How Australians have changed.

What tickled me most, as I watched Steady, Ready, Cook, a TV Cooking Programme, last week, was the constant reference made to Asian ingredients like sesame oil, Indonesian ketchup manis, hoisin sauce and veggies like Bock Choy, Choy Sam, Kai lan and spices like coriander seeds and condiments like prawn paste. All totally foreign to most Australians not too long ago. The chefs, I am referring to were Aussies. They used the wok and talked about stir-frying as a preference to boiling or steaming vegetables.
Indeed Australians have come a long way. Walk into any restaurant and you are likely to find listed, on the menu, fusion food -- in reference to food with Asian Flavour.
I was at Byron Bay two years ago and I had the most delicious dish of shellfish (Mussels) prepared in Vietnamese style in an Aussie restaurant
Most Australians I know love Laksa and they are familiar with roast pork and Char Siew . Invite an Aussie Friend to Yam Cha he knows what he is likely to be served. Some will even tell you what they like to have.
When we first moved to Adelaide, in 1976, we would consider ourselves lucky if you could buy ingredients like coconut milk, or dried chilly from the supermarkets. You would have to travel to the city to buy the stuff you like in a Chinese grocer (at that time they were few and far between, now you find them by the dozens in any Chinatown).I remember we had to drive a few kilometers to a private home to buy bean sprout. To day bean sprout is served in Greek and Italian restaurants in their salads.
Walk into Coles or Wollies and you are sure to find one of the aisles marked Asian foods. Fruits like durians, mangoesteens and rambutans are displayed on the tables and shelves. Of course you pay for them through your nose.
When you invite some friends to your house for a meal they know what to expect. They will tell you there is going to be satay and fried noodles. Prawn on your BarB is a Vietnamese concoction, did you know that?
Jamie Oliver , the young English Chef, uses the lesung (mortar and pestal) to prepare his fresh ingredients for his cooking. Indeed the lesung is a symbol of a master cook and it is an item most sought after even if it not used for the purpose it is made for. They are on sale at Target, Kmart and BigW
Where do you go for the best Asian Meal -- the answer is Sydney or alternatively any of the capital cities in Australia.
Hawker food stalls are found in all food courts. Have a char koay teow (fried rice noodle) the next time visit a food court . It is my favourite, served with lots of chilly.
Enjoy!!!