SpiceLines

On Tuesday, September 5, Asia Society will host a panel of culinary experts who’ll explore the history and evolution of Southeast Asian cuisine, with an accent on the tantalizing spices of the region, in "Cradle of Flavor: A Journey Along Southeast Asia's Spice Trail."

James OselandExecutive Editor of Saveur and author of an irresistible new book, Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, will moderate. Oseland has spent the last 20 years traveling to the region, foraging in wet markets, slogging through rice paddies and hanging out in the kitchens of superb cooks, learning to make dishes like Singapore Black Pepper Crab and Javanese Chicken Curry. I can imagine no better guide for this spicy voyage.

On the panel is Naomi Duguid, who, with her husband Jeffrey Alford, wrote Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia. These Toronto-based food writers, who met on a rooftop in Tibet, travel the world, photographing and writing about the people they meet and the delicious everyday food they eat. (Their most recent book is Mangoes and Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent.) It’s a good bet that Zak Pelaccio, chef at the Fatty Crab and 5 Ninth, who lived in Malaysia for a year and a half, will discuss his fondness for fermented fish flavors, the subject of a recent New York Times article. He has won near universal acclaim for his crispy fried pork belly marinated in kekap manis (sweet soy sauce), black vinegar and Asian fish sauce.

Others in this distinguished group include Amy Besa, co-owner of Cendrillon and author of Memories of Philippine Kitchens; Irene Kim Wong, Director of Saffron 59 Catering; and Christopher Tan, a Singapore food writer and author of Shiok!, Cooking with Asian Leaves and the forthcoming Cooking with Asian Roots. A light tasting will follow the discussion.

Date: Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Time: 7 PM
Where: Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street)
New York
Tickets: $15 (members), $30 (non-members)
Contact: 212.517.2742
Web: www.asiasociety.com

In October James Oseland, editor in chief of Saveur and author of the enthralling Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands, will moderate two food discussions at Asia Society.

On October 15, 2007, “A Chocolate Affair: The Asian Palate Falls in Love” will explore the marriage-made-in-heaven between chocolate and luscious Asian flavors such as jasmine, ginger, green tea, Thai chili, tamarind and lychee. The panel, which will chat about the use of chocolate in Asian cuisines, includes Kristy Choo, pastry chef, Jin Patisserie (Venice, California); Kee Ling Tong, chocolatiere, Kee’s Chocolates (Soho); and Pichet Ong, chef-owner of P*ONG restaurant (New York) and author of a new dessert cookbook, The Sweet Spot.

On October 29, 2007, “From Saigon to Soho: The Rise of Vietnamese Cuisine” will celebrate the vibrant cooking of Vietnam, which seems to be on a global roll. (Count us in: we’re avid for pho, Hanoi’s tantalizing beef noodle soup.) The panel will include Bobby Chinn, chef and restauranteur, Bobby Chinn Restaurant (Hanoi); Corinne Trang, author of Essentials of Asian Cuisine; and Andrea Nguyen, California-based teacher, writer and author of Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. Andrea also maintains a terrific website which is a must for anyone who loves Vietnamese food.

A light food tasting will follow each presentation.

Contact: Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue at 70th Street, New York, NY 10021. Telephone: 212-517-ASIA. Web: www.asiasociety.org. For tickets: https://tickets.asiasociety.org.

Denise Vivaldo of L.A.-based Food Fanatics dishes about food styling: "I always
tell the actors the food is poisoned so they can't eat it. If they have to nibble on
camera, I serve them a few salad leaves."

Here’s what I did last weekend: Blow-torched a nearly raw chicken into gleaming submission, sealed limp hamburger buns with Scotchgard, built a toothpick scaffolding to prop up a collapsing wedge of chocolate cake. Then there was the no-melt “ice cream” made from a blend of Crisco, powdered sugar and cornstarch, and…

Well, you get the picture.