Technically speaking, there’s no such thing as “Asian food.” I don’t mean there’s no such thing as amazing food that comes from the Asian continent. I mean that the way the word Asian is used as a catch-all term does a disservice to each of the individual cuisines represented on the world’s largest and most diverse continent. By that logic, “European food” would be a singular entity offering no distinction between French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, or Russian cuisines. And that’s why you never really hear this.
You do, however, often hear people say, “I’m in the mood for Asian.” This misnomer has its roots partly in the label “Asian American,” a term first coined just 54 years ago as a means of resisting oppression faced in the U.S. and representing cultures, peoples, languages, and dishes that are hundreds if not thousands of years old.
Asian Pacific Americans are far from a monolith. And these days we’re reclaiming the visibility of the umbrella term to show how expansive it really is. While Chinese, Korean, and Japanese have been the most visible “Asian” communities, this country is also home to many Southeast Asians, many of whom fled war, and Pacific Islanders, like Native Hawaiians, whose cuisines bear imprints of American colonialism.
Food, with its connection to history, terroir, and memory, is the perfect conduit for celebrating our mosaic identity. So for this series, we asked eight chefs, writers, and recipe developers of different Asian Pacific American descents to go deep on foods they’re obsessed with, that are authentic to their experiences. Some were inspired by adventures in Asia, like writer Cathy Erway, who remembers a magical ice cream roll she tried at a Taiwanese night market in college. We catch up with restaurateur Leah Cohen to shoot a video for khao soi, a classic Northern Thai coconut curry noodle soup she learned on the road.
Others tap into the experience of being Asian in America. In Colorado, writer Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton pens an ode to the nostalgic plate lunch dish that connects her to her mom’s Hawaiian heritage. And in San Antonio, the Houston-born owners of the restaurant Pinch Boil House share their recipe for Vietnamese-Cajun seafood boils—an entirely new cuisine created by Vietnamese Americans in Texas, kind of like Tex-Mex.
Asian food is vast and varied. And Asian American food is too. The product of immigrants who made do in a strange new country, it’s rooted in tradition, but not bound by it. Understanding that all of this is more nuanced than just “Asian food” isn’t meant to complicate things. It’s an invitation to get to know the ingredients, understand the flavor profiles, and then ultimately make it your own, just like we do.
THAILAND'S ICONIC
CURRY NOODLES
Chef Leah Cohen showcases her recipe for khao soi, a textural Northern Thai noodle soup that layers crispy noodles over soft noodles in a savory curry.
THE VANILLA OF
SOUTHEAST ASIA
Pandan is a verdant leaf that plays the flavoring role of vanilla in many Filipino, Thai, and Vietnamese desserts—and adds an herbal fragrance to savory foods too.
A MULTICULTURAL INDIAN
FAMILY RECIPE
Cookbook author Chitra Agrawal on the soulful curry that combines North Indian lentils from her father’s family with South Indian coconut from her mother’s.
INDONESIA'S
ALL-PURPOSE CONDIMENT
A Chinese-influenced creation of soy sauce laced with palm sugar, kecap manis defines Indonesian cuisine and brings a hit of flavor to any dish.
VIETNAMESE-CAJUN
BOIL PARTY
Vietnamese-Cajun crawfish was created in Houston, but its signature flavors and spices work anywhere—with any fresh seafood you can get your hands on.
SON-MAT:
MADE WITH LOVE
Writer Iris Kim reflects on the first time she brought her non-Korean boyfriend home for a taste of her mother’s homestyle cooking—and what she learned about her family from it.
ICE CREAM,
MEET CILANTRO
Taiwan is famous for its night markets, which are famous for cilantro-peanut ice cream rolls that are sweet, fragrant, and refreshing all at once. Cathy Erway shares her recipe.
PLATE LUNCH
TAKES ME HOME
Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton on kālua pig and cabbage, the elemental Hawaiian plate lunch that connects her to her mixed-race heritage.
GET THE RECIPES
From Our Friends At The
- Please also enjoy "Field Notes From Asian American Kitchens," a companion series by The San Francisco Chronicle.
Dan is a culture, travel, and drinks writer whose work has appeared in Food & Wine, Condé Nast Traveler, Vice, and more. Dan is now founder and managing director of his own food & drink agency District One Studios, weekend editor at Paper, and co-author of the forthcoming Madame Vo Cookbook (2024) with chef Jimmy Ly. Previously, he held editorial roles at Saveur and Time Out.
