From spice-laden noodle soups to dried and fried catfish, Asian food seems to linger in every Australian neighbourhood corner.
Everywhere you look, people are clamouring for a taste of the latest delicious dishes from Asia, even though we have a variety of different cuisines to choose from in this incredible country.
Yet, despite an overwhelming adoration of Asian food, if you were to flip through a high-end guidebook for local restaurants in Melbourne, you’d probably wonder where half of the pages had gone!
It seems that the decision-makers throughout Australia are still painting the picture that the most popular cuisines in the country are those from a European background, with Asian culinary options taking a back seat.
So, what’s going on?
Asian Food Has Already Found a Place in Australian Kitchens
While restaurant awards tell one side of the story, what Australians are choosing to cook and eat at home tells another.
Many Asian ingredients that once required a visit to a specialist grocer are becoming increasingly familiar on a regular supermarket shopping list. Fish sauce, rice noodles, star anise, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, scallions, coriander and other fresh herbs give Australian home cooks plenty of ways to experiment with different flavours.
The meals are just as varied.
One night might mean pad thai or a quick stir fry with chicken and vegetables. Another could involve dumplings, a fragrant massaman curry or a bowl of brown rice served alongside fresh produce.
Even relatively simple ingredients such as rice, oil, sugar, green vegetables and fresh herbs can be combined in very different ways depending on the recipe, season and personal preference.
As these ingredients become easier to find, Asian-inspired cooking can increasingly move beyond the restaurant and onto the Australian family table.
Interestingly, that connection to Asian-style cooking is also closely linked with Goldline’s own history.
Goldline’s story began in 1990 with a vision to create a cooktop that could cater for Australia’s growing interest in stir fry cooking. Its original GL3 models combined an unusual burner layout with two high-powered wok burners, giving home cooks greater flexibility when working with a wok.
Why Aren’t the Food Awards Going to Asia?
Every year, some of the most prominent food publications in Australia, like The Australian Good Food Guide and Gourmet Traveller, announce their Chef of the Year. These awards recognise the creativity and commitment of these culinary specialists annually. Yet, every year since 2013, the award has gone to a Chef of European descent or one who specialises in European culinary traditions.
Although Asian restaurants have received recognition by leading publications over the years, 48% of those locations had Caucasian head chefs, and 60% had Caucasian owners. If you consider Japanese restaurants in Australia (a more widely accepted part of Asian cuisine in Australia), the awards consist of 71% European owners, and 56% European head chefs.
When it comes to food industry awards, it seems as though Australia curries favour with European cuisine, particularly the food of Italy. Italian chefs and restaurants win more prizes year-on-year than establishments that serve food from all the Asian countries.
What’s more, among Asian cuisines, there’s a visible hierarchy. Of the 150 restaurants listed in both preeminent food guides that feature an Asian theme, only eleven come from sub-continental cuisines, and almost a third of the listings are Japanese.
Interestingly, if you’re looking for cheap eats instead of best eats, Asian cuisines begin to dominate.
The issue may stem from the fact that European citizens dominate Australian food media. Of the 111 listed GT and GFG reviewers, approximately 80% are white. Additionally, Australians of European descent hold all the senior positions for these review publications.
From Takeaway Favourites to Home-Cooked Meals
Australia’s enthusiasm for Asian food isn’t limited to eating out.
For home cooks, recreating a favourite meal can be as much about the cooking technique as the ingredients.
Consider a stir fry. Before the wok even reaches the flame, the vegetables might be sliced, the chicken prepared, the garlic and ginger chopped and a sauce mix made with ingredients such as fish sauce, oil and a touch of sugar.
Having everything ready matters because wok cooking can happen quickly.
The combination of a wok and high heat allows ingredients to cook rapidly. Rather than adding everything at once, ingredients can be cooked in smaller amounts to help manage the heat before they are brought back together.
From there, the possibilities are enormous. Add fresh coriander or scallions before serving, pair the dish with rice, or change the vegetables according to what’s fresh and in season.
It’s this flexibility that makes cooking at home so interesting. There’s no single product or ingredient that defines Asian cuisine; instead, countless ingredients, cooking traditions and techniques come together across different countries and regions.
Cooking Asian Food at Home: Preparation Makes a Difference
You don’t need an enormous collection of ingredients to start experimenting with Asian-inspired meals.
A practical shopping list might include:
- Rice or brown rice
- Rice noodles
- Chicken
- Fresh vegetables
- Garlic and ginger
- Fish sauce
- Fresh coriander
- Scallions
- Lemongrass
- Star anise
- Cooking oil
- A selection of fresh herbs
From there, what you add depends on what you’re cooking.
Rice noodles might become pad thai. Chicken, green vegetables, garlic and ginger could become a quick stir fry. Star anise and other aromatic ingredients can contribute to slowly cooked dishes, while lemongrass, coriander and scallions can bring a completely different combination of aromas and flavours to the table.
The goal doesn’t have to be recreating restaurant food exactly. Cooking at home gives everyone the freedom to experiment, adjust flavours and find the combination that suits their own preference.
And that’s part of what makes Australia’s growing appetite for Asian food so interesting.
Time for a Change?
So, is it time for a flavour change? It does seem that way!
In Australia, generations of young people are now growing up with exposure to more diverse cuisines than ever before. When we go out these days, we spend more time eating in Asian restaurants or ordering Asian takeout, thus getting used to the traditionally spicy flavours and unique ingredients.
Even on social media, we have begun to embrace Australian chefs like Thai-Australian Marion Grasby, who specialises in Thai and other Asian cuisines. She showcases simple but tasty versions of traditional Asian dishes and has garnered a loyal following of 1.5 million followers on Facebook and 583,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Eventually, the trend shows, Aussies who become chefs will start to introduce more Asian cuisine into various culinary environments.
As we continue to embrace the delights of exotic eating as a country, more people are beginning to balk at the lists of all-white restaurants that dominate Good Food Guides. We’re starting to see more ethnic groups fighting for Asian cuisine to get the respect and attention that it deserves.
Change is on the horizon; we need to keep filling our plates with new flavours to help the culinary landscape evolve for good.
More Than a Food Trend
Perhaps what we’re seeing isn’t simply another food trend.
Asian cuisines have become part of how many Australians eat, shop and cook. Fresh produce and Asian ingredients are finding their way into everyday meals, while techniques such as stir-frying have become familiar in home kitchens.
Food also carries something more personal.
For families with connections to Asian cultures, a bowl of rice, homemade dumplings, a curry or a favourite noodle dish can represent family traditions and pride as much as dinner. For other Australians, discovering these dishes creates opportunities to learn about flavours, ingredients and cooking traditions they may not have experienced before.
That diversity deserves to be celebrated both at home and in Australia’s wider food scene.
Whether your preference is a fiery stir fry cooked over high heat, a fragrant curry simmering slowly at the centre of the table or a fresh noodle dish filled with herbs and vegetables, there are countless ways to discover Asian food.
And if you’re ready to bring more wok cooking into your own kitchen, choosing the right cooking product can help give you the flexibility to move between high-heat stir-frying and gentler cooking.
Explore Goldline Gas Cooktops →
Most importantly, continue discovering new dishes, supporting the restaurants and cooks you enjoy, and share the foods and traditions you love.
The more flavours we welcome to the Australian table, the richer our food culture can become.
