Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

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Lotus Seed Dessert (Leng Chee Kang)

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To Prep
Soak lotus seeds overnight. Split in half and remove the bitter, green sprouts. Boil for about 1 hr or until tender. Drain and set aside.
Soak lily bulbs for 30 mins. Boil for 15 mins. Remove and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
Boil the ginkgo nuts over medium heat for 3 mins. Drain and set aside.
Rinse the basil seeds under cold running water, then soak in cold water for at least 10 mins or until they swell. Drain and set aside.
Soak malva nuts in warm water and soak for 30 mins or until they expand. Then remove the seeds and stem by hand. Rinse in cold water. Remove as much liquid by squeezing and set aside.
Soak snow fungus for 15 mins or until soft. Rinse and remove dirty particles, cut off hard stem and tear into small florets. Drain and set aside.

To Make Dessert Soup
Combine all the syrup ingredients and the snow fungus in a medium sized saucepan. Boil over medium low heat for about 20 mins or until snow fungus are cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.

To Serve
In a bowl, add some of each prepared ingredient. Ladle over the sweet soup together with some of the dried longans and snow fungus.
Serve warm, or cold with some ice cubes.

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Salad (Bun Bo Nam Bo)

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To Prep
Combine the sliced beef with oyster sauce, salt, pepper, lemongrass, chicken stock granules, half the minced garlic and 1 tbsp vegetable oil.
Mix well and let the beef marinate for about 30 mins
Heat the rest of the vegetable oil in a wok over high heat. Add the garlic and stir fry until fragrant.
Add the beef and stir fry it. Set the beef aside when it’s done.

To Cook
Cook the rice vermicelli according to packet instructions.
Mix all the vegetables together in a large mixing bowl. Then, place some of the vegetables in a serving bowl.
Add some cooked rice vermicelli on top of the vegetables, followed by the beef and pickled daikon and carrot.
Garnish with the deep fried shallots and crushed peanuts.
Drizzle over with some dipping fish sauce. Ready to serve.

Hoi An Style Noodles (Cao Lau)

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To Cook
Begin by preparing the pork broth. In a pot, bring water to a boil. Add in soup pork meat, onion, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil again. Remove any scum floating on the water’s surface. Once it is boiling again, bring the heat down to a low and simmer the broth for at least 2 hrs.
Meanwhile, place the pork bellies into a bowl and mix in all other marinade ingredients. Combine well until meat is evenly coated. Set aside in the refrigerator until the pork broth is ready.
Heat up some oil in a large frying pan. Lightly shake the pork bellies to remove garlic pieces. Put them into the pan, reserve the marinade. Sear the pork belly pieces until browned. Set aside. Pour in reserved marinade and add 2 ladles of pork broth. Allow to boil and bring the pork bellies back into the pan. Simmer on low heat for 1½ hrs, turning the meat constantly.
Transfer pork bellies to a cutting board then, pour in 500ml of pork broth into the pan with the marinade. Bring to a boil and season accordingly. Slice the pork bellies into smaller strips.
Cook noodles according to packet instructions without any salt. Drain and set aside. Using the same water, blanch bean sprouts if desired.
Portion out the noodles into individual serving bowls. Top with bean sprouts, lettuce, spring onions and fresh herbs. Arrange a few slices of the barbecue pork belly on top of the noodles and ladle in a scoop of Xa Xiu broth.
Serve with sambal oelek, a squeeze of fresh lime juice and crackers.

White Pork Bone Soup for Yin Yang Hot Pot

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To Cook
In a deep pot, submerge pork bones and chicken carcass in water. Boil for 10 mins and discard the water. This is to remove scum.
Fill in 2.5L water and bring to a boil. Add in brown onions, ginger, sugar and Shaoxing wine. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer over medium fire for 2 hrs or until the soup turns milky white in colour. While simmering, stir occasionally to help break the meat off the bones and speed up the cooking process. Also remove any floating scum.
Once the soup is ready, season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in goji berries, red dates and spring onions for garnishing.
Ladle some soup into a steamboat pot / hot pot and begin cooking your choice of meats, veggies, fish fillets and noodles.

Tsukemen

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Preparing the pork broth
To make the pork broth, it is recommended you use a pressure cooker, otherwise it will take a whole day just to make the broth.
Boil the pork leg bones in water over high heat for 30 minutes.
Remove the bones from the pot and discard the cooking water. Clean the bones of any remaining blood.
Cut the bones in two, and place in a pressure cooker pot along with 3L of water.
Pressure cook for 30 mins. Once the pressure of the pot has returned to normal, take off the cover and remove any scum.
Boil it on high heat for about an hour, turning the bones occasionally. Once the liquid has reduced significantly (you’re looking for about 1L of liquid left) filter the broth through a sieve.
Remove the bones from the sieve, and using a wooden spoon push through whats left of the bones (collagen, tendon etc) into the broth. This will give broth a rich umami flavor.
Leave overnight in the fridge.

Preparing the Cha Shu
Sear the pork on all sides in a pan. Then transfer into a pot of boiling water on low heat and cook for 30 minutes.
In a frying pan, add the sake and mirin and turn on the heat to burn off the alcohol.
Then add the soy sauce and sugar, and bring to a boil.
When the pork is done, remove it from the boiling water into the soy sauce marinade and let it cook for 5 minutes on low heat. Make sure to turn it over so that all sides have a chance to cook in the marinade.
Next, cover the pork in the pan with the marinade with a paper towel. Spoon the marinade over the paper towel to allow it to soak up the marinade. This is to let the marinade soak into the pork.
Let the pork marinade this way over night.

Preparing the tsukemen
You will notice that the broth has congealed due to the gelatin. Lightly break up the broth, and place in a pot and begin to boil on medium high heat. Turn the heat to low once it has liquefied and started boiling.
Separately, finely mince onion and some garlic and chopped some spring onions
Sear the outside of the cha shu pork with a blow torch. Then slice into ½ cm slices.
Boil the ramen noodles according to packet instructions.
Place the ramen on a plate with the sha chu pork.
In a small bowl, add minced garlic, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1⁄4 salt or adjust to your taste, 1 tsp dashi powder, 200ml of the pork broth, minced onion, chopped spring onions and seaweed.
Serve the ramen noodles with the soup and enjoy!

Chinese Hot Pot

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For Soup
Prepare a big pot and bring water to a boil. Boil the chicken carcass and pork bones for 5 mins and discard the water. This is to remove scum.
Fill in 2.5L of water into the pot and bring it to boil. Add in goji berries and red dates, simmer for 2 hrs. Season with salt according to taste.

To Enjoy
Once ready, transfer broth into a steamboat pot / hot pot, about half full. Place it on a portable electric stove. Add in your own combination of meat, veggies and fish. Let it boil and cook. When ready, dish out into individual serving bowls with small wire strainer or ladle. Dip cooked food into condiments and enjoy.
Repeat the same process by adding in meat, veggies and fish into the hot pot and allow to boil and cook once the first batch of cooked food have been distributed. Top up with broth when needed.
Noodles and eggs are usually added towards the end when broth is most flavourful after cooking all the ingredients.

Japanese Rice Congee (Okayu)

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To Cook
After 30 mins of soaking sushi rice in a claypot, drain water and add 1 cup of water to the rice. Cover claypot and bring to boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to the lowest. Remove lid and stir the rice to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the claypot. Return the lid to the claypot to keep it covered, continue to simmer on lowest heat possible for a further 30 mins.
After 30 mins of simmering, turn heat off and let it sit with lid on for a further 10 mins. Rice should be soft and thicken by then. Remove lid and serve on individual bowls, followed by your preferred toppings.
Leftover sushi rice may be used for this recipe. Instead of pre-soaking for 30 mins, add cooked rice into the claypot and 2 times of water to it, example 1 cup of cooked rice to 2 cups of water. Cook stirring occasionally over medium low heat. Adjust consistency of congee to your liking by adding more water.

Singapore White Bee Hoon

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To Prep
Marinade the squid and prawns with the marinade ingredients for 10 mins.

To Cook
In a stock pot, add the chicken carcasses, chicken feet, soybeans, rock sugar and water, bring to simmer. Add the stir-fried prawn heads and shells, bring to boil then simmer covered for 4 hrs, removing floating scum from time to time. Set aside.
In a wok, heat 1 tbsp oil and sauté minced garlic until fragrant. Add the rice vermicelli and fry for 1-2 mins. Remove and set aside.
Clean the wok, heat 2 tbsp oil and scramble the eggs. Add 800ml of the stock then the clams, prawns and squid. Cook covered until clams open partially, about 2 mins.
Add in the fish sauce, salt and white pepper, then add in the rice vermicelli and mix well. Let simmer for 3 mins.
Add the choy sum and simmer for 1 min. Add seasonings to taste, serve hot.

Mala Sichuan Spicy Hot Pot

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To Cook
Gather all dried spices ingredients and cook with butter on low heat in a pan for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover with lid and allow to cook for another 15 minutes. Strain butter into a mixing bowl and set aside.
Return the strained spices back to the pan. Add in Shaoxing wine and bring to boil over medium heat, then cover with lid and turn heat down to low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. to the saucepan and add the wine. Turn heat off and set the pan aside, leaving the spices and wine in the pan.
In a separate pan, heat the strained spiced butter, add in minced ginger. Saute for about 5 minutes before adding in the chopped spring onions and minced garlic. Saute until fragrant then add in the cut dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes and add the chilli bean paste. Allow to cook over low heat for approximately 10 minutes. Then gently strain the pan of Shaoxing wine into this chilli bean pot and discard the cooked dried spices. Add the rock sugar and allow the pot to cook for a further 30 minutes. The Sichuan spicy hot pot paste is completed here.
Prepare all of the fresh ingredients and plate them around the dining table.
Prepare the an electric hot pot or a hot pot over induction cook top, and place in the middle of the dining table. Turn heat on and add in the chicken stock. Scoop out half of the prepared Sichuan spicy hot pot paste and add to the chicken stock. Then add in the dried shitake mushrooms and dried chillies. Cover with lid and allow to boil. Once boiling, turn heat down, remove lid and add in any of the fresh ingredients, in batches. Cover the pot again with lid and bring it to a boil again. The ingredients should be cooked now and ready to be served. Add water when required as the hot pot will evaporate from cooking overtime.

Vietnamese Style Tom Yum Hot Pot (Lau Thai)

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To Cook
Start by preparing the soup. Place all the ingredients of the soup into the hot pot, mix well and bring to a boil. Turn heat off and set aside.
Next, combine all the dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
Place hot pot on the dining table and turn heat on to bring to a boil. Prepare and arrange all the other ingredients around the hot pot. One hot pot starts to boil, place a little of every ingredient in to the cook. Cover pot with lid and allow to boil, this is to ensure all ingredients are cooked.
Remove lid, turn heat down and eat fresh from the hot pot with some soup base and the dipping sauce.

Steamed Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce (Fung Jao)

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To Cook
Pat chicken feet with paper towels until dry. In a wok or deep pan, heat up oil and deep fry chicken feet in batches until golden brown. Drain.
In a pot, add water till half full and bring to a boil. Carefully place fried chicken feet into boiling water and boil for 40 mins. Check occasionally to ensure there is sufficient water.
Meanwhile, prepare garlic. Place minced garlic in a bowl together with fermented black beans, oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, fermented bean curd, ground white pepper, chicken stock and salt. Combine till well mixed.
Once chicken feet are ready, drain them from the pot of water. Place into a large mixing bowl and toss them with the seasoning sauce. Allow to marinade for at least 1 hr (or best overnight).
Steam marinated chicken feet for 3 hrs over low heat. Occasionally, gently mix the chicken feet with sauce while steaming to ensure that the chicken feet are evenly flavoured and coloured.
Serve immediately.