Asian Fusion Cuisine Wins U.S. Fans

“Successful East-West cooking harmoniously combines two distinct culinary approaches,” says Chinese-American chef Ming Tsai, who owns the Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Many contemporary restaurants in the United States, including Blue Ginger, have a common feature on their menus: Asian fusion specialties, which combine elements of different Asian cooking styles — and often Western styles — in one dish. U.S. diners, for example, have embraced new types of sushi, including the hybrid California roll, which honors its Japanese roots but adds avocados to the mix.

Recipes favored by Tsai (shown here filming his televised cooking show, Simply Ming) focus on two main ingredients: one from the East and one from the West, paired to create simple, flavorful meals.

Thanks to an influx of Asian immigrants, traditional Asian cooking and fusion cuisine are both mainstream fare across much of America.