Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Steam

Avocado and Cucumber Brown Rice Roll

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To Prep
To begin, cut the avocados in to halves, pit and then peel off the skin. Pour the lemon juice over avocados to prevent browning and then cut in to thick strips.
Cut the cucumber in to thin long strips, and slice to remove cucumber seeds.

To assemble the sushi
Wrap the bamboo mat used to fold sushi with cling film to make cleaning easier and to stop rice granules from getting stuck on the mat.
On the mat, place one seaweed sheet down and spread about 1 cup of rice evenly onto the nori sheet. Use your fingers to press and push to rice to form an even layer of rice.
Turn the sheet over so that the rice now faced down on the bamboo mat.
Arrange the avocado and cucumber in a row, close to the bottom of the sheet.
Then, pull up the bottom edge of the mat, while using your fingers to roll and tuck the fillings in.
Lift the mat slightly to go over the roll, and continue rolling forward while keeping a firm hold.
Remove the roll from the mat and place on to a section of cling wrap and sprinkle the rice with the sesame seeds. Roll the cling wrap over the roll to full coat the rice.
Remove the roll from the cling wrap and the use a sharp knife to cut the roll into equal portions.

Steamed Coral Cod with Goji on Lotus Leaf

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To Prep
Score the fish by making 2 cuts on each side of the fish. Use 2 tbsp vegetable oil to brush over the fish.

To Cook
Line bamboo steamer with lotus leaf. Place fish on a lotus leaf and sprinkle goji berries on top of fish. Steam for 15 mins or until cooked.
Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in fry pan. Sauté ginger and spring onion. Add seasoning mix, stir through to combine well. Pour over the fish. Serve hot with steamed Jasmine rice.
Enjoy your Steamed Coral Cod recipe!

Stuffed Hairy Gourd in Oyster Sauce

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To Cook
Cook hairy gourd in a pot of boiling water until tender. Drain and let cool.
Combine minced shrimp meat with marinade ingredients. Mix well. Dust the inner part of hairy gourds with corn starch and stuff with marinated shrimp.
Prepare a steamer over high heat. Steam hairy gourds for 8 mins. Remove from heat and discard excess juice.
Sauté mushrooms and pour in sauce mix ingredients. Stir and heat through. Pour over steamed hairy gourds and serve. Garnish with chopped spring onions and red chillies if desired.

Steamed Fish Cake

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To Prep
Separate ½ cup coconut milk into small saucepan, mix with flour, stir until smooth, place over low heat until thickens. Remove from heat and set aside in a container for topping.
Mix light coconut milk with the curry paste in a mixing bowl. Stir well with wooden spatula, combine the fish, stir gently and slowly, pour coconut milk into the mixture little by little, keep stirring until the fish absorb the curry. Add beaten egg and fish sauce, stir through, and then ½ cup basil leaves and 1 tbsp kaffir lime until the mixture becomes smooth.
Put the vegetable or few basil leaves at the bottom of the prepared ramekins or bowls, place 4 tbsp of the fish curry mixture over the vegetable. Top with thick coconut milk and garnish with a little kaffir lime and red chilli.

To Cook
Place the bowls in the steamer, steam over boiling water at high heat for 20 mins or until cooked. Remove from heat.
Your Steamed Fish Cakes are ready!

Otak-Otak

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To Prep
Blend the spice paste ingredients in a food processor until fine.
Chop the fish fillet into small pieces; blend it with rice flour, kaffir lime leaves, salt and sugar until fine.
Combine the blended fish paste and spice paste mix well, add in eggs and coconut milk and stir well.
Spread a tablespoon of the combined paste in the middle of the banana leaves, fold the leaf over the paste, tuck both ends underneath the parcel and secure with toothpicks in both ends. Repeat until all paste is used.

To Cook
Heat up wok and boil water. Steam for 10 mins over rapidly boiling water.
Unwrap the leaves and serve this otak-otak immediately.

Malay Compressed Rice (Ketupat)

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To Cook
Cook all in a rice cooker.
Press hot rice into a square container.
Press with waxed paper/cling wrap until the rice are all tight. Wait till it cool and put in refrigerator.
Serve when cool, cut into squares.
Garnish with cut cubes of red onion and cucumber. Alternately, serve with barbeque satay sauce.
Your Ketupat is ready!

Steamed Seafood Curry Cake

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To Cook
Mix coconut cream with flour and bring to the boil on low heat. Stir until thick, then set aside for topping.
In a food processor, thoroughly combine the seafood, curry paste, sugar, egg and fish sauce. Slowly add coconut milk until thick and smooth. Add half the basil and kaffir lime leaves and mix well.
Place basil leaves on the bottom of each ramekin, top with curry mixture and steam for 15-20 mins.
Remove from steamer and top with thickened coconut cream, kaffir lime leaves and chillies. Return to steamer for 1 min and serve with steamed Jasmine rice.
Alternatively, remove from mould and garnish with coconut cream, kaffir lime leaves, mint and chillies on individual plates.

Chinese Steamed Buns with Char Siu Pork Filing (Char Siu Bao)

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To Cook
Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Add 1 cup of flour. Mix thoroughly. Cover with a cloth and allow to rise for 1 hr, until bubbles appear.
Dissolve ¼ cup sugar and vegetable oil in ½ cup boiling water. Stir well. Cool until lukewarm. Pour into yeast mixture. Add remaining flour.
Knead dough on a lightly floured board until smooth. Put into an extra large, greased bowl in a warm place. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled in size (approx 2 hrs).
Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok. Stir fry finely chopped spring onion and garlic for 30 secs. Add pork cut into small cubes. Stir fry for 1 min. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, char siu sauce and remaining sugar.
Add dissolved cornflour. Stir fry quickly until pork is glazed. Remove to bowl and allow to cool.
On a floured board, knead dough for 1 min and roll into one long, sausage-like roll 5cm in diameter. Slice the roll crosswise into 3cm pieces.
Flatten each piece with the palm of your hand and roll with rolling pin into 8cm rounds.
Place 2 tbsp of filling in the centre of each round of dough.
Gather the dough up around the filling by pleating along the edges. Bring the pleats up and twist securely and firmly.
Place each Chinese bun on 5cm square baking paper on a steamer tray. Cover with a towel. Allow to rise for 1 hr, until dough springs back when touched with finger. Remove towel.
Steam over briskly boiling water for 10 mins.

Steamed Tofu with Snow Pea Shoots and Oyster Sauce

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To Cook
Mix the oyster sauce and sesame oil in a bowl and set aside.
Cut tofu into uniform slices or cubes. Place on a serving plate and steam for 5 mins (or microwave for 3 mins)
Heat oil in a wok, add garlic, and stir-fry snow pea for 2 mins. Arrange on the serving plate and drizzle oyster sauce mixture over tofu and snow pea shoots.