Chef John Ash’s favorite Southeast Asian cuisine blends ’Four Flavor Gods’

Southeast Asia is home to a rich, cross-cultural table with every country providing a distinctive cuisine that, at the same time, has similarities with the dishes of its neighbors.

The tropical region comprises 11 countries, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, located south of China and west of the Indian subcontinent.

The Chinese, Arabs and Indians early on established many trade routes and influenced local cuisines. In the early 16th century, the Portuguese arrived in Indonesia and Malaysia and set up prosperous trading posts. Perhaps their most notable contribution were chiles, which they brought from their explorations in the New World.

The Dutch followed, and then the English, who influenced Indonesia and Malaysia as well as Myanmar (then Burma) and Singapore (then Temesek). The French brought their food to Indochina, now Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The banh mi sandwich using rice flour baguettes is now a well-known fusion contribution to all parts of the world.

Street foods are no doubt the best source for eating in this part of the world. Rustic restaurants abound, but real treasures are found at street stands and stalls. They exist singly or as part of larger night markets (which makes sense because of the hot, daytime temperatures). Often, the vendors only offer one dish, which they have perfected over years of preparation, and have become famous for it.

I’ve traveled to this part of the world several times, always to discover and eat. Like Anthony Bourdain, I think this broad mashup of cuisines is my favorite. A Vietnamese chef who I had the pleasure of cooking with describes the flavors there as emanating from the “Four Flavor Gods”:

• Sour/tart from lime juice, tamarind or vinegar

• Salty from fish sauce (never from granulated salt)

• Sweet from palm or brown sugar

• Hot from chiles

These are present in many dishes and the strategy is to adjust them to your taste. You’ll see this in some of my favorite recipes below.

Cashews are grown in Thailand in abundance. Here I have fried the cashews, but you could also toast them in a 375-degree oven for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once or twice. These are delicious with a cold Thai beer.

Thai Cashew Salad (Yam Med Mamuang)

Serves 4 to 6

½ cup vegetable oil

½ pound large raw cashews

2 tablespoons thinly sliced shallot

1 small green onion, sliced thinly on the bias

1 lemongrass stalk, tender center only, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 small red jalapeno chile, stemmed and seeded and thinly sliced

¼ cup cilantro leaves, for garnish

Dressing:

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon palm or brown sugar

Add oil to a wok or sauté pan and place over medium heat. Slowly heat oil to 325 degrees using a deep-fry thermometer if you have one. Add cashews and fry, stirring frequently, until nuts are a light golden brown, about 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.

Place the still-warm cashews in a bowl and add the shallot, green onion, lemongrass, mint and chile. Toss gently to mix.

Mix dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and whisk or stir until sugar dissolves. Adjust flavors to your taste. Pour over the salad and toss well. Place in an attractive bowl and top with cilantro leaves.

“Som” translates to sour and “tum” refers to the pounding sound from crushing the ingredients using a mortar and pestle. This salad is eaten by itself and served with grilled meats and fishes.

Green papayas are the unripe version of the familiar, orange-fleshed papaya, which is a sweet fruit. Green papayas are more like a vegetable version, made into a kind of “vegetable coleslaw.” They are available in Asian markets, or you could substitute unripe, green mangoes; chayote; cucumbers or even coleslaw mixes. If you have a mandolin, preparing the peeled papaya is a snap. If you don’t have one, there are inexpensive peeler-slicers available which work just fine for the julienne step.

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)

4 cups finely julienned, firm green papaya (1 medium)

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

2 small fresh hot chiles, stemmed and seeded (or to taste)

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

2 teaspoons sugar (or to taste)

10 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup finely julienned peeled carrot

⅓ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, finely chopped

Garnish: Fresh cilantro leaves

Soak the papaya in cold water for 10 minutes. Drain and gently squeeze out the excess water. Refrigerate in a colander until dry.

With a mortar and pestle or a mini food processor, pound or process the garlic, chiles and salt to a smooth paste. Whisk in the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Toss the papaya and carrot in the mixture until well coated. (Sometimes they are also pounded gently to release flavor.) Stir in the tomatoes and top with the peanuts. Garnish with the cilantro and serve.

Edible rice paper makes a wonderful wrap for all kinds of food. In Vietnam, the traditional fillings include aromatic herbs such as mint, cilantro, Asian basil, fresh cucumber and rice noodles. Beyond that, all kinds of things are added. The idea is to roll the ingredients tightly without tearing the softened paper. It takes a little practice, but it’s easy to do. For a fun gathering you might try placing all the ingredients on a table and let your guests “roll their own!”

Shrimp Rice Paper Rolls with Spicy Dipping Sauce

Makes 12 rolls

6 ounces fine rice “stick” or vermicelli

12 (9-inch round) rice papers

½ cup each tender mint, cilantro and basil leaves

2 cups finely shredded green cabbage

1 cup bean or daikon sprouts, rinsed

1 cup or so cucumber; peeled, seeded and cut in julienne

1 cup carrots or jicama, peeled and cut in 3-inch-long fine julienne

10 ounces cooked medium shrimp, cut in half lengthwise

Spicy Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

Place the vermicelli in a bowl of hot water and soak for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain and cut into 4-inch lengths and reserve.

Place three of the rice papers into a large bowl of warm water and gently turn them for 30 seconds or so until they are just beginning to soften. They will still be stiff in spots. Remove and lay flat on a clean dry surface to soften until pliable. This whole process will take just a couple of minutes.

Place leaves of mint, cilantro and basil in a line across the lower third of the wrapper, leaving about an inch on both sides. Top with some of the vermicelli, forming it into a compact log. Top this with some of the lettuce, sprouts, cucumber, carrot and shrimp. Fold the bottom of the paper up over the filling snugly and roll halfway. Fold each side in on top of the cylinder and “crease” all the way to the top of the wrapper, then continue to roll it up gently but firmly. The paper will seal by sticking to itself. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Serve the rolls cut in thirds with dipping sauce on the side.

Spicy Dipping Sauce

Makes about 1 cup

½ cup fresh lime juice

4 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1 teaspoon minced fresh red chile or to taste

2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

5 tablespoons sugar or to taste

1 tablespoon cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved. Let stand at least 30 minutes for flavors to develop before serving. Adjust salt/sweet/tart/hot flavors to your taste.

This is one of the most popular dishes in Thailand. It is eaten all through the day, year-round, even in hot weather. This recipe calls for tofu, but you can use any protein, including chicken (Tom Yum Gai), shrimp (Tom Yum Goong) or mixed seafood like calamari or mussels. Other ingredients like rice noodles, cabbage or bean sprouts can be added.

The ingredients are readily available in Asian markets. Prepared Tom Yum soup bases are available in those markets and are OK in a pinch, but working from fresh is better and not difficult. Lemongrass is available in many supermarkets. Makrut, also known as kaffir lime leaves; galangal and Thai chile paste (nam prik pao) are available at Asian markets. Galangal and makrut lime leaves also often are found in the freezer case. Do not use dried galangal or makrut.

Lemongrass Soup (Tom Yum)

Serves 2 to 4

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice or to taste

1 tablespoon Thai red chile paste (nam prik pao) or substitute chile garlic sauce or sambal oelek

1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 2-inch sections and crushed

6 thin slices (about 1 ounce) galangal or ginger root

3 makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, torn into small pieces, or a few wide strips of lime peel

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

6 ounces drained soft tofu, cut into ¾-inch cubes

¾ cup drained straw mushrooms or sliced oyster mushrooms

8 cherry or grape tomatoes, each cut in half

1 scallion, white and light-green parts, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Cilantro leaves

Whisk the fish sauce, lime juice and chile paste together in a small bowl.

Combine the lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves and broth in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, discard all the solids. Note: Depending on the cook, these solids can be left in the soup, but I prefer to discard them.

Add the tofu, mushrooms and tomatoes to the pan. Simmer for 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the fish sauce mixture, scallions and cilantro. Serve hot.

The roots of this dish go back to the island of Hainan in the South China sea. Considered the landmark dish of Singapore, a version of this can be found at any shopping mall or food court there, and in Malaysia. The quality of the chicken is all-important, so get a good organic, free-range bird for best flavor. The bird is traditionally dipped in an ice water bath after it is cooked to give it a silky, tender texture. This is known as bai ji or white chicken. At a stand, a single serving of chicken rice comes with the chicken on rice, slices of cucumber, a bowl of hot stock, chilli sauce and sometimes a ginger sauce. Thick, sweet soy or hoisin also accompanies it.

Hainan Chicken Rice

Serves 6

1 organic chicken, 3½ pounds, fat removed

Kosher salt

4 green onions, each cut in half

1 4-inch finger of peeled ginger, smashed

For rice:

2 cups fragrant, long-grain white rice such as jasmine or basmati

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped ginger

2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

4 cups reserved chicken stock

Seasoning Sauce:

2 tablespoons chicken stock

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

For the table:

Chilli Sauce (recipe follows)

Ginger Sauce (recipe follows)

Cucumber slices

Cilantro sprigs

Dark soy sauce or hoisin sauce

Rub the outside of the chicken with a handful of salt to get rid of any loose skin and to firm it up. Rinse it well, inside and out, then season generously with salt inside and out. Stuff it with the green onions and smashed ginger.

Place in a large pot filled with cold water to cover chicken by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered for 30 minutes more. Check for doneness by inserting a small knife into the flesh of the leg/thigh where juices should run clear and meat is very tender.

Transfer the chicken to the sink and rinse with cold water for about 3 minutes, until cool. Alternately you can put it in an ice bath. Set aside. Strain and reserve poaching liquid for cooking the rice and more.

To cook rice: Heat the oil in a deep saucepan over moderate heat and fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add rice to the pan and fry, stirring until it’s coated with the oil. Be careful not to burn the ginger and garlic. Add the stock, salt to taste, and bring to a boil. Immediately turn down heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or so or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit with lid on for 5 minutes or so. Fluff rice with a fork before serving.

Heat the remaining poaching stock (you should have at least 6 cups) and season to your taste with salt.

To serve: Cut the chicken into serving-size pieces. Spoon rice into deep bowls and top with the chicken and a ladle of broth. Mix the seasoning ingredients and drizzle over the chicken. Serve the chicken rice with the chili sauce and ginger sauces, cucumber slices, cilantro and dark soy or hoisin sauce on the side for each diner to add as they wish.

Chili Sauce

6 red or green fresh jalapenos, or to taste

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 1-inch piece peeled ginger, chopped

1 tablespoon or so fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons reserved chicken broth

Salt to taste

Add all to a blender and blend until smooth.

Ginger sauce:

1 3-inch piece of peeled ginger, grated

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Salt to taste

Mix all together.

Larb Gai is a dish usually made with ground chicken. It is very popular in Laos and Isan, a neighboring rural section of Thailand. You can also use finely chopped beef or pork.

Traditionally, this dish uses roasted rice powder that is prepared by toasting raw rice in a wok, then grounding it to a powder. You can find premade roasted rice powder at Asian markets. Do not skip it — it adds a nuttiness essential to the authentic flavor of the dish.

Larb Gai

Serves 4 to 6

¼ cup raw sticky rice or 2 tablespoons roasted rice powder

16 ounces coarsely ground or finely chopped dark meat chicken (lean beef, such as sirloin, can be substituted)

1 teaspoon hot chile powder, preferably Thai or Lao or red chile flakes

2 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

2 teaspoons sugar

⅓ cup finely slivered red onions or shallots

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

12 torn mint leaves, plus more for serving

For serving:

Lettuce leaves

Cucumber spears, for serving

Cooked sticky or glutinous rice, if desired

To make roasted rice powder, heat a wok or skillet over high heat. Add raw rice and cook, stirring often, until rice is toasted and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside to cool. Grind to a coarse powder in a mortar, blender or coffee grinder. Set aside.

To cook chicken, heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons water, then add chicken, stirring constantly to break up any lumps. Cook just until cooked through, about 4 minutes, then transfer to mixing bowl. While chicken is just warm, add remaining ingredients (except for serving garnishes) and roasted rice powder. Mix gently but thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings. Mixture should be tangy, salty and pleasantly spicy.

Spoon onto serving plate and surround with additional mint, lettuce and cucumber. Serve with rice. If using sticky rice, pinch some off, mold into a small ball and dip into larb, scooping up a little of each ingredient. Or scoop larb into lettuce leaves.

I have included the recipe for this simple sorbet below. Use whatever fresh fruits and berries are best in the season. Certainly you should include a tropical fruit or two such as mango and pineapple. Litchi (also spelled lychee) is an Asian fruit with a distinctive flavor. I’m using canned litchis here, but in the summer you can find them fresh in Asian markets. Also look for its hairy cousin, rambutan.

Litchi Sorbet with Fresh Fruits

Serves 4

1 can (15 ounces) litchis in syrup

½ tablespoon unflavored gelatin

½ cup sugar

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon finely grated lime or lemon zest

Fresh fruits of your choice, attractively cut

Drain off ½ cup of the litchi syrup, reserving the rest, and transfer to a small bowl. Spoon gelatin over syrup; set aside for a couple of minutes for gelatin to soften.

Meanwhile, heat the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves; remove from heat. Whisk in the gelatin mixture and set aside.

Put litchis and reserved syrup in blender or food processor (remove seeds if they are still in the fruit) and puree. Add gelatin mixture and zest and process for 15 seconds or so or until very smooth. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Alternately, pour into shallow container; freeze 12 to 24 hours, stirring often to keep crystals from forming. Serve with fresh fruits of your choice.

John Ash is a Santa Rosa chef, teacher, James Beard award-winning cookbook author and radio host of the KSRO “Good Food Hour” airing at 11 a.m. Saturday. He can be reached through his website, chefjohnash.com.