Asian Inspirations

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Korean Sweet Rice Cakes (Gyeongdan)

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To Prepare the Red Bean Paste
Strain the soaked azuki beans and rinse under water.
Add them into a pot with 6 cups water and bring to the boil over high heat, then cook for 10 mins. Reduce to medium-low and simmer for 50 mins.
Taste to check if the beans are fully cooked through. Remove any excess water, then use a wooden spoon or potato masher to mash the beans to the desired texture.
Add salt, brown sugar and ground cinnamon, and mix through thoroughly, adjusting to taste.
Cover and set aside.

To Prepare the Black Sesame Powder
Toast the black sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon.
Once the seeds begin to pop and smell fragrant, lower the heat and continue to cook for 5-10 mins or until crispy. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
Once cooled, grind using a coffee grinder or in a mortar and pestle.
Add the ground sesame seeds into a bowl, and combine with the sugar and salt. Set aside.

To Prepare Roasted Soybean Powder
Combine the roasted soybean powder, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.

To Prepare Mugwort Powder
Combine the mugwort powder, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.

To Make the Dough
In a large bowl, whisk together the sweet rice flour, caster sugar and salt.
Slowly pour in the boiling water while incorporating with a wooden spoon.
Once water has all been added, mix the dough by hand. Add some more plain flour if the dough feels too wet.
Cover the dough with a damp tea towel and set aside.

To Make the Gyeongdan
Bring a pot of water to the boil. Fill a large bowl with cold water.
Sprinkle some plain flour on a cleaning working surface.
Divide the dough into 3, then roll into cylinders. Cut each cylinder into 20 pieces. Cover with a damp tea towel with you work.
Roll each piece of dough into a ball, then use your thumbs to make a hole in the middle of the ball. Place a ball of bean paste in the middle. Close it tightly and place it on a plate, covering with a damp tea towel.
Carefully lower the rice balls into the boiling water. Cook until they float, about 3-5 mins.
Use a slotted spoon or a spider to remove them from the boiling water and place into the cold water.
Drain, then roll the cooked rice balls in the black sesame, mugwort and roasted soy bean powder.

Japanese Potato Salad

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To Cook
In a saucepan, place peeled potatoes and enough water to cover the potatoes and boil until they become soft.
Drain the potatoes and spread dashi well over them. Then, mash the potatoes roughly with a fork. Put them back to cook on the stove for about 2 mins and add rice or sushi vinegar. Remove potatoes from the heat and put in the fridge to cool off.
Mix in the rest of your ingredients. Then combine salt, Japanese mayonnaise and spicy shichimi togarashi (optional). Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.

Meat-Free Sushi in a Jar

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To Prep
Add sushi rice seasoning to rice and mix well.
Gather all the ingredients and prepare clean jars. Depending on the size of the jars, this recipe makes about 2-3 meals.
Start by adding 3-4 tbsp rice to the bottom of the jar, then layer on the omelette, edamame, carrot, red cabbage, cucumber, and top with seaweed salad. Repeat with another clean jar, or until all ingredients are used.
Seal and refrigerate up to 3 days. Drizzle 2-3 tbsp teriyaki sauce before digging in.

Bang Bang Chicken

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To Cook
Bring 5L water to the simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat, plunge in chicken, cook for 10-20 seconds, then rinse under cold running water (discard water).
Transfer chicken to a clean saucepan and add Shaoxing wine, ginger, ½ tsp sea salt and top up with enough cold water to cover generously.
Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat to low-medium and gently simmer until chicken is cooked through for 1-1¼ hours.
Remove from heat and let chicken cool completely in liquid for about 3-4 hours.
Coarsely shred meat (discard skin, bones and sinew) and transfer to a bowl.
While the chicken is cooling, make the dressing. Combine ginger, garlic and 120ml hot water in a bowl and stand to infuse (20 min).
Pass through a fine sieve (discard solids) into a clean bowl, add remaining ingredients and set aside.
Blanch bean sprouts in a saucepan of simmering water until just wilted for about 5 secs.
Refresh in iced water, drain well and place over a serving platter.
Top the chicken, drizzle the dressing, garnish with spring onion and sesame seeds and serve at room temperature.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi Ga Bap Cai)

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To Cook
Rub the chicken with salt and smashed ginger to remove the strong smell, then clean the chicken inside out with water.
To cook the chicken, bring water to a boil and add chicken. And add 1 tsp salt and half a peeled onion for about 15 – 20 mins until it’s cooked through.
Cut the onion into thin slices and soak into cold water. Cut the cabbage in quarters, then cut off the core at the 45 degree angle to create a base, to keep the cabbage piece stable when we shred it into strips.
When the chicken is cooked through, take it out and let it cool completely before shredding the chicken into pieces.
To make the salad dressing, in a bowl, mix together 2 tbsp sugar with 3 tbsp fish sauce. Also squeeze in 1-2 tbsp lime juice. Give it a good stir and then add minced garlic and chili.
To assemble the salad, combine 1 cup shredded chicken with 3 tbsp dressings, some cracked pepper and lime leaves. Mix well and add 1 cup of shredded carrots, 1 cup of sliced onion and 2 cups of shredded cabbage. Add more dressing. Give it a good toss.
Add 1 cup of the chopped Vietnamese mint at the last step. Transfer it to a serving plate, top with some fried shallots, cracked pepper and some chillies.

Pandan Coconut Buttons with Palm Sugar Syrup (Kuih Puteri Mandi)

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To Cook
Combine glutinous rice flour and pandan water. Knead to form a dough.
Make a marble sized ball and press slightly at the cente.
Put dough into boiling water and cook for 4 mins until the dough floats.
Then, remove from the pot and put into the cold water.
In another pot, boil water, sugar, palm sugar, pandan leaves and salt until it all melts and blend well. Add grated coconut and dough. Let simmer for 3 mins.

Japanese Beef Hot Pot (Shabu Shabu)

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To Prep
Fill a clay pot or large pot two-thirds full with water. Add kombu in the water and let it soak for at least 30 mins.
Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Clean and cut vegetables.
Arrange all the ingredients on a serving plate. Set a portable gas burner and place ingredient plate on a table. Give each guest a bowl of rice, an empty bowl for cooked food, and a sauce dish for the shabu shabu dipping sauce.

To Cook
Bring the broth with the soaked kombu to a boil. Add stem part of napa cabbage and shungiku, leek, carrots, some mushrooms, and tofu. You want to start with the ingredients that take the longest to cook.
Now bring the pot of boiling broth to the table. Each person cooks their beef by dipping a slice of beef in the boiling broth with chopsticks. Swish it gently back and forth until the meat changes colour, about 10 secs will do.
Enjoy the meat by dipping in the sauce.
Add remaining ingredients as necessary in the boiling broth and simmer for a few minutes.
End the meal with udon noodle. When most or all of the ingredients are taken out from the broth, add udon noodles in the pot and cook for a few minutes. Flavour udon with just bit of salt and white pepper.

Herring Roe (Kazunoko)

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To Prep
Soak fresh kazunoko in cold water for 2 days, changing water once daily. Store in the refrigerator.

To Cook
Gently remove membrane from the kazunoko pieces and store in cool water.
In a small pot, soak dashi konbu in water for about 1 hr. Then, bring to a gentle boil.
Add dried bonito dashi and soy sauce and simmer for about 10 mins.
Allow the cooked broth to cool. Discard dashi konbu.
Gently break apart kazunoko into bite-sized pieces using your hands. Do not cut.
Place the pieces of kazunoko into the dashi broth and marinate in the refrigerator 1 to 2 days before serving.

Simmered Chicken and Vegetables (Chikuzenni)

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To Cook
Mix and marinate chicken with spices.
Cut carrots and lotus root and marinate in 2 cups water with ½ tsp vinegar for 10 mins.
Prepare taro and wash with cold water. Remove the stringy edge from the snow peas. Boil them for a few mins.
Pull the burdock root’s skin with the back of knife and slice finely. Then, make an incision in the center of the konnyaku and turn inside out.
In a pot, sauté chicken for 2 mins. Then, add carrot, taro, lotus root, shiitake, burdock root, and the combination of mixed spices for chikuzenni. Boil for 40 mins.
Garnish with snow peas and serve.

Sweetened Black Beans (Kuromame)

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To Cook
Rinse kuromame, then drain and set aside.
In a large pot, add water, soy sauce, salt and sugar and bring to boil. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Turn off the heat and add kuromame to the pot. Make sure the beans well immersed in the liquid and that they are added to hot liquid so that the beans will not wrinkle while cooking later on.
Cover the pot and leave to soak overnight.
Next day, bring the pot to boil, then reduce to low heat. White bubbles will appear on the surface. Skim the scum as the beans start cooking. This will help to remove any bitterness.
Add a round piece of parchment paper to the pot to ensure the beans are submerged. Continue to simmer the beans on low heat for 5-6 hours, or until beans are tender. If liquid level is low, add some water.
Strain the beans and remove from heat. Continue to boil the syrup until it thickens to a glossy texture and black colour. Pour syrup over beans and refrigerate overnight before serving.

Sweetened Chestnuts and Sweet Potato (Kuri Kinton)

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To Prep
Peel the sweet potatoes, chop into small chunks and soak it in a bowl of water for 2-3 hrs.

To Cook
Boil it in a pot of water until it becomes soft.
While the sweet potato is still soft, strain it through a sifter to make it into a puree.
Mix the sugar, syrup and mirin in a saucepan and cook over low heat until it starts to simmer.
Turn the heat off, add pureed sweet potato and mix them well together.
After mixing it well, cook over low heat for 15 mins. Keep stirring to avoid mixture from sticking to the bottom.
Turn off the heat, add the chestnuts and cover them with the pureed sweet potato mixture. Serve cool.

Penang Assam Laksa

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To Cook
Clean the fish. In a pot, bring 8 cups of water to boil. Add fish and boil for about 10 mins. Transfer the cooked fish into a bowl and let cool.
Strain the fish stock; add the peeled tamarind, ginger torch flower and the mint leaves, continue to boil on low heat. (Tip: put the ginger torch flower and mint leaves in a herb bag)
Pick the flesh of the fish. Break the fish meat into tiny pieces and put the fish back into the stock. Then, cover the pot with a lid and lower heat. Leave broth to continue simmering until fragrant.
Using a food processor or a pestle and mortar, grind or pound the spice paste until fine. Heat up a wok and saute the spice paste with cooking oil for about 6-8 minutes. Transfer the spice paste into the boiling stock.
In a bowl, mix tamarind paste with warm/hot water and add to the stock.
Add salt and sugar to taste. Discard the ginger torch flower and mint leaves from the laksa broth before serving.
In a serving bowl, add in the laksa noodles and pour the fish broth into the bowl. Garnish and serve immediately with a spoonful of prawn paste.