To Prepare Vegan Tuna Nigiri
Heat up a saucepan with water and bring to boil. Make 2 cross cuts on top of the tomatoes and place into boiling water for 1 to 2 mins or until skin begins to slightly come off. Remove and leave to cool.
Once cooled, carefully peel away the skin and cut the tomatoes into quarters. Use a teaspoon and scoop out the tomato seeds and liquid. Then, put tomatoes into a deep bowl.
Mix all the marinade ingredients together and pour over cut tomatoes, coat well and let them rest in the refrigerator for 30 mins or overnight.
Mix cooked sushi rice with sushi seasoning while still hot with a wooden rice paddle. Let rice cool.
While waiting for rice to cool down, mix all the ingredients for sesame mayo cream together. Fill it into a piping bag if available or you can use a teaspoon to drop a dollop onto nigiri.
Wet both palms with water before scooping around 30g of rice and shape rice into nigiri form. Place a piece of marinated tomato on top. Squeeze some sesame mayo cream onto nigiri and sprinkle with chives or spring onions before serving.
Boil
Vegan Temari Sushi (Temarizushi)
To Prepare Vegan Temari Sushi
Mix cooked sushi rice and sushi seasoning together with a wooden rice paddle while rice is still hot, then set aside to cool.
Wet your hands with some water before scooping around 50g of rice. Place onto a cling wrap and roll rice into a ball. Repeat with the remaining rice (total of around 10 rice balls). Set aside.
To Prep Carrots
Cut carrot into 5mm thick slices. Using a flower shape cutter, cut each of the slices to reveal the flower shape then blanch in boiling water for 5 mins.
To Make ‘Pleated’ Asparagus Temari
Slice asparagus length-wise with a peeler and blanch for 1 min in boiling water.
Remove rice ball from the cling wrap.
To design, refer to image 1.1.
To Make Shiitake Mushroom Temari
Soak shiitake mushrooms in ½ cup of hot water for 30 mins. Once soaked, slit a cross on the top of mushrooms. In a small saucepan, heat up 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp sugar and cook mushrooms for 10 mins.
To design, refer to image 1.2.
To Make Avocado Temari
Slice avocado thinly.
To design, refer to image 1.3
To Make Radish Temari
Slice baby radish thinly.
To design refer to image 1.4.
To Make Cucumber Temari
Slice cucumber qukes length-wise with a peeler.
Slice cherry tomatoes thinly.
To design, refer to image 1.5
To Make Seaweed Temari
Cut nori sheet into thin strips (½ cm).
To design, refer to image 1.6.
To Make Spinach Temari
Blanch Spinach for 30 secs in boiling water.
To design refer to image 1.7.
To Make Capsicum Temari
Cut both red and yellow capsicum into 3 sections each and roast in the oven at 180°C for 15 mins. Move into a bowl and cover for 5 mins. Peel away the skin.
To design, refer to images 1.8 and 1.9.
To Serve
Garnish temari sushi according to image references with carrots, sesame seeds and micro herbs.
Vegan Spicy Carrot “Salmon” Sushi Roll
To Make Smoky Spicy Vegan “Salmon”
Wash and peel carrots. Use peeler and slice carrots into thin strips.
Fill half a saucepan with water and bring to boil. Toss in carrot strips and boil for 3 mins. Drain and set aside to cool.
Mix all the remaining ingredients for the Smoky Spicy Vegan ‘Salmon’ together and pour into cooked carrot strips. Mix well, cover and keep in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, remove from refrigerator and allow marinated carrots to reach room temperature, then chop them up into big chunks.
Mix all Spicy Sauce ingredients together and add in half of the spicy sauce to the chopped carrots and mix until well combined. Leave the rest of the spicy sauce aside for later use.
To Prepare Vegan Spicy Salmon Hand Roll
Mix cooked sushi rice and sushi seasoning together with a wooden rice paddle while rice is still warm. Divide into 4 equal portions.
Wrap a sushi mat with cling wrap on both sides and seal the sides.
Prepare a bowl of water on the side. Wet your fingers each time before handling sushi rice.
Place a nori sheet on sushi mat, spread one portion of sushi rice evenly onto the nori sheet covering the entire sheet leaving about ½ an inch from the edges uncovered with rice.
Sprinkle rice with sesame seeds.
Carefully flip nori over so the rice with sesame seeds side is facing down.
Place some spicy smoky salmon carrots about 1 inch from the edge of the rice from left to right. Then, place some cucumber strips, avocado slices and sprinkle some chopped spring onions and panko crumbs on top.
Holding the sushi mat, use index and middle fingers from both hands tucking the ingredients under the mat, start rolling from bottom till the entire sushi roll is concealed. Continue rolling till you reach the end of the sushi mat.
Unwrap the sushi mat and roll the sushi roll into the centre and and rewrap the sushi mat to tighten the sushi roll.
Wet a paper towel and wipe your knife before slicing the sushi roll into halves and cut 3 portions from each half. Wipe your knife each time before slicing.
Place sushi on serving dish and drizzle a teaspoon of spicy sauce over each piece. Sprinkle some chopped spring onions and serve with some wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce.
Sticky Beef Ribs in Master Stock
To Prepare Beef Ribs
Place ribs in a pot covered with cold water and bring to a boil. Let the ribs cook for about 2 mins. Removed from the pot and rinse the ribs under running water to remove scum.
In a separate pot. add beef ribs to master stock and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for approximately 2 hours or till the meat is tender. Remove and leave the ribs on a tray and set aside to air for 1 hour.
Strain 250ml master stock into a small frying pan, add honey and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for another 10 mins, stir frequently till it thickens. Set aside.
Oil a char-grill or a skillet and heat over medium heat. Place ribs on the grill or skillet and brush with oil and master stock glaze. While cooking, continue to flip and brush ribs with master stock glaze until it is well coated and cooked.
Remove from heat and it’s now ready to serve.
To Prepare the Salad (Pickle)
With a mortar and pestle (or a food processor), pound garlic, salt and sesame seeds into a coarse paste. Stir in rice vinegar, sugar, ginger paste and hot water and mix well.
In a mixing bowl, add the pounded mixture to shredded cucumber, cabbage and carrot, and let it sit for at least 5 mins before serving.
Easy Chicken Noodles in Master Stock
To Cook
Heat up master stock in a pot. Once it starts bubbling, slide chicken breasts in to poach for about 30 mins on low heat, allowing the meat to soak up the flavours as well. Once cooked, remove from the pot and set aside. Leave to cool then slice thinly.
Then, add fresh shiitake mushrooms into the master stock and let them cook for 10 mins. Remove and set aside to cool.
In a separate saucepan, heat up some water and blanch rice noodles for 2 mins or until noodles loosen. If using dried rice noodles, prepare according to package instructions. Strain all the water away.
Divide noodles into bowls equally and ladle over the master stock— enough to immerse the noodles. Then arrange chicken breast slices, half an egg, cooked shiitake mushrooms and spring onions onto noodles and serve hot.
Chinese Master Stock
To Cook
Boil all ingredients in a stockpot. Once it starts bubbling, lower the heat and let it simmer for the next 2 hrs.
Once the master stock is ready, strain it through a strainer to separate stock from solid ingredients. Then discard all solid ingredients.
Stock is ready to use or can be divided into containers, and refrigerated once completely cooled. The stock should last from a week to a month when stored in a clean, dry container and refrigerated.
Creamy Tom Yum Seafood Noodles
To Cook
Add Valcom Tom Yum Paste, coconut milk, water, sugar and mushroom (if needed) in a pot and bring to boil.
After boiling, add in all the seafood and continue cooking in the boiling soup for 30 secs. Then add tomato and cook for another 30 secs before turning off the fire. Add lemon juice and mix well.
In a separate pot, bring 1L of water to boil and blanch the noodles for 30 secs or until cooked.
Serve noodles and soup in a bowl. Garnish with micro coriander and red chilli on top.
Vegetarian Yellow Curry Bun
To Cook
Heat up frying pan with 1 tbsp of oil and slightly pan fry the firm tofu cubes on all sides. Set aside.
In a saucepan, begin heating enough water and add in salt. Once water is boiling, toss in sweet potatoes and boil for 3 mins. Then add in cauliflower and boil for 2 mins. Lastly, add in the capsicum and cook for another 2 mins. Drain and keep aside.
Using the same frying pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and fry the Valcom Yellow Curry Paste until bubbling.
Add in coconut milk and stir till well until combined. Then add in light soy sauce and brown sugar, stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved.
Toss in the tofu then add the blanched vegetables. Stir for 2 mins until all ingredients are completely coated with curry sauce.
Slice off the top of the boule and dig out the white inner section of the bread leaving about an inch surrounding inside.
Gently scoop the vegetable curry into the bread bowl. Garnish with cut chillies and Thai sweet basil.
Korean Milky Beef Bone Soup (Seolleongtang)
To Cook
In separate bowls, soak the beef bones and beef brisket in cold water for about 1 hr to draw out as much blood from the bones as possible. Rinse well and drain. Keep beef brisket in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Place all the bones in a large stockpot and fill with cold water until the bones are fully covered. Bring water to boil on high heat then reduce to medium heat and boil for further 5 mins. Drain and rinse the bones and the stockpot to remove the scum.
Again, fill the stockpot with cold water, enough to submerge the bones in about 2-3cm. Bring to boil over high heat then reduce to medium heat. Cover and let it continue boiling for 5 hrs or longer. Check the pot periodically and add water (boiling hot water to maintain cooking temperature) to ensure bones are fully submerged underwater throughout.
Then, add the beef brisket into the soup and continue to cook for 1 to 1½ hrs. Once cooked, remove, cool and slice thinly.
Remove soup from heat. Skim away any fats floating with a spoon or if the soup will be used later, refrigerate overnight and spoon away excess fat when solidified.
To serve, cook somen separately in a pot of water. Drain and place in a bowl then pour the hot soup over. Garnish with sliced beef and chopped spring onions. Alternatively, enjoy seolleongtang with rice.
Abalone, Chicken and Mushroom Soup
To Cook
Heat a pot of water and boil the chicken aryland for 5 mins. Remove and place into a double boiler.
Add dried polygonatum, canned abalones, mushrooms and wolfberries into the double boiler. Then, add boiling water, enough to ensure chicken is completely submerged. Put on the lid.
Next, place the double boiler into a stockpot filled with boiling water and double boil for 3 hours.
To serve, add in BRAND’s Essence of Chicken and salt to taste.
Japanese Chicken Stock (Torigara Stock)
To Cook
Rinse and clean chicken carcases, then soak in cold water for 30 mins. After soaking, rinse several times to remove as much blood as possible.
In a stockpot, bring water to a boil and add in chicken carcases cooking for about 20 secs, then drain.
Wash pre-boiled chicken carcases under cold running water to clean chicken bones. Using your thumb, rub away any blood or scum that might be attached.
Chop bones into smaller pieces, about 5cm each.
Place chopped chicken bones in a stockpot and fill it with cold water, enough to immerse all the contents in the pot. Bring to boil on high heat.
Once boiled, reduce to medium heat immediately bringing the stock to a simmer. In the next 15 mins, skim away any scum floating on the surface of the stock
Then, add in ginger, garlic and spring onion. Set heat to low to Simmer for 3-6 hrs with the lid on.
Remove the bones from the pot and filter the stock with a fine sieve into clean bottles or ice cube trays. The stock lasts for about 1 week stored in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer.
Cold Soba Noodle (Zaru Soba)
For Dashi Stock
Combine all ingredients in a pot and leave for overnight in the fridge to slowly extract the flavours of the ingredients. When ready to use, remove the mushrooms and kombu seaweed.
For Soba Sauce (Mentsuyu)
Combine all ingredients in a pot and heat to boiling point. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature before chilling in the fridge.
To Cook
Boil 4-5L of water in a large deep pot. Cook the soba noodles by following the instructions on the packet or until it becomes the desired texture. Al dente is said to be the best texture for soba noodles.
Once the soba noodles are cooked, drain and cool in ice water.
Drain noodles and serve with cold soba sauce (mentsuyu). To enjoy, add the desired amount of garnish in the soba sauce. Pick up a mouthful of noodles with chopsticks and dip halfway in the sauce before slurping it down. Soba noodles are best consumed within 5 mins after cooled for the best texture and flavour.