Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Grill/BBQ

Chinese Pork Jerky (Bak Kwa)

by Leave a Comment

To Prep
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well with a sturdy serving spoon for about 2 mins until mixture thickens. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hrs or overnight.
Prepare 5 to 6 sheets of parchment paper the size of a jelly roll pan.
Spread a thin layer of meat mixture with a butter knife onto parchment paper. The meat layer should be about 2mm to 2.5mm thick.
Place a large piece of shrink wrap over the meat. Using a rolling pin, roll over meat to even out the spread meat.

To Cook
Transfer sheets of meat to jelly roll pans and bake in a 120°C oven for 10 mins.
The partially cooked meat should be nice and dry*. Blot with paper towels if necessary. When it is cool enough to handle, cut each sheet of meat into 6 pieces.
Increase oven temperature to 220°C. Transfer meat and parchment paper to a broiler pan this time and grill for approximately 5 min. Adjust time accordingly to ensure meat does not burn.
Remove from oven. Flip slices of meat over with a pair of tongs. Return pan to the oven for another 5 mins. If you wish to caramelize it more, flip and grill 2 more minutes on each side. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

Love Letters (Kuih Kapit)

by Leave a Comment

To Prep
In a large bowl, add eggs and sugar, and whisk to mix well until sugar has dissolved.
Add glutinous rice flour, rice flour, salt and coconut milk. Stir to mix well.
Gradually add flour mixture (dry ingredients) to egg mixture (wet ingredients) and whisk to combine. Strain the batter and set aside to rest for 1 hour.
In the meantime, prepare charcoal grill. The fire needs to be consistent and moderate heat to achieve the even brown colour.
To prepare the kuih kapit mould, lightly grease with oil and heat the moulds over the grill. (if you are using an old kuih kapit mould, you may skip this step).

To Cook
When the mould is hot, pour over a ladle of batter, close the mould firmly and lock it, and grill over charcoal fire. Working quickly, trim the sides with a butter knife before it’s fully cooked.
Let it cook for about 1 min, then flip the mould over to cook the other side for about another minute. Open mould slightly from time to time to take a peek at the kuih kapit to check on the colour.
When the biscuit turns golden brown, peel it off immediately with a butter knife and fold half and half again to form a fan shape. Again, work quickly before the kuih kapit cools and becomes crispy. Use the base of a saucer to lightly press and crease the kuih kapit for a neater fold. Alternatively, you can roll up the kuih kapit into cigar rolls.
Set aside to cool, then store in airtight containers. These kuih kapit make wonderful gifts when visiting family and friends during the Lunar New Year.

Grilled Pork Belly (Samgyupsal Gui)

by Leave a Comment

To Cook
Prepare the vegetables. Mix the sauce ingredients.
Heat the grill (or a flat pan). Cut the pork belly strips in shorter bite size pieces. You can also grill first and then cut the meat into bite sized pieces.
Add the meat to the grill along with the garlic, chili peppers, and any other vegetables you are using. Grill over moderate heat until cooked through.

Grilled Rice Ball (Yaki Onigiri)

by Leave a Comment

To Prep
Lightly season the cooked rice with table salt.
Using a generous piece of plastic wrap, place portion of cooked rice, add filling in the center (optional), wrap with plastic wrap, then mould into balls.

To Cook
Lightly spray the grill of the broiler grill with cooking spray to prevent the rice ball from sticking.
Over medium heat, allow the rice ball to grill on both sides until golden brown and slightly crisp. Time may vary from 15 to 20 mins depending on your grill.
Drizzle soy sauce over yaki onigiri and serve immediately.

Spicy Grilled Shrimp Skewers (Gochujang Saewu Gui)

by Leave a Comment

To Prep
Soak wooden skewers in water while preparing the prawns. Rinse the prawns and drain. Thread the prawns on to the skewers.
Mix all the marinade ingredients well in a bowl.
Spoon (or brush) the marinade over the prawns to coat evenly. Let stand for 20 to 30 mins.

To Cook
Preheat a lightly oiled grill. Grill the prawns over moderate heat until just cooked through, 2 to 3 mins each side. Do not overcook. Baste the prawns with any remaining sauce while grilling. You can also cook the prawns in a grill pan over medium-high heat. Garnish with spring onions or chives.

Doenjang Marinated Pork with Chives (Dwaejigogi Doenjang Gui)

by Leave a Comment

To Prep
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Add the meat, and mix well until evenly coated. Marinate at least for 30 mins.

To Cook
Heat a skillet (or frying pan) with a tablespoon of oil, and briefly stir-fry the vegetables until slightly wilted. Add salt to taste and transfer to a plate.
Heat a grill pan (or a skillet) over medium-high heat and add the pork slices. Then lower the heat to medium to avoid burning the marinade. Cook for about 2 mins on each side, until it is slightly caramelised. Keep turning the meat slices over to prevent the marinade from burning. Remove from heat and prepare a plate to serve.
Layer base of plate with the stir-fried garlic chives and top with the cooked pork slices. Serve along with vegetables for the wraps and ssamjang paste on the side.

Japanese Grilled Squid (Ikayaki)

by Leave a Comment

To Prep
To prepare the marinade, combine soy sauce, aka miso, mirin, sake, ginger and sancho pepper in a large bowl, and mix well.
Add in the squid, and spoon the marinade over to coat well. Set aside to marinate for 15 mins.
When it’s time to cook, separate squid from the liquids, but reserve the marinade for later use.

To Cook
Cooking on a grill plate: Heat a well-oiled grill plate over stovetop. When grill plate is hot, place squid on the grill to cook for about 12-15 mins, turning occasionally, and glazing the squid with marinade. Cooking time will vary a little according to the size of the squid.
Cooking on a pan: Heat a well-oiled pan over medium-high heat. Add squid to cook on pan for about 4-5 mins on each side, turning occasionally. Add the marinade and cook a further 1-2 mins until the sauce thickens.
To serve, slice the squid into rings and place on serving plate. Add a dash of sansho before serving, and a lemon wedge on the side.
Squeeze lemon over hot squid and enjoy ikayaki with a cold beer!

Banh Mi with Lemongrass Pork (Banh Mi Thit Nuong)

by Leave a Comment

To Prep
Lightly pound the pork slices with a mallet/back of the kitchen knife. In a bowl, mix all the lemongrass pork marinade ingredients well. Put in the pork slices and marinade for about 1 hour or better overnight. Discard excess marinade before use.

To Cook
Preheat grill until ready to use. Gently arrange marinated pork slices onto the grill. Grill until the pork is nicely charred on both sides and meat is thoroughly cooked. If using indoor broiler oven, broil for 5-7 minutes on each side or until the meat is completely cooked and nicely charred.
Remove lemongrass pork from grill and assemble the baguettes with mayonnaise spread, and then put the sliced chillies, a slice of grilled lemongrass pork and finish off with a handful of pickled carrots and daikon and coriander leaves. Serve a whole baguette or cut the baguette into half.

Grilled Mackerel (Saba Shioyaki)

by Leave a Comment

To Prep
Rinse saba under cold water and then quickly dunk the fish in a bowl of sake.
Pat dry the fish with a paper towel and generously salt both side of the fish. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 mins.
Wipe off any excess moisture on the fish.

To Cook
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the fish skin side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminium foil or parchment paper (spray or brush oil so it doesn’t stick). Bake for 15-20 mins, or until the fish is cooked through.
Serve the grilled mackerel with grated daikon on the side. Pour a few drops of soy sauce on grated daikon before you eat. Enjoy!

Crispy Skinned Thai Chilli Snapper

by Leave a Comment

To Prep
Make four deep slits diagonally across both sides of fish. Place fish in a shallow ovenproof dish.
Combine remaining ingredients, except extra chilli sauce, in a bowl. Pour over fish, cover, then refrigerate for up to 3 hrs.

To Cook
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Cover dish with a lid or foil, bake in oven for 35 minutes, or until fish is almost tender.
Brush fish with the extra chilli sauce. Then grill for another 10 minutes, or until skin is browned and crisp.
Serve with steamed rice and lime wedges.

Spicy Grilled Shrimp Salad (Pla Goong)

by Leave a Comment

To Cook
Combine the dressing sauce ingredients and mix well.
Brush a bit of oil on both sides of the prawns and then grill the prawns for a couple mins each side until they’re cooked through.
Combine the chopped lettuce, mint and coriander leaves, shallots, red onion, lemongrass and chilli peppers and toss through with the dressing.
Finally, add the grilled shrimp to the bowl and toss everything together.

Grilled Lobster with Spicy Basil Garlic Sauce

by Leave a Comment

To Cook
Heat oil in a wok or saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and both types of chillies and stir fry until fragrant. Combine the oyster sauce, fish sauce and basil and stir fry for a further minute until well mixed. Add the cornflour mixture and cook until the sauce is thickened. Remove and set aside.
Rub the salt and pepper onto the lobsters. Grill on charcoal, pan grill or under the broiler for several minutes on each side until cooked. Transfer on serving platter.
Spread the spicy basil garlic sauce over the grilled seafood. Squeeze lime over lobster. Serve hot and garnish with crispy fried basil leaves and fresh coriander.