Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Steam

Steamed Fish with Crunchy Garlic with Chilli Oil

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To cook
Separate the oil from the S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chilli Oil Spicy and set aside.
Combine all ingredients in Ingredients A in a bowl. Place a generous amount of this mixture on top of each hapuka or rockling fillet, then place the fillets in a steamer. Steam until the fish is cooked through.
Mix the oil separated in step 1 with the vegetable oil.

To serve
Place the steamed fish on a plate, scoop some of the S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chilli Oil Spicy mixture (without the oil) on top, then drizzle with the oil mixture from step 3. Garnish with spring onion, red chilli, and coriander leaves.

Chinese Steamed Osmanthus Rice Cake

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To Make
Place water and rock sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until rock sugar completely dissolved. Add the honey and dried osmanthus flowers, then bring to a simmer. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/DSC_5161.jpg
Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Set aside to cool. The mixture should remain pourable. If it becomes too thick, stir in a little hot water. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/DSC_5163.jpg
To make the rice cake, heat up water and add in sugar. Mix until sugar dissolved completely.
Place rice flour, glutinous rice flour and wheat starch into a large mixing bowl. Pour in the sugar mixture and stir with a spatula until a crumbly mixture forms. Break up any large lumps with fingertips, then sift the mixture through a fine sieve into another bowl. Divide the mixture into two equal portions. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/DSC_5171.jpg
Line a 25-30cm (10-12”) bamboo steamer with muslin cloth. Add one portion of the flour mixture and gently level the surface. Spoon the osmanthus filling evenly over the top.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/DSC_5175.jpg
Cover with the remaining flour mixture and gently level the surface. Sprinkle with a few dried osmanthus flowers.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/DSC_5177.jpg
Steam rice cake for 20 minutes or until the rice cake is cooked through. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/DSC_5181.jpg

Easy Steamed Fish with Shiitake & Bamboo Shoots

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To Make
Mix all marinade ingredients together.
Slice the fish fillets into 3.5cm pieces and coat with the marinade. Set aside for 10 minutes. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/OPSF-1.jpg
Arrange the shimeji mushrooms, bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms and ginger on a plate. Place the marinated fish pieces on top.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/OPSF-2.jpg
Steam over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/OPSF-4.jpg
While fish is steaming, combine the minced garlic and cooking oil in a small bowl, cook in the microwave for 2 minutes or until slightly golden.
Mix seasoning sauce together and set aside.
Once the fish is cooked, drizzling the seasoning over the fish. Spoon fried garlic and garlic oil over the top and garnish with spring onion threads.

Filipino Steamed Rice Cake (Puto)

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To Make
Wash and dry banana leaves. Pass them briefly over a flame for 1-2 minutes to soften, then cut into pieces to fit the moulds.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/banana-leves-1.jpg
Combine 12g of rice flour and 125ml of water in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until it turns into a sticky rice flour paste. Set aside to cool. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/PP-2.jpg
Place the remaining rice flour, sugar, yeast and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix briefly to combine.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/PP-3.jpg
Add in the remaining water, the rice flour paste, salt and coconut milk. Mix for 5-7 minutes over medium speed until a thick batter forms. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for an hour or until bubbles popping up.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/PP-4.jpg
Line the moulds with banana leaves and fill each mould about ¾ full with the batter. Steam for 20 minutes in bamboo steamer or until the puto has puffed up.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/PP-8.jpg
For a variety of colours, take half of the batter and mix with a drop of ube paste to make purple puto. Spoon the ube batter into the white ones and gently swirl to create a marbled effect.
Place a small piece of cheese on top of cooked puto. No need to steam again, the residual heat will soften the cheese.

Easy Soup Dumplings

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To Make
In a mixing bowl, combine minced pork, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic, spring onion, oyster sauce, white pepper, salt, cooking wine, and chicken stock. Stir in one direction until the mixture becomes soft and sticky. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/XLB-1.jpg
Divide the pork mixture evenly into 4 small heatproof bowls and cover each bowl with a wonton wrapper. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/XLB-3.jpg
Steam the bowls over high heat for 10-12 minutes. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/XLB-8.jpg
Top with julienned ginger and chopped spring onion. Drizzle with chilli oil and light soy sauce and serve hot.

Lemper Ayam (Sticky Rice with Chicken Floss)

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To Make
Rinse and soak glutinous rice for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside.
Place chicken breast in a pot of water and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool, then shred the chicken into fine pieces.
Blend shallots, garlic, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds into a smooth paste. Add chicken stock if needed to help blend.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the blended paste for 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Add coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, bay leaves, and tamarind mixture. Cook until simmering.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/LA-02.jpg
Toss in shredded chicken, salt, and sugar. Stir well and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the chicken filling becomes dry and flavourful. Set aside to cool.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/LA-04.jpg
To prepare the glutinous rice, combine coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, bay leaves, knotted pandan leaves, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, then add the soaked glutinous rice. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/LA-05.jpg
Reduce to low heat and stir until the coconut milk is absorbed. Transfer the rice to a heatproof bowl and steam over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/LA-07.jpg
Remove the rice from steamer, discard the leaves, and gently fluff the rice. Let it cool slightly.
Line the baking pan with banana leaves. Spread half of the glutinous rice evenly across the base and press firmly. Add the spiced chicken filling as the second layer, then top with the remaining glutinous rice. Press down to create an even surface. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/LA-10.jpg
Cover and rest for 1 hour before slicing into pieces.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/LA-11.jpg

Anhui Tofu & Beef Bun

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To Make the Dough
Combine the warm water and instant yeast in a small bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
Place the flour and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour and mix until a rough dough forms. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TBB-2.jpg
Knead until you get a smooth dough. Cover and leave to proof in a warm place for 1.5 hours. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TBB-3.jpg

To Make the Filling
Heat 3 tbsp cooking oil in a saucepan. Once hot and smoke appears, add the chopped spring onion and minced ginger. Cook gently over low heat until fragrant. Remove from the heat and let the oil mixture cool.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TBB-1.jpg
In another mixing bowl, combine the minced beef, tofu, and egg with the cooled fragrant oil of spring onion and ginger. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TBB-4.jpg
Add cooking wine, light soy sauce, five-spice powder, white pepper, salt, and sugar. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TBB-5.jpg
Gradually add the water while stirring in one direction until the filling becomes well combined and slightly sticky.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TBB-7.jpg

To Cook
Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll into balls. Keep covered while working to prevent the dough from drying out.
Roll one dough ball into a thin round wrapper. Scoop about 40g of filling into the centre. Pleat and seal into a bun. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TBB-9.jpg
Heat up a frying pan over medium heat with a little oil. Place the buns seam-side down and fry buns until golden. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TBB-10.jpg
Mix the slurry ingredients and pour into the pan around the buns. Cover and let them cook until the slurry has almost dried up.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TBB-11.jpg
Drizzle a little extra oil around the buns, then flip and cook the other side. Cook until the buns are crispy all over and cooked through. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TBB-13.jpg
Serve warm.

Sichuan Steamed Beef with Spicy Rice Powder

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To Make
Slice the beef thinly (around 5mm) against the grain. Soak in water for 10-15 minutes to remove blood and impurities. Drain and pat dry. Mix the beef with baking soda and let it rest for 10 minutes.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SSB-1.jpg
In a dry pan, toast jasmine and glutinous rice with aromatics until the rice turns lightly brown and fragrant. Remove from heat and discard the aromatics. Allow the rice to cool completely. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SSB-2.jpg
Pulse the rice in a food processor until achieve a coarse, sandy texture. Do not grind into fine powder.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SSB-3.jpg
Add in the remaining marinade ingredients to the beef except for cooking oil. Once everything is well combined, add in cooking oil to seal the marinade.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SSB-5.jpg
Gradually add the toasted rice powder to the beef, alternating with small amount of water. Mix until the beef is evenly coated and both are used up. Seal it with 30ml cooking oil. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SSB-6.jpg
Line a bamboo steamer with bamboo leaves. Spread sweet potato chunks evenly on the base. Arrange the marinated beef over the sweet potato layer. Then steam over medium heat for 50 minutes to 1 hour. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SSB-10.jpg
Garnish with fried minced garlic, chopped cilantro, and chopped spring onions.

Steamed Ginger Scallion Chicken

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To Prep
Place a bowl in the centre of a place. Arrange chicken around the bowl, and place knotted stalk of spring onion and ginger slices on the chicken. Steam on high heat for 18-20 mins.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Copy-of-SGC-1-1.jpg
Remove chicken from the plate and set aside to cool. Reserve the chicken broth released from steaming the chicken.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Copy-of-SGC-3-1.jpg
Once chicken is cool to handle, remove all the meat from the bones. Tear into smaller pieces and arrange onto a serving plate.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Copy-of-SGC-6-1.jpg
To make the ginger and scallion sauce, heat up oil with the spring onion batons and let it cook until spring onions turn brown.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Copy-of-SGC-4-1.jpg
In a separate mixing bowl, add in the chopped spring onions, minced ginger, light and dark soy sauce, sugar and salt. Pour just the oil over the rest of the sauce ingredients. Mix well before adding chicken broth.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Copy-of-SGC-5-1.jpg
Scoop ginger sauce over tore chicken and serve with steamed rice.

Inari and Veggie Sushi Rolls with Miso Mayo

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To Make
Mix all the miso mayo ingredients together. Keep in the refrigerator to chill until required. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TSVR-1.jpg
Cook the Obento Sushi Rice per package instructions.
Transfer the hot rice to a large tray. Pour over Obento Sushi Seasoning and fold gently with a rice paddle until evenly coated. Spread the rice out to cool, then cover with a damp cloth until ready to use. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TSVR-2.jpg
Wrap a sushi mat with cling wrap. Place a piece of Obento Yaki Nori Sheet on the mat (shiny side down). Spread about 150g of sushi rice evenly over the nori sheet.
Arrange inari, cucumber sticks, and avocado slices onto nori sheet. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TSVR-4.jpg
Using the mat, roll the sushi tightly toward you, having all your fingers securing the ingredients from falling out. Press gently while you roll to tighten. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TSVR-6.jpg
Once sealed, wrap the mat around the roll again and squeeze lightly to shape it evenly.
Cut the roll in half, then slice each half into 3 equal pieces. Repeat for remining rolls.
Serve with miso mayo and Obento Sliced Pickled Ginger.

Tempura Prawn and Lettuce Sushi Rolls with Ponzu Sauce

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To Make the Tamagoyaki
Whisk eggs with soy sauce, mirin, sugar, mayo, and sake. Strain through a fine sieve for a smooth texture.
Heat a lightly oiled tamagoyaki pan over low heat. Wipe off excess oil with a paper towel. Pour in ¼ of the egg mixture, swirling to cover the pan. When half set, roll from one end to the other. Push the rolled egg back to the starting position.
Oil the pan again, and pour another ¼ of the egg mixture. Lift the rolled egg slightly to let the new layer flow underneath, then continue rolling. Repeat until all mixture is used. Let cool completely, then slice into strips. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TPLS-1.jpg

To Cook the Sushi Rice
Cook the Obento Sushi Rice per package instructions.
Transfer the hot rice to a large tray. Pour over Obento Sushi Seasoning and fold gently with a rice paddle until evenly coated. Spread the rice out to cool, then cover with a damp cloth until ready to use. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TPLS-2.jpg

To Make the Tempura Prawns
Make some small cuts along the underside of each prawn (without slicing through) to straighten them. Gently press to flatten. Place the flour, beaten egg, and Obento Panko Breadcrumbs into 3 separate bowls. Holding the tail, coat each prawn in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Press lightly to ensure crumbs sticks well. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TPLS-4.jpg
Heat oil in a small pot to 180°C. Deep fry prawns in batches for 1-2 minutes until golden and crisp. Let cool on a wire rack. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TPLS-6.jpg

To Make Sushi Roll
Wrap a sushi mat with cling wrap. Place an Obento Yaki Nori Sheet on a bamboo mat, shiny side down. Spread about 150g of sushi rice evenly over the nori, covering the surface completely.
Arrange lettuce, tempura prawns, cucumber, tamagoyaki, and avocado onto the rice. Using the mat, roll the sushi tightly toward you, having all your fingers securing the ingredients from falling out. Press gently while you roll to tighten. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TPLS-7.jpg
Once sealed, wrap the mat around the roll again and squeeze lightly to shape it evenly. https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TPLS-10.jpg
Cut the roll into halves, then cut each half into 3 equal pieces. Serve with ponzu sauce and Obento Sliced Pickled Ginger.

Malaysian Steamed Layer Cake (Kuih Lapis)

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To Make
In a large saucepan, heat up water with sugar and knotted pandan leaves under a medium flame.
Cook until sugar is dissolved, and then discard pandan leaves and mix in coconut milk. Set aside to cool.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/KL-1.png
Place tapioca flour, rice flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/KL-2-1.png
Mix in the sugar and coconut mixture with a whisk until well incorporated. Strain mixture through a sieve to remove any lumps, then divide the mixture equally into 2 separate bowls.
Add 1 to 2 drops of red food colouring into one bowl.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/KL-3-1-1.png
Grease a 1 litre rectangular glass bowl with some cooking oil, and place in a steaming pot with rolling boiling water, cover and heat the glass bowl for 3 minutes.
Pour in about 100-125ml of pink mixture into a glass bowl, cover and steam for 7-8 minutes on medium-high heat.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/KL-4.png
Once a layer is cooked, leave the cover open for 30-40 seconds before pouring in the white mixture.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/KL-5-1.png
Continue the alternating mixture until both mixtures are used up.
For the final or top layer, add in another drop of red coloring for a deeper tone.
Steam a further 5 minutes when all layers are completed.
Set aside to cool before slicing.