Learn the history, art and stories behind some of Asia's most famous foods with talks and tastes from local Asian restaurants and food experts throughout the month. Indulge all your senses at Lan Su Chinese Garden with Cuisines of Asia, a celebration of Asia’s vast culinary experience. Feel the stones underfoot, see and smell the beauty of flowering blossoms, hear the rush of a waterfall and savor the flavors of a variety of local Asian restaurants as they provide tastes of traditional dishes.
Prepare your taste buds for a tour of Asian culinary delights with tastings every Tuesday and Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
Members of Lan Su receive special discounts at each Cuisines of Asia restaurants during the month of June. (Please present your membership card at the restaurant to receive offer; discounts and restrictions vary by restaurant, please check with individual restaurants for details.) *Note: members can redeem their Umi Organic discount at their farmers market locations, Saturdays and Sundays: Hollywood Farmers Market, Saturdays, 8-1, April through November; King Farmers Market, Sundays, 10-2, May through November; PSU Farmers Market, Saturdays, 8:30-2, May through November.
The origins of five-spice powder are lost to history. It's thought that ancient Chinese were attempting to produce a "wonder powder" that encompasses all five tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and a fifth taste that is alternately known as hot, pungent or spicy. Come learn about this “wonder powder” in Chinese cooking.
BeeBee Tan-Beck is a Malaysian born Chinese who has lived in the United States for over 30 years. She graduated from the University of Washington with her M.A. in English Creative Writing. She is also a graduate of Hollins University where she obtained a B.A, in Fine Arts. Being broke and missing her home food so much while studying in Hollins University, BeeBee she started her own catering business for various faculty members during the summer of 1975. From there she has gone on to teach friends and family how to make the Chinese/Malaysian foods that she grew up with. In graduate school she taught an evening extension class on South-East Asian cooking focusing on Chinese, Malay and Indian cooking. “Chinese cooking is not just food or sustenance, it is medicine and life” Lay Hoon, BeeBee’s mom, intones throughout BeeBee’s childhood. Recently, she presented two talks at Fishtrap, a writers retreat in Enterprise, Oregon on the major themes of food and family in Amy Tan’s, “Joy Luck Club."
When most people hear the word ramen, they think of noodles in a rich broth, but in Japan, there is a very popular summer salad called Hiyashi Chukka featuring ramen noodles in a sesame dressing. The name means “chilled Chinese” and the dish is inspired by a similar cold Chinese noodle salad. Here, the ramen noodles are chilled immediately after being boiled, heightening their chewy texture, and served with assorted seasonal toppings cut into matchsticks, often including cucumber, egg, and ham, as well as big ripe slices of tomato, in a vinegar and sesame-rich dressing. We love to add miso to the dressing, a trick we learned from our friend, Sakiko Setaka, to deepen the flavor. *Note: members can redeem their Umi Organic discount at their farmers market locations, Saturdays and Sundays: Hollywood Farmers Market, Saturdays, 8-1, April through November; King Farmers Market, Sundays, 10-2, May through November; PSU Farmers Market, Saturdays, 8:30-2, May through November.
Mirakutei serves Sapporo style ramen which is a milky white soup stock called “Paitan” and curly medium thick noodles. “Paitan” broth is made with pork and chicken bones, dried konbu, anchovy, yellow onion, scallions, carrots and ginger roots. Their Tonkatsu Ramen is served with grilled slices of roasted pork, boiled eggs, sautéed organic king trumpet mushrooms, bok choy and topped with bean sprouts and green onions.
Dim sum is linked with the older tradition from yum cha (tea tasting), which has its roots in travelers on the ancient Silk Road needing a place to rest. Thus teahouses were established along the roadside. Rural farmers, exhausted after working hard in the fields, would go to teahouses for a relaxing afternoon of tea. At first, it was considered inappropriate to combine tea with food, because people believed it would lead to excessive weight gain. People later discovered that tea can aid in digestion, so teahouse owners began adding various snacks. The unique culinary art of dim sum originated with the Cantonese in southern China, who over the centuries transformed yum cha from a relaxing respite to a loud and happy dining experience. Many restaurants start serving dim sum as early as five in the morning. It is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercises. While dim sum (literally meaning: touch the heart) was originally not a main meal, only a snack, and therefore only meant to touch the heart, it is now a staple of Cantonese dining culture.
Since opening Kopi Coffee House in 2015, owners Joshua and Lindsay have had the pleasure of sourcing and roasting small farm coffee from the burgeoning specialty coffee farms of South East Asia. Through continued exploration, we have learned about the history, recipes and the farms of South East Asian coffee.
Vermicelli Noodle Bowl (Bún thịt nướng) is a popular authentic Vietnamese dish of rice vermicelli noodle topped with grilled meat/shrimp/tofu, fresh salad, bean sprouts, roasted peanuts, Vietnamese pickled carrots, and egg rolls. Together with the aromatic herbs and the flavorful Vietnamese oil-free dressing called Nuoc Cham – this is a feast for the senses… fragrant, lively and bright. Bún thịt nướng is popular in all regions of Vietnam except for in Hanoi, where a related dish Bún Chả is served.
Like Tao, the art of tea is universal. The Tao of Tea began their work with tea with the intent to be a connecting thread for tea culture. Based in Portland, Oregon, The Tao of Tea is a pure leaf tea company comprised of tea enthusiasts from different backgrounds and countries. They travel, learn about, find, take delight in, and offer pure leaf teas with great flavor, artistry, and soul. All of their teas are in their original form, as they were intended, with no artificial flavors, additives, or preservatives.
As part of Cuisines of Asia, enjoy an after-hours ticketed event in the garden with food from a variety of local Asian restaurants alongside traditional Chinese music. Learn more »
For as little as $60 a year enjoy unlimited visits to Lan Su, 10% off at the Garden Shop and Garden Teahouse (exclusions apply) and member pricing on special events like Lunar New Year Lantern Viewing Evenings.
239 Northwest Everett Street, Portland, Oregon 97209
Call Us: 503.228.8131
Lan Su Chinese Garden
38 NW Davis St #260, Portland, OR 97209
Members, donors and visitors help keep Lan Su healthy and growing. Lan Su is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and all donations and memberships are tax deductible. Lan Su’s Federal Tax ID number (EIN) is 93-1296840.