What are the criteria dividing the East and the West? The standard that I have come to set after my trips around the world is a love of broth. Noodles are enjoyed in most Asian countries, but interestingly, this tapers off in India. It’s not that noodles aren’t eaten in India, but they aren’t necessarily considered mainstream. Instead, many curries are enjoyed in India. In other words, moisture in food is preferred. In terms of a love of broth, India is somewhere between the West and the East, representing the end of the Asian spectrum. On the other hand, ASEAN countries are deeply in love with broth. Even in a 40°C heat, diners still enjoy broth despite sweating profusely – that’s how much they love their soup. Let's find out which broth dishes are most notable in ASEAN.
Broadly, Asian broths can be divided into those with a coconut milk base and those that are sour. Coconut milk is widely used for its abundance and richness in taste and nutrition. And ASEAN people believe that a sour flavor cools down the heat and makes food less fattening. Without question, the go-to broth dish of Thailand, a globally beloved gastronomic heaven, is tom yum soup. It boasts a unique taste and aroma to which nothing else comes close. The secret is a mixture of distinct spices, especially lemongrass – the key to the aroma of tom yung soup. Lemongrass is an herb in the grass family that is unrelated to lemons. However, as its name suggests, it has a subtle aroma of lemon. Galangal, a cousin of ginger, also contributes to the tom yum soup’s particular scent. While lemongrass and galangal float in the soup, they are only used for their aroma and are not eaten.
They are easy to sort out, with their stiff, tough textures. Viet Nam is a paradise of rice noodles and puts relatively less emphasis on broth. But the Vietnamese are serious foodies; broth in Viet Nam might be relatively less emphasized, but it still tastes great. Comparable to tom yum soup in Thailand, there is a dish in Viet Nam called canh chua. In Vietnamese, canh means “soup” and chua means “sour.” This sour broth is one of the most popular Vietnamese broth dishes. Traditional canh chua is made by boiling freshwater fish with various seasonings. The sour taste comes from tomatoes and tamarind, one of the most beloved ingredients in Southeast Asia. Canh chua has the perfect mixture of the rich taste of freshwater fish and the refreshing and tangy flavors of tamarind. With a bowl of canh chua, I can finish a heap of rice in a flash.
In Singapore, fish head curry is the signature dish that represents the country’s multiethnic identity. This joint creation combines spicy curry from South India with fish heads, a Chinese delicacy. The dish’s spicy flavors filled with the sweetness of coconut are reminiscent of Korea's dakbokkeumtang, a spicy braised chicken dish. For the fish, sea bream is mainly used. Fish head curry is eaten with rice or bread, meaning that even the way it is eaten demonstrates a fusion of Eastern and Western cultures. Cambodia’s samlor korko incorporates almost every kind of meat and vegetable sourced in the local area. In Khmer, the official language of Cambodia, samlor means “soup” and korko means “to mix.” A total of 12 vegetables go into this soup, including green bananas, jackfruit, green papaya, Thai eggplant, squash, squash leaves, and long beans. Kreung paste, similar to curry, is made from lemongrass, garlic, and turmeric powder.
While the broth resembles curry, it is much thinner. And Cambodia is home to the Mekong River, the lifeline of Southeast Asia, and the largest freshwater lake in Asia, Tonlé Sap. No wonder it has a world-class historic site like Angkor Wat. In other words, abundance gives birth to a rich culture. Dishes made with fish usually do not include other meat, but samlor korko includes pork or chicken. This broth dish is nothing short of a cornucopia on its own.
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