Gone are the craze of poke bowls and Japanese-Mexican cuisine that impressed foodies from the previous year. A new food trend to look out for in 2019 goes beyond the fusion of two kitchens and takes flavour to another level. It is Pacific Rim cuisine, food that exudes wonderfully fresh yet vibrantly exotic flavours.
What are Pacific Rim flavours?
What exactly are Pacific Rim flavours? This is a fusion style of cooking that draws inspiration from countries located along the Pacific ocean. It is a cuisine influenced by Oceania, Asia as well as along the western coast of both North and South America. Think Japan meets California, Hawaii, Fiji, Peru, Australia, Philippines. Each country bringing with it a culinary kaleidoscope of seafood ingredients, tropical fruits and an alluring blend of local herbs, vegetables, nuts, and spices.
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The techniques and ingredients
Pacific Rim cooking is a medley of styles that honours indigenous ingredients. This creates interesting dishes where you get to see the coming together of different cultures. Instead of the usual pulled pork tacos, you might end up with curry seafood tacos. Or in place of fish and chips, you are served a refreshing twist of pan-grilled miso-glazed salmon with mango slaw.
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The focus of Pacific Rim cooking is on the use of fresh local ingredients and cooking them with healthier methods such as stir-frying, steaming or grilling. These are methods common in Asian cooking. Using lesser fat and oil, these techniques bring out the real taste of the ingredients without impacting our health.
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The emphasis on freshness points to a healthier way of eating. Mixing in ample fruits, vegetables and lean protein like seafood also provides consumers with essential vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, and fibre. With all these benefits, there is no reason to say no to Pacific Rim cuisine.
Aromatic spices like cloves, cinnamon, galangal, and coriander are just a few examples of seasoning found in Pacific Rim flavours.
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The key role of condiments in this cuisine is to enhance the taste of the main ingredients instead of overpowering them. It would be handy to have a mortar and pestle if you are keen to attempt Pacific Rim inspired recipes because the way to release the fragrance and natural oil of the fresh herbs and spices is to crush and grind them. The mortar and pestle is also an age-old cooking tool used by many people from the Pacific Rim region as a convenient way to blend condiments together.
What to look out for
Shoppers will definitely be seeing more exotic and diverse ingredients in grocery stores and supermarkets. So, get imaginative with making dishes such as cuttlefish spring rolls with papaya salad, shrimp paste broth udon noodles, guava, and passion fruit smoothie as well as jackfruit curry.
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As you can see, there is much room for creativity when it comes to Pacific Rim cooking. It takes experimentation and understanding how flavours can be balanced and how ingredients complement each other to wow the taste buds and jolt the palates. With all the healthy goodness and interesting flavours brought by Pacific Rim cooking, this trend might just be here to stay.
