To Cook
Add pork belly, soy sauce, sugar, cooking sake, water and ginger into a pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
Pour enough oil into a large saucepan or wok to come 4cm up the side. Heat over medium-high heat (oil should reach 180-200°C). Add cornflour to the pork. Toss to coat. Deep-fry pork, in batches, for 5 minutes or until light golden and just cooked through. Using tongs, transfer to paper towel to drain.
Serve with wasabi mayonnaise in Japanese soy sauce. You can also skewer the pork for better presentation.
Deep-Fry
Crispy Panko Banana Fritters
To Cook
Heat up oil to 170°C in a pot for deep frying.
Mix all purpose flour, rice flour and salt together. Add in vanilla extract and followed by cold milk. Mix all into a thick batter.
Cut bananas into halves. From about 2.5cm from the tip, slice each piece into 3, and slightly spread out to make into fan shape.
Set up breading station consisting of sliced bananas, batter and panko bread crumbs.
Coat bananas in batter then panko. Press the panko slightly to ensure panko stick onto banana securely.
Deep fry till golden brown, about 4-5 mins with medium heat.
Indonesian Fried Banana Balls (Cekodok Pisang)
To Cook
Heat up oil to 170°C in a pot for deep frying.
Combine plain flour, rice flour, salt and bicarbonate soda powder, mix well.
Add mashed bananas into flour mixture.
Once oil has reached 170°C, add sugar into banana mixture.
Using two dinner spoons, scoop and drop banana mixture into oil.
Use a spatula to gently move banana fritters and fry till golden brown, about 4-5 mins.
Fried Brussel Sprouts with Miso Glaze
To Cook
Pre-heat deep fryer or a large pot of oil with vegetable oil to 160°C.
Add cut sprouts to the oil and begin to fry.
Add all remaining ingredients to a stainless steel pot and gently bring to the boil until the sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat.
Continue to fry the sprouts until tender inside, golden brown and crunchy.
Drain sprouts on absorbent paper.
Add Miso glaze to the fried sprouts, add flaked salt to taste. Stir well to ensure the sprouts are coated in the glaze.
Serve while warm.
Fried Rice Paper Roll
To Prep
Combine all of the main ingredients together and mix until well combined.
Dip the rice paper into warm water and let absorb slightly before placing on to a work surface.
Add a portion of the mixture onto the bottom side of the rice paper and tuck the edge over the mixture.
Roll the sides of the rice paper onto the covered mixture and continue to wrap the paper, rolling until the rice paper completely covers the mixture.
Repeat this process until all of the mixture has been used up. Place in the fridge for 10-20 mins to dry the skin.
To Cook
In a large pot with enough oil to deep fry the rice paper rolls, heat over a medium to high heat.
Fry the rice paper rolls in batches or one at a time for approx. 5 mins to allow the fillings to cook. Ensure that the heat isn’t too high to prevent the rolls from burning. Take further care when frying the rolls too as they will stick together at the start of frying.
When the rolls have cooked, remove them from the oil and let them drain on a paper towel or over a rack.
To Serve
Garnish and serve immediately with our nuoc cham dipping sauce or a dipping sauce of your choosing!
Tuna Tartare
To Prep
Dice tuna, then add to a bowl with ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil. Set aside in the fridge to marinate until ready to plate.
To Cook
Heat a thin layer of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Deep fry the spring roll pastries until light golden brown, using tongs or chopsticks to scrunch them up slightly. Drain on paper towel. Once completely cooled, snap into crackers.
To Serve
Using a ring mould, plate the tuna tartare, pressing down slightly to form into a round. Garnish with sesame seeds, micro herbs and edible flowers, and serve with crackers.
Sushi Stack with Egg Floss and Spicy Mango Kewpie
To Prep Rice
To make 4 sushi stacks heat up 3 cups of precooked short gran rice in the microwave until steaming. (Or cook rice as per packet instruction if you don’t have any precooked rice handy.)
Spread in a wide dish and drizzle 9 tbsp Obento sushi seasoning over rice and fold through. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
To Prep Fillings
Cut 1 large Lebanese cucumber into approximately 1cm cubes.
Peel and finely grate 1 carrot.
Cut 8 crab sticks into rough chunks approximately 1cm. Mix 1 tbsp Kewpie Mayonnaise through crab stick.
Using scissors cut 1 Obento Yaki Nori for Sushi seaweed sheet into 2cm squares.
Mash 1 avocado (if serving is delayed add some lemon juice to keep avocado from going brown, otherwise leave as is if serving straight away).
Slice 2 stalks of spring onion for garnish
To Prep Mango Dipping Sauce
Cut and mash one mango cheek until it has a thin consistency. Mix through 1 tbsp Kewpie Mayonnaise and 1 tsp sriracha sauce
To Cook the Egg Floss.
Whisk 1 egg plus egg yolk thoroughly. Mix 1 tsp cornflour with a small amount of water then whisk into egg. Mix in vinegar and salt.
Heat approximately 2cm deep oil in a deep saucepan. When oil is extremely hot pour half egg through the holes in a wide skimming spoon.
Note: The egg will rapidly expand when it hits the oil so this should be done in a deep saucepan for safety. Toss the egg briefly until golden then quickly scoop out to drain onto paper towel.
To Assemble the Sushi Stack
In a round take away container, place a 1cm layer of the crab mix. Sprinkle a thin layer of grated carrot over the crab.
Add a 1cm layer of sushi rice and use wet hands to push down firmly into the container. Place a layer of sushi squares over the rice then spread a ½cm layer of avocado over seaweed.
Place a 1cm layer of chopped cucumber. Finally add a 1cm layer of sushi rice. Again use wet hands to gently push down the rice and make sure the whole stack is packed tightly
To Serve
Flip the sushi stack inside the takeaway container upside down on your serving plate. Gently squeeze sides and tap top to remove without disrupting the layers.
Top the sushi stack with egg floss and sprinkle with chopped spring onion. Serve immediately with soy sauce and spicy mango Kewpie dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Thai Sweet & Spicy Fried Sweet Potato Fingers
To Cook
Prepare 3 bowls for the Sweet Potato coating.
On the first bowl, add flour, chilli powder, salt and pepper. On the second bowl, beat the egg. And on the third bowl, put the panko breadcrumbs.
Heat pan with oil in medium heat.
Dredge Sweet Potatoes in the flour mixture. Then dip it in egg wash and finally coat with panko.
Repeat with all the Sweet Potato Fingers then it’s ready to be fried. Fry for at least 5 mins or until golden brown.
To Serve
Serve with Sweet Chilli Sauce for the dipping.
Nasu Chips
To Cook
Prepare 3 bowls for Eggplant coating.
On the first bowl, add flour, chilli powder, salt & pepper. On the second bowl, beat the egg and on the third bowl, put the panko breadcrumbs.
Heat pan with oil in medium heat.
Dredge eggplant in the flour mixture. Then dip it in egg wash and finally coat with panko breadcrumbs.
Repeat with the rest of the Eggplant. Fry for at least 5 mins or until golden brown.
To Serve
Mix mayo, lime, salt and wasabi in a small bowl for the dip and serve together.
Veggie Tempura Tasting Plate with Spicy Dipping Sauce
To Prep Sauce
Mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Taste and alter accordingly.
To Prep Vegetables
Top and tail vegetables if necessary. Cut capsicums, carrots and cucumbers into ½cm pieces.
To Cook the Vegetables
Mix cornflour, plain flour and baking soda with 2 chopsticks held together, in large bowl.
Mix egg yolk and soda water together till frothy.
Mix soda mixture and flour mixture together with chopsticks until all mixed; a few lumps don’t matter.
Place the bowl onto an ice bath to keep the batter cool during the cooking process.
Heat oil till it starts to slightly bubble.
Place veggies in batter one variety at a time and skim off the excess batter.
They should sizzle as soon as they enter. Let them cook till just golden, before taking out and placing on a paper towel. Repeat for the rest of the veggies.
To Serve
Plate the tempura on to a plate and add edible flowers, chilli and preserved Asian ginger to garnish. Enjoy!
Karaage with Rice
To Prep
In a large bowl, mix lightly but completely the chicken thighs (each cut into approx. 4 pieces), ginger, garlic, mirin, soy and sake together. Leave and let marinate for at least 20 mins.
Start preheating wok with enough vegetable oil for frying (approx. 180°C).
Mix cornflour and plain flour together.
Take drained pieces of marinated chicken and coat firmly in the flour mixture piece by piece. Set aside on separate dish to let stand for at least 10 mins.
To Cook
Once the oil has reached temperature, add chicken pieces one at a time but do not overcrowd the wok (dependant on wok size and volume of oil).
Continue in batches, cooking for 3 mins and setting aside on a cooling rack to drain. Keep wok on a steady heat.
Fill serving bowls with steamed rice, garnish bowls with lemon wedge and rational amount of lettuce in preparation.
Return all chicken back to wok for further 1 min before final drain on cooling rack.
To Serve
Once drained, divide amongst bowls and serve with Kewpie Mayonnaise dusted with shichimi togarashi pepper mix.
Squeeze lemon over chicken & eat while hot and juicy. Enjoy!
Thai School Prawn Cake
To Prep
Trim off prawns antenna, rostrum and legs with scissors then rinse through water. Rest the prawns in a strainer to remove excess water.
Prepare the batter in a mixing bowl by adding tempura flour, a pinch of salt then gradually add cold water while mixing until well combined. Put aside.
Crack an egg into a small bowl, add red curry paste then whisk together until well mixed. Transfer the egg mixture into flour batter and stir until both well combined.
Transfer school prawns into the batter and coat them evenly with a spatula.
To add something aromatic, thinly slice kaffir lime leaves then sprinkle over the mixture.
To Cook
In a saucepan, add cooking oil then turn the heat up to medium. Place an egg ring into the saucepan for a perfect round prawn cakes.
Once the oil is hot, use a spoon to carefully place the mixture into the ring.
Cook until one side is golden brown then flip to the other side. Repeat until the batter has been used up. Beware of hot oil spitting.
To Serve
Mix mayonnaise with chilli sauce then place in a ramekin. Place the school prawn cake on to a plate with the sauce. Enjoy!