What’s a good Asian dish to cook for a very white bread Midwestern family?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you should go over the top and cook them something VERY authentic from your home country with spices and vegetables that you know they'll never touch. They'll have a bit of cultural exposure, and you will never be asked to cook for them again. Win win. Just make sure DH has the nearest pizza place on speed dial.

Speed dial? Is this 1999?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you should go over the top and cook them something VERY authentic from your home country with spices and vegetables that you know they'll never touch. They'll have a bit of cultural exposure, and you will never be asked to cook for them again. Win win. Just make sure DH has the nearest pizza place on speed dial.

Or she could just behave like a normal person and try to cook a dish her in-laws might enjoy, in their home where they are hosting her.

[Anonymous]

If they're interested in understanding your culture a bit better, then shoot for something fried that is from your country. You mentioned teriyaki, so if you're from Japan, think about tempura shrimp, chicken karaage, pork katsu, or even Japanese-style potato salad. Onigiri with a simple tuna mayo filling could work too.

My Indianapolis grandparents died without having ever tried pizza or spaghetti. Even Maryland crab cakes were super exotic for them.

My dad often volunteered my mom to make something from her Thai heritage for his parents to try. It was tough to find more than Chinese-style soy sauce in Indy during the early 70's, so she would bring herbs from our garden and seasonings from the DC asian grocery shops to their house.

Satay (super mild version), pork toasts, fried rice, khai jiao (fried omelette), and fried spring rolls played to their like of fried foods and worked well. No way would they have been ok with any curry, spicy soups nor any dish with odd animal bits. And my mom knew better than to spend a day making dainty spiral dough curry puffs or elaborate steamed desserts. She kept it simple and played to their tastes as much as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they're interested in understanding your culture a bit better, then shoot for something fried that is from your country. You mentioned teriyaki, so if you're from Japan, think about tempura shrimp, chicken karaage, pork katsu, or even Japanese-style potato salad. Onigiri with a simple tuna mayo filling could work too.

My Indianapolis grandparents died without having ever tried pizza or spaghetti. Even Maryland crab cakes were super exotic for them.

My dad often volunteered my mom to make something from her Thai heritage for his parents to try. It was tough to find more than Chinese-style soy sauce in Indy during the early 70's, so she would bring herbs from our garden and seasonings from the DC asian grocery shops to their house.

Satay (super mild version), pork toasts, fried rice, khai jiao (fried omelette), and fried spring rolls played to their like of fried foods and worked well. No way would they have been ok with any curry, spicy soups nor any dish with odd animal bits. And my mom knew better than to spend a day making dainty spiral dough curry puffs or elaborate steamed desserts. She kept it simple and played to their tastes as much as possible.

OP should totally make tonkatsu with white rice and cabbage slaw. Satay is another good suggestion. I think the in laws would eat this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almond boneless chicken will be a hit https://www.eater.com/2018/10/30/18010390/almond-boneless-chicken-war-su-gai-michigan

This and/or pepper steak.

Fully half the people I know from the Midwest (well, Michigan, I don’t know about other states) I’ll not eat black pepper because it’s too spicy. My sister in law will not even eat seasoned lunch meat because it’s too spicy.

NP
In my suburban Michigan upbringing, the pepper in pepper steak was green pepper, not actual pepper.

The sauce is a black pepper sauce, isn’t it? Or is this different regionally?

PP here
My parents only ordered pepper steak whenever they went to a Chinese restaurant in the 80s. Blew my mind, since the menu was usually so extensive. They are Indian Americans from South India so it's not like they can't handle heat.

But most of the restaurants around us made pepper steak with cuts of steak and sliced green peppers in a bland gravy like sauce. Not my thing at all.but I think they found it comforting.

So are you telling me there's another way to make this dish? I guess I'll have to give it another try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did not read it all, but OP, your original post was so odd. Your DH said you would cook "something Asian" and you say "I am Asian."

It would have made sense if DH/you had said Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Filipino, Pakistani, Kazakh, or Uzbek, or so on. Folks are offering up dishes from all over Asia, which may not be your culture. Why would you be so deliberately vague? Why not identify the heritage? If you won't, then think about what your mom or grandma made, cut down on spices if need be.

It seems bizarre if, say, your heritage is Indian and you offer up a Chinese (Americanized, no less) or Japanese dish. What would be the point?

I think OP kept it vague to avoid being identified just in case. But to your point, why can’t an Indian person cook a Japanese dish? Your premise is ridiculous and smacks of culinary gatekeeping.

No, PP is right. If you have to crowd source a recipe because your husband assigned you a cooking assignment you’re not familiar with, and nobody specifically requested, it’s weird. Why not Russian, Peruvian, or French? What difference does it make if it’s new to OP and she doesn’t have a go to recipe? Just make food that people like and keep it simple. Maybe bbq since crosses so many cultures and doesn’t belong to any one in particular.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almond boneless chicken will be a hit https://www.eater.com/2018/10/30/18010390/almond-boneless-chicken-war-su-gai-michigan

This and/or pepper steak.

Fully half the people I know from the Midwest (well, Michigan, I don’t know about other states) I’ll not eat black pepper because it’s too spicy. My sister in law will not even eat seasoned lunch meat because it’s too spicy.

NP
In my suburban Michigan upbringing, the pepper in pepper steak was green pepper, not actual pepper.

The sauce is a black pepper sauce, isn’t it? Or is this different regionally?

PP here
My parents only ordered pepper steak whenever they went to a Chinese restaurant in the 80s. Blew my mind, since the menu was usually so extensive. They are Indian Americans from South India so it's not like they can't handle heat.

But most of the restaurants around us made pepper steak with cuts of steak and sliced green peppers in a bland gravy like sauce. Not my thing at all.but I think they found it comforting.

So are you telling me there's another way to make this dish? I guess I'll have to give it another try.

NP. When someone mentioned pepper steak upthread, I was thinking steak au poivre, not the chinese dish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 cup chicken. Super easy.


https://thewoksoflife.com/three-cup-chicken-san-bei-ji/

If they’re in the Midwest, I doubt OP will easily find Thai basil for this dish.

Ha! I live in Milwaukee now, and I am staring at my huge Thai basil plant on my patio. And yes, you can find it at many stores here too. I know it is shocking but we also have tons of ethnic markets here. Actually when I lived in NOVA, it was a lot tougher to find anything but ordinary ingredients. Some of you need to get out more!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 cup chicken. Super easy.


https://thewoksoflife.com/three-cup-chicken-san-bei-ji/

If they’re in the Midwest, I doubt OP will easily find Thai basil for this dish.

Ha! I live in Milwaukee now, and I am staring at my huge Thai basil plant on my patio. And yes, you can find it at many stores here too. I know it is shocking but we also have tons of ethnic markets here. Actually when I lived in NOVA, it was a lot tougher to find anything but ordinary ingredients. Some of you need to get out more!

Doesn't the upper midwest (specifically minnesota) have one of the largest populations of Vietnamese people in America?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 cup chicken. Super easy.


https://thewoksoflife.com/three-cup-chicken-san-bei-ji/

If they’re in the Midwest, I doubt OP will easily find Thai basil for this dish.

Ha! I live in Milwaukee now, and I am staring at my huge Thai basil plant on my patio. And yes, you can find it at many stores here too. I know it is shocking but we also have tons of ethnic markets here. Actually when I lived in NOVA, it was a lot tougher to find anything but ordinary ingredients. Some of you need to get out more!

Doesn't the upper midwest (specifically minnesota) have one of the largest populations of Vietnamese people in America?

Hmong. Wisconsin too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did not read it all, but OP, your original post was so odd. Your DH said you would cook "something Asian" and you say "I am Asian."

It would have made sense if DH/you had said Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Filipino, Pakistani, Kazakh, or Uzbek, or so on. Folks are offering up dishes from all over Asia, which may not be your culture. Why would you be so deliberately vague? Why not identify the heritage? If you won't, then think about what your mom or grandma made, cut down on spices if need be.

It seems bizarre if, say, your heritage is Indian and you offer up a Chinese (Americanized, no less) or Japanese dish. What would be the point?

I think OP kept it vague to avoid being identified just in case. But to your point, why can’t an Indian person cook a Japanese dish? Your premise is ridiculous and smacks of culinary gatekeeping.

No, PP is right. If you have to crowd source a recipe because your husband assigned you a cooking assignment you’re not familiar with, and nobody specifically requested, it’s weird. Why not Russian, Peruvian, or French? What difference does it make if it’s new to OP and she doesn’t have a go to recipe? Just make food that people like and keep it simple. Maybe bbq since crosses so many cultures and doesn’t belong to any one in particular.

I’ll bite. I have to say that if you’re Asian and not from the Baby Boomer generation, you’re going to be quite open to different Asian cuisines so it doesn’t matter what Asian you are. I’m not saying that you will know how to cook every Asian cuisine, but Vietnamese fish sauce isn’t going to shock someone from Malaysia, for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 cup chicken. Super easy.


https://thewoksoflife.com/three-cup-chicken-san-bei-ji/

If they’re in the Midwest, I doubt OP will easily find Thai basil for this dish.

Ha! I live in Milwaukee now, and I am staring at my huge Thai basil plant on my patio. And yes, you can find it at many stores here too. I know it is shocking but we also have tons of ethnic markets here. Actually when I lived in NOVA, it was a lot tougher to find anything but ordinary ingredients. Some of you need to get out more!

Doesn't the upper midwest (specifically minnesota) have one of the largest populations of Vietnamese people in America?

Hmong. Wisconsin too.

Yes, Milwaukee specifically has a large Hmong population. There are some great independent Asian markets here.

[Anonymous]

Can you make more than one dish? Make a chicken teriyaki that is amenable to most people, but also make something that you really like and is something you loved as a child. At least one person will like and appreciate the second dish.

[Anonymous]

Orange chicken, steamed rice, broccoli

[Anonymous]

Did OP ever come back?