Southeast Asian American Food

Much of the food of Southeast Asia—Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (formerly Burma), the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam—is represented in the United States. In pockets where immigrants have formed communities, food helps rebuild culture and identity. In those areas, the food is most likely to be closest to that of the countries of origin. The U.S. mainstream is familiar mainly with the cuisines of Thailand and Vietnam, often in westernized form.

Although Southeast Asian foods share a flavor profile—a balance of hot, salty, sour, sweet, and sometimes bitter—individual cuisines both between and within countries are distinctive. In some cuisines, fish sauce is used for the salty component; in others, salt is used. Palm sugar may provide sweetness, and lime the sour note. Condiments often are provided at the table so that diners can customize dishes to taste. Chilies from the Americas were not added until the sixteenth century. Some cultures eat mostly jasmine rice; others sticky rice. A typical meal is based on a large serving of rice with a scant, flavorful topping of stir-fried meat or fish, vegetables, seasonings, and sometimes coconut milk. Noodles made of rice flour, eggs, or mung beans may be substituted for rice. Leaf wrappers, often of banana or pandanus leaves, are used to package some foods. Soup is essential. Dessert often consists of fresh fruit or sticky rice with bits of fruit.