Why haven't potatoes or tomatoes made their way into Asian foods?

Question

I can't really think of any Asian dishes using these ingredients. The exception is Indian food, which I assume is due to English occupation. These two "new world" ingredients have been around long enough now, and are easily available enough to be imported, even if they are not grown well in asia.

Answer 1

japanese people have sweet potato candy. its sweet potato, cooked with sugar...

Answer 2

i guess because when  they were introduced they already had there traditions in place.

Look at Caribbean food there is no pasta in traditional Caribbean dishes.  Now if you visit or live there they may make a  pasta dish but it is not Caribbean.

Answer 3

actually there are potatoe and tomatoe dishes in Chinese cuisin, i can only speak for Chinese.  Potatoes are used in stir fry (shredded) and various stews.  my mom used to make tomatoe fry eggs, very tasty.  tomatoes also used in beef noodle soup base.  I've also noticed many japanese dishes use potatoes...  i guess they are not just as widely used as in Europe countries because the main diet is based on rice and perhaps tomatoes don't grow well in Asia.

Answer 4

The English didn't bring tomatoes and potatoes to India, they were being used long before the days of the Raj. The Portugese might have introduced them though as they were in India from the 15th century onwards.

There are plenty of asian countries  that cook with tomatoes or potatoes or both from the middle east to the far east. From Turkmenistan to Taiwan.

Answer 5

What!

I would say tomatoes are in 30%+ of Indian dishes and also, potatoes are used throughout southern asia quite alot.

Answer 6

hey, i'm a filipina, and we definitely have potatoes and tomatoes in our viands. but i guess we were also influenced by the western countries. as for the other countries, i don't really know.

Answer 7

A Filippino here.  Tyes of food here are basically a mixture of influences of different cultures, a lot of them.  That includes the use of potatoes and tomatoes. Examles are "nilagang baka" and "sinigang", ywo popular Filipino dishes.

Answer 8

because tomatoes and potatoes dont grow in Asia i guess and I really dont think they would taste good with Asian food

Answer 9

Both "toes" are common in Chinese dishes all over the Far East. Scrambled eggs with Tomatoes and a Cantonese soup called "ABC" where diced potatoes and tomato halves form some of the ingredients.

Answer 10

Remember not all Asian food is Chinese,   look at Thai and Vietnamese and several others you will find these foods.

You also have to remember that in the tropics you cannot grow certain foods successfully, i.e. iceburg and other lettuce does not heart but other varieties do

have a good look at other types of food before you make this assumption

Answer 11

Hey I get what you're asking here. You are correct, and I have to agreed with you. It's truth that most of the Asian dishes does not have tomato and potato in their food as much as the Westerner or the European does. Now first off, I don't really know about the Asian Malay's dishes. I am a Thai Chinese, so my option of the food is gone to be more related to a Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai foods (They're very similar. They're cousin lol) Anyway. But yes, of course there's Asian dishes that have tomato and potato added it in, but I think there's a few. Well, at least I don't very often see it. Anyway. Hmm like, some of the fried Chinese noodle that my mom like to make, she would chop a few tomato and added into it, but still tomato is not the main thing for that dish, it's like a flavor. I think somehow when she added tomato while she's cooking noodle it really does taste better (I don't know but I just personal think like that) Oh like ..Tom Yum soup? they added tomato just to be like a flavor and with the herbal? yeah. I think Asian dishes we use potato less than we use tomato thought. I can name a few Asian dishes that have potato beside curry's dishes.  

Beside Asian dishes, I personal think that the "new world" have made to Asia. And yes it is available enough to be imported, but the thing is, Asian people think the Westerner's ingredients stuff are a lots expensive for us. Like one of my girl friend she wanted to make a Spaghetti for dinner, and she did. She told me it's good but she rather make something else better that won't cost that much. I know for you guys it doesn't cost that much. And yes the tomato and potato might not be expensive but like, to make a spaghetti you don't just use tomato but you use other stuffs too, like the cheese and noodle? if you compare it to a normal simple Asian noodle dish that we normal have it's a lots cheaper (your stuffs are expensive here, I think it's cause of the shipping. Like when I used to live in Dallas I found most Asian ingredients are a lots expensive than it is in Asia)  I am Chinese and so is my friend, we're sometime very stingy lol. Anyway. Of course, I believe there is some Westerner dishes that I can make here and are not too expensive to make, but you see, most Asian do not really know the recipes, well maybe some does, but a normal Asian doesn't or just doesn't want to bother with cooking that much. So I guess that's why we didn't as much as we would.

Heeey I  have two of my favorite dishes that tomato is the main stuff. I think you should try whenever you have time, okay? :D You might already tried, but anyway I'm going to share.

Well is..  Egg Fried Tomato - A traditional Chinese dish.

I looked up on youtube and there's a good recipe that show you how to make them. Here's the link - http://youtube.com/watch?v=FRfLNGE2YUo&f...

My other one is Naam Prik Ong - Thai tomato chilli sauce with minced pork! I honestly think you should try this one! It's sooo good. It's easy to make and it's not like other food I tried. It give you a side of the Northerner of Thailand. I love it but when I make it I use chicken cause I don't use pork. Anyway here's the recipe :D

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 cup chopped garlic cloves (kratiem)

1/4 cup chopped shallots

1 lb (500 g) diced red tomatoes

8 oz (250 g) ground/minced pork

1/3 cup (3 fl oz/90 ml) fish sauce (nam pla)

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 cup cucumber slices

1/4 cup cilantro/coriander leaves (bai pak chee)

4 green onions/scallions/spring onions

Vegetables:

broccoli flowerets

carrots, sliced

cauliflower flowerets

shallots, cut into 2-in (5-cm) sections

sugar peas/snow peas

How to cook:

1. Heat a large skillet and add the oil, garlic, shallots and tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes and add the pork. Add the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice and cook for 4 minutes or until the pork is done.

2. Remove to a serving dish with the cucumber, cilantro and green onions on the side. Serve with the vegetables for dipping.

Well enjoy! You're welcome and thank you for asking this question. Have a great day and take care :D

Bybyes.

PS. Sorry if my English is bad. Hope you understand me anyway.

Answer 12

You assume things.

Answer 13

India is part of Asia and Indian cooking uses LOTS of tomatoes & potatoes!  Many curries are based on tomatoes!!

Sri Lankan, Bangla & Pakistani cuisines also use potatoes & tomatoes.  They are also used in Indonesia, Malaysia....

Answer 14

because tomatoes taste disgusting and potatoes are pure carbs, something astern cultures have in rice.

Answer 15

Some filipino dishes do have tomatoes & potatoes

Answer 16

Tomatos R Used In Asian Food, Potatos R Irish, Thts Why :] :P

Answer 17

you're right ..... for potatoes .. but not tomatoes...

I know that tomatoes are included in most Asian salad , curries, and even dipping sauce...cos Asian love the tangy sweet taste of tomatoes...and grown them to became fresh snacks fruits.....

asian (thai, Malay, chinese and etc) don't see the need for the vegetable cos for starch we've got RICE, sweet potatoes, yams,tapioca,  sweet turnips and many others... there is no need for this additional stuff except in the modern chips and french fries that the westerner had introduce,,..

furthermore, potatoes are hard to grown in the hot asian soil with has high level of iron content in their soil and the extreme wet and hot weather...  we love to cook with food that we can get easily... imported vegetable is still expensive in certain countries..

Answer 18

tomatoes are definitely used in filipino food.  im asian...i love filipino food.  i can't think of a chinese or japanese food that has tomatoes...im sure there are some though.  sweet potatoes are used in tempura.  wow, i can't think of much that contain tomatoes and potatoes.

Answer 19

Though not as much as in Western cuisine, the Chinese do have dishes that use potatoes and tomatoes, such as braised pork or chicken with potatoes, braised fish in tomato sauce. One favourite Asian dish is Pergedel, where the potatoes are sliced, then fried and mashed. It's then mixed with minced chicken or beef, seasoned and made into patties. Dipped them into beaten egg and pan fry them. Yummy! .

Answer 20

yeah thats the only exeption is india. india grows more stuff. idk y the other places dont.

Answer 21

You're mistaken. The Japanese use both ingredients in lots of dishes. During the Battle of Okinawa, potatoes were plentiful because lots of farms grew them and people could dig them up in many areas of the islands. Ube (purple sweet potato) is everywhere! Pies, ice cream, cakes...

Tomatoes are grown and sold everywhere but I can't really think of lots of dishes made with them. The Okinawans I used to work with would eat them raw.

Answer 22

Not sure about potato but tomato certainly has. Spend a couple of weeks in Sichuan Province, China. Plenty of tomato but used as a seasoning and not so clearly identifiable. Am told they are also popular in Beijing and Shanghai.

I know the Japanes3e like them fresh. The Japanese ahve developed many varities of tomato.