portuguese-influenced foods are richer than traditional Chinese, with a focus on meat, primarily braised. Both the British and Portuguese brought sweet custard tarts to the region. The Portuguese tart, which we sampled in Macau, is much sweeter than the English version common in Hong Kong, in which the egg flavor leads the dessert.

Guangzhou is also the home to dim sum, which started as tea and tiny morsels served to travelers along the Silk Road. While other cultures moved into the area, the Chinese moved out, coming to America for work. As such, American Chinese food is most similar to Cantonese cuisine. Where the two depart is in the wide use of offal (pig lungs, goose intestines and feet), known as lou mei, in China. Lou mei is a product of siu mei, a rotisserie style of cooking proteins such as duck, chicken and, less widely, pigs. Rotisseries are often strategically placed at the front of a restaurant, visible to passersby. And, of course, there’s Peking duck, with its flavorful combination of ginger, honey, sherry, vinegar and scallions.

Finally, the Eastern regions are home to the red sauces commonly seen in sweet-and-sour dishes in the United States. These heavier sauces, derived from simmering pork or other proteins in sugar and soy, are mostly used in Shanghai.

South, west, east or north, visitors will be sure to find noodles, a staple of the Chinese diet, made with rice in the south and wheat in the north. Soy products such as tofu and soy sauce are shared www.foodproductdesign.com Page 2

[Ethnic Cuisines] Vol. 22 No. 6 June 2012 throughout the country. Tea is everywhere, for drinking—but also added as flavor to meals and snacks. Green tea is often used in desserts, a trend moving to the United States, and even in smoked duck.

Impending Chinese imports

What will be the next big Chinese food trend in the United States? We sampled it all—from plated, multiple-course dinners at Michelin-rated restaurants to snacks from local street vendors—and identified a few trends that hit the sweet spot between delicious and highly doable in the United States.

Chinese buns were among the standouts. In Hong Kong we sampled bao filled with savory beef from a little spot called Islam Food. We wanted to savor the tender sliced beef, but lapped it up in seconds to avoid losing any of the sauce that was rapidly dripping down our fingers. These Asian buns are filled, sealed and steamed, and offer a versatile vehicle for food distributors. I’ve recently sampled buns with Peking duck or sweet red beans, as well as barbecue pork simmered in honey, hoisin, dark soy sauce, sugar, five spice, garlic and ginger, on menus (largely independent) in the United States.

We’re also seeing a rise in U.S. items that use glutinous rice flour as a base. While Americans tend to shy away from these textures that are so common in Asia, boba tea (or bubble tea), featuring pearl- sized black tapioca, is being slurped up in strip malls across America’s heartland, and many of the popular frozen-yogurt places carry tiny mochi pieces (from rice cakes) as a topping.

Food manufacturers should also pay attention to the dim sum spot nearby. The little bites featured in dim sum could easily be the next tapas. In fact, Technomic, Chicago, ranked ethnic street food as the No. 1 appetizer trend in 2011, citing tempura, taquitos and kabobs. With American’s love of “fusion,” the next big street food might be crispy, fried squid prepared in the Chinese manner, with a light batter made from rice flour, served up in Mediterranean kabob style.

Finally, as non-native fruits make their way across the continents, we expect two fruits to gain in popularity. Lychee a soapberry with a perfumed flavor, is a common treat, eaten fresh, as juice, canned in syrup as dessert, or occasionally the featured flavor in a gelatin-based desserts. In the United States, the juicy and lush fruit is finding its way to the bar menus of cutting-edge mixologists as a sophisticated and easy-to-drink mixer.

Yuzu, on the other hand, is a tangy citrus fruit combining the flavors of mandarin and grapefruit. Its sweet and tart zest adds zing to marinades, dressings, beverages and glazes. After our DineAround trip, we prepared a yuzu-citron dressing and yuzu-soy marinade, which our customers loved, and even concocted an ice cream using the flavor. Americans are tapping into such tangy tastes already—started by Red Mango’s original tart yogurt, now duplicated at thousands of franchise concepts around the country.

In the end, we are advising our clients to experiment with these tart, tangy and savory flavors still foreign to some American palates. While new flavors also present a risk, the American palate is www.foodproductdesign.com Page 3

[Ethnic Cuisines] Vol. 22 No. 6 June 2012 changing to reflect our changing demographics, and more Americans are asking for menus and products with an Asian flair.

Aspen Burkhardt is a research chef for Illes Seasonings & Flavors, Carrollton, TX, and a member of the Research Chefs Association. For more information, visit illesfoods.com.