Jennifer May: What are your first memorable experiences around food?

Corinne Trang: I remember being in my grandmothers' kitchens, and the smells floating through the air. In France, butter pastries baking in the oven. In Cambodia, the sweet, herbal smells of kaffir lime leaves, ginger, and carambola [star fruit]. I call it aromatherapy in the kitchen. Even fish sauce smells good to me. 

JM: What is the biggest mistake you see among novices cooking in an Asian style?

CT: This is not necessarily Asian related, but it has to do with cooking in general. When people try to follow recipes exactly, and if they can't find one ingredient they turn the page to the next recipe. If you can't find cilantro you can use mint. It's okay. You don't have to let that stop you. If you can't find tamarind you could use lime juice or lemon because tamarind is a sour note. You have to think about what the ingredient adds to the dish, rather than turn the page. You need to allow yourself to be free with food. It's not a science project.

JM: You have written that the art of the Asian grill is largely the art of condiments—can you explain?

CT: Condiments—marinades and dipping sauce, herbs and spices—are essential to creating meals at the grill. Condiments are used to tenderize and cure meats, and enhance flavors so the food becomes more palatable.

JM: How do you recommend a novice begin in creating an Asian-inspired grilling repertoire?

CT: Start at the beginning and build a basic Asian pantry, which should include soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, chili flakes (or sauce). In the refrigerator always keep garlic, ginger, and scallion (these three turned into an herbal paste and added to the mentioned pantry items plus sugar make for a terrific starter marinade). Move on to the next step and add fish sauce, palm sugar, hoisin, and miso.

JM: Can you explain the concept of the five flavor notes of Asian cuisine?

CT: The five flavor notes (or characters) system is what makes Asian food so interesting and appealing. It satisfies all taste buds. It is tied to the yin yang, the Chinese philosophy of balanced opposites. At every meal you should be able to experience salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy notes throughout the meal. This system makes for a more sophisticated palate. It is essential in Asian cookery. Consider that Asians do not eat dessert at the end of the meal, because they've had a sweet element to their food throughout their meal. There is no need to satisfy that sweet tooth. It has already been satisfied. You can approach every element of this five-flavor-note system in the same way. At the end of the meal, Asians drink tea to help digest. On occasion they will eat fresh citrus fruit.

JM: How do you feel about Asian fusion cuisine?

CT: My main deal in life is to preserve food the way it was made for thousands of years. That said, there is room for fusion—and what I call traditional fusion, where fusion occurs because it had to happen historically. For example, in Vietnamese cooking you see the French and Chinese influences because of 1,000 years of Chinese ruling, followed by 100 years of French occupation.

JM: Would the recipes in The Asian Grill be recognized by Asians?

CT: The sauces are all authentic, although I did play with some—in Asia recipes vary from one house to the next. The miso dressing is pretty authentic to what you would find in a Japanese restaurant, but I added walnuts to make it richer, and to add a toasted nut flavor. My peanut sauce is authentic in an Indonesian-Vietnamese-Thai way. It is an example of my East-meets-East philosophy.

JM: What is the last thing you grilled?

CT: I did pork with kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass served with a mango salad and sticky rice.


Photos, left to right: Watermelon Julep (foreground), Lychee Margarita; Grilled Shrimp Satay; Grilled Vegetables with Miso Dressing; Sushi Rice in Fried Tofu Pockets with Pickled Ginger and Seaweed; Grilled Wild Slamon Maki.
Photographs courtesy Corinne Trang from her book The Asian Grill.