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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about a can of La Choy Chop Suey?

Might as well serve cup o noodle.

[Anonymous]

General Tso's, less spicy if you want to be kind to her

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NYT has a good Galbi recipe with rice and lettuce as a wrapper (Korean-Style Short Ribs). I can’t imagine it being a stretch for any meat-and-potatoes midwesterners.

some people don't like using their hands to pick up food.

My white ILs did not like doing this. They ate pizza (which was only when we were out at a pizza place) with a knife and fork.

But the Korean bbq is a good idea.

[Anonymous]

You want them to be able to identify what they're eating. So like, chicken lo mein would be good because you can say it's "like spaghetti"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long story short…DH and I are visiting his side of the family in the Midwest and he told them I was going to cook ‘something Asian’. I’m Asian and the dishes I cook I know aren’t going to go down well for the wife who is averse to anything spicy and lives on soda and fast food. I have never seen her eat anything that wasn’t a French fry or a fish stick and she doesn’t eat vegetables either so I am leaning towards just making a chicken teriyaki but was hoping DCUM would have some ideas?

Rudeness is your problem more than cooking.

Sorry, but can you explain what was rude in the OP? How is observing that someone doesn’t eat vegetables rude?

Calling them “white bread Midwesterners” maybe?

+1 and, if you can't see how
"Lives on soda and fast food. I have never seen her eat anything that wasn’t a French fry or a fish stick" isn't rude, I don't know what to say.

What if it’s the truth?

Geez, if you can’t be a bit of a food snob on the FOOD forum… My Nonno used to call people with such palates, Mangia Cakes: cake eaters.

[Anonymous]

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

Ooh. I’m from MI and this is what I would always order a child/teen. I haven’t found it at restaurants outside of MI and I guess now I see why. But there is no recipe link in their article.. did I miss it?

[Anonymous]

If you want to cook Asian midwestern style, the choice of obvious. You must make moo goo gai pan. In an electric wok on your countertop.

[Anonymous]

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

Ooh. I’m from MI and this is what I would always order a child/teen. I haven’t found it at restaurants outside of MI and I guess now I see why. But there is no recipe link in their article.. did I miss it?

the detroit free press to the rescue! Here's their recipe for almond boneless chicken.

https://www.freep.com/story/life/food/recipes/2015/02/23/almond-boneless-chicken-recipe/23879913/

If I were making it, i probably would skip deep frying the chicken and just use those frozen, fully-cooked breaded chicken tenders from the grocery store

[Anonymous]

Chicken breast teriyaki made extra sweet. Steamed broccoli on the side with extra sauce available. Plain white rice or premier Minute Rice. Boiled corn. Have soy sauce available on the side. Americans seem to love pouring soy sauce even on steamed white rice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chicken breast teriyaki made extra sweet. Steamed broccoli on the side with extra sauce available. Plain white rice or premier Minute Rice. Boiled corn. Have soy sauce available on the side. Americans seem to love pouring soy sauce even on steamed white rice.

Forgot to add - also have canned mandarin oranges on the side. Maybe crushed peanuts for topping too if your in-laws like nuts.

Obviously none of this is “Asian” but your in laws will think it’s plenty “exotic.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Japanese food isn't generally spicy. Teriyaki, chicken katsu, miso soup, ramen, udon noodles, etc., should be pretty accessible.

I have white “white bread” in-laws. They would not eat the teriyaki if charred, chicken katsu would need the breading peeled off, they wouldn’t touch the miso or ramen, and udon would be too differently textured for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the idea of this. You are visiting them in their home and you've decided to cook something you think they won't like in their kitchen? Why not just cook what you think will be appealing to most and then add a side dish or two that you think you do well in whatever Asian style you want? It doesn't sound like they have asked for you to prepare an Asian meal for them.

Agreed. I’m Asian-American and wouldn’t cook “something Asian” unless in-laws specifically asked for it and I ran the main menu items by them first. It’s risky enough cooking food I’d think they would like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most Asian cultures have some version of stir-fried vegetables: Chinese or Thai stir fry, of course, but also poriyal or palya, yasai itame, lots of them.

Might you try a version of stir fry with the spices and flavors from your particular area of cooking, but with vegetables familiar to her?

Stir fry or any dish with things mixed together is not good for picky eaters

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Just decline and cook something you know they’ll eat. Why prepare some fake version of Asian food that isn’t actually anything like what they would normally eat and they probably won’t like anyway?

It’s a little offensive of your DH to put you on display like this btw, like you are his exotic China doll or something.