While the scorching summer heat reduces one’s appetite, spicy and sour dishes may help reignite our taste buds, making Southeast Asian cuisine a seemingly excellent choice. Being relatively rich in flavour in general, however, traditional Southeast Asian dishes may deter health-conscious individuals. In this issue, we have invited Dr Terry Ting Ho-yan, the President of the Hong Kong Nutrition Association, to share some tips for making healthier Southeast Asian cuisine.

Add Fruit and Vegetables

Dr Ting stated that the most important tip for making healthier Southeast Asian dishes is to achieve a balance in food portions and pairings. For example, he suggested that restaurants consider adding bean sprouts to noodle soups, providing grilled fruit and vegetable skewers as an option, and serving fruit platters for dessert. These alterations not only can increase the variety of dishes, but also can encourage customers to consume more fruit and vegetables.

Select Sauces Wisely

A wide range of distinctive seasonings is often used in Southeast Asian dishes. While ready-made sauces can enhance the flavour of a dish, there is often a catch involving a high level of sodium. Dr Ting pointed out that ready-made sauces, such as satay sauce and shrimp paste, contain a very high sodium content, and an excessive intake of sodium in the long term will increase the risk of hypertension. He suggested that restaurants utilise natural seasonings more frequently, instead of ready-made sauces, to reduce the sodium content of their dishes. Furthermore, as coconut oil and coconut milk have a high content of saturated fat, excessive consumption of these ingredients tends to increase the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, thereby increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, Dr Ting advised restaurants to choose cooking oils with a lower content of saturated fat, such as corn oil and canola oil.

Cooking Methods

Apart from sauces, Dr Ting also reminded customers to pay attention to the cooking methods when choosing dishes. Deep-frying can significantly increase the contents of calorie and fat in a dish, as the ingredients will absorb a substantial amount of oil during the process. Hence, he advised customers to opt for dishes prepared using methods that involve less oil, such as grilling, baking and salad-making. Examples of these dishes include “Steamed Grey Mullet”, “Shredded Chicken Rice Paper Rolls” and “Green Papaya Salad”.