Asian Inspirations

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Steam

Pandan Soft Steamed Bao

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To Make Kaya Filling
In a large heat-proof mixing bowl add eggs and sugar, and stir with a balloon whisk till well combined.
Prepare a pot of boiling water and place mixing bowl on the pot to double boil. Continue to whisk.
Toss pandan leaf tied into a bundle into the egg mixture, stir under medium heat till sugar dissolved.
Add in coconut cream and keep stirring to avoid overcooking on the sides of the bowl.
When the mixture starts to curdle, add in cornflour slurry and mix well.
In a separate saucepan, heat up sugar till it caramelises.
Pour in caramelised sugar into the mixture and mix till all well combined.
When the mixture turned into a thick paste, remove from heat and set aside to cool. Discard pandan leaf.

To Make Pandan Juice
Cut pandan leaf into small sections.
Blend leaf with water and filter using a fine sieve. Squeeze as much of the juice out.

To Make the Dough (Using a Breadmaker)
Add all ingredients except salt into bread machine bowl.
Set bread machine to dough mode.
Once dough is formed, add in salt and let it continue to work in the bread machine.

To Make the Dough (Without Breadmaker)
Mix all ingredients except salt into a big bowl and knead for about 10 mins, add in salt and knead till dough is smooth.

To Shape the Pandan Baos
Once dough is ready, remove from bread bowl and pinch 30g of dough for the crosses and divide the balanced dough into 15 equal portions.
Roll dough into balls and cover with a damp towel as you work.
With a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into 1cm thick but thinner on the edge before filling with a big tablespoon of kaya paste.
Holding the flatten dough on your palm with kaya in the centre of the flatten dough, start to pleat the edges of the dough together to seal.
Place completed bao onto cut out baking paper.
Divide the 30g of dough into 30 portions to roll out into strips for the crosses.
Let bao proof for 20 mins or until double the original size.
Arrange completed bao into a bamboo steamer. Leave enough room around each bao as it will expand when steaming.
Steam bao on medium heat for 15 mins.

Matcha Soft Steamed Bao

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To Make Red Bean Filling
In a pot of boiling water enough to cover red beans and boil for 5 mins.
Drain and return rinsed red beans back into pot, cover with enough water and boil for 1 hour till they are soft and mushy.
Drain red beans again and return to pot on medium heat. Add in sugar and cook beans till they form into a paste. Set aside to cool.

To Make the Dough (Using a Breadmaker)
Add all ingredients with dry yeast as the last item into the breadmaker machine bowl.
Set bread machine to dough mode.

To Make the Dough (Without Breadmaker)
Simply add all ingredients into a big mixing bowl and mix till all ingredients are well combined.
Remove onto floured surface and knead for 15 to 20 mins till dough is smooth and non sticky. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it proof for 40 mins to an hour.

To Shape the Matcha Baos
Once dough is ready, remove from bread bowl and roll out into a round disc on a floured surface.
Cut dough into 8 equal pieces or weigh with a scale for accurate measurement and form them into balls. Cover with a damp towel as you work.
With a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into 1cm thickness but thinner on the edge before filling with a big tablespoon of red bean paste.
Holding the flatten dough with the red bean paste with your palm, start to pleat the edges of the dough together to seal.
Place completed bao onto cut out baking paper.
With some excess dough, pinch a small amount of dough and roll it into a long strip. Arrange a ‘+’ strip onto bao.
Arrange completed bao into a bamboo steamer. Leave enough room around each bao as it will expand when steaming.
Steam bao on high heat for 18-20 mins.

Steamed Banana Cupcakes (Apam Pisang)

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To Make
Sift plain flour, baking powder and soda bicarbonate powder, set aside.
Heat up steamer with enough water and wrap the cover with a kitchen cloth to absorb water droplets from dripping onto cupcakes.
Blend sugar, egg and condensed milk in a blender for about 2 mins till pale and fluffy. Transfer to a big mixing bowl.
Add cooking oil and mashed bananas. Beat with a whisk for 2-3 mins till smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and beat a further 3 mins.
Add in flour mixture in a few additions till batter is well combined.
Grease cupcake moulds with oil before filling to ¾ full with batter, then place a slice of banana on top of each cupcake.
Steam banana cupcakes on high heat for 20-25 mins. When cupcakes are cooked, remove the steamer’s cover and let it continue to steam for 3 mins to help dries up the surface.
Let cool on cooling rack and serve.

Stuffed Squid with Pork Mince

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To Prep Stuffing
In a mixing bowl, mash up the pork mince with all ingredients except the spring onions. Combine well.
Add in the white part of the chopped spring onions. Mix well.

To Make Topping
In a frying pan, heat up 1 tbsp of oil and sauté minced garlic, minced ginger, sliced lemongrass, chopped shallots and lastly the remaining chopped chillies till slightly brown.
Add in the green part of spring onion, stir for a few secs. Add fish sauce, light soy sauce, a dash of pepper and stir for 30 secs. Remove and keep aside.

To Make Stuffed Squids
Remove the tentacles from the squid’s body and clean out the guts and plastic like backbone from the tube. Dig out the eyes and beak from the tentacles as well as the tiny suction cups if any. Leave the skin (purple layer) on.
Stuff the pork mince mix into the squid tubes to about 80% full (pork mince will expand when steamed) and using some tooth picks secure the opening. Steam the stuffed squid tubes on medium heat for 15-20 mins.
Heat up a grill pan with a tsp of oil and grill the tentacles till they turned opaque and slightly brown, remove and set aside. Take the steamed squid tubes from the steamer and place them on the grill pan and cook them till grill lines appear. Turn them over and grill the other side till grill lines show. Sliced the squid tubes to about 2.5cm thick and place them on plate together with cooked tentacles.
Drizzle topping onto sliced squid tubes.
Garnish with cut chillies, coriander and lemon or lime wedges.
For remaining minced pork, you can pan fry them with some oil and serve as a side dish.

Mea Culpa Blackened Ocean Trout

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To Prep
Line a tray with foil and turn the oven grill to high.
To make marinade combine Kewpie Japanese Dressing Sesame Soy Sauce, ginger, sugar and Obento Ponzu Sauce.
In rice cooker start cooking rice. When rice is nearly cooked add the green vegetables to steam (about 2 mins until just cooked).

To Cook
Place fish and spring onions on prepared tray. Spoon marinade over both fish and spring onions. Place under high grill for 4 mins.
The fish should be golden-brown to black on top and moist and flaky inside. Remove from oven.

To Serve
Place steamed rice on dish with steamed green vegetables. Top with the grilled fish and spring onions. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with extra ponzu sauce on the side.

Flower Blossom Dumplings in Sesame & Shiitake Mushroom Broth

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To Make the Shiitake Mushroom Broth
Soak the shiitake mushrooms in 1 cup of boiling water, until softened. Drain (retaining liquid) and roughly chop.
Place the vegetable stock, shiitake mushrooms & liquid, spring onions, garlic, sesame oil, soy & chilli garlic sauce & Shaoxing wine in a saucepan and simmer for 30 mins.
Strain, return the broth to the pan & keep warm.

To Prep the Flower Blossom Dumplings
Soak the shiitake mushrooms until softened, drain & finely chop.
Drain & finely crumble the tofu into a bowl, add the shiitake mushrooms, chives, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce & Shaoxing wine, mix well and season with white pepper to taste.
Cut the wonton wrappers into circles (a few at a time), cover with damp cloth.
For the large flower dumplings, lay 7 wonton wrappers in a row, overlapping slightly (dampen the area, that overlaps with a little water)
Spread a thin layer of filling through the centre of the wrappers, flatten slightly, brush a little water, on the top half of the wonton wrappers then fold the row of wrappers in half to enclose the filling.
Starting at one end, gently roll to form a flower shape, separate & fold the top wonton edges to form petals. Repeat 4 times.
For the small flower dumplings, repeat the above using 5 wonton wrappers for each flower.

To Cook the Flower Blossom Dumplings
Heat a little sesame oil in a non-stick saute pan and fry the base of the dumplings until crisp & golden.
Gently pour 1 to 2 cups of broth around the dumplings, cover and steam for 5 to 8 mins (or until cooked through).

To Serve
Place a large and small flower dumpling in a shallow bowl and gently add the broth, garnish with black sesame seeds, whole chives and a few drops of sesame oil.

Vegan Jackfruit Baos

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To Prep Baos
Combine flour, instant yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl.
Add about ½ cup of warm water and 1½ tbsp of oil. Mix it together with a wooden spoon then start combining the dough with your hands. You will need to add another 2 or 3 tablespoons so it’s not too dry or too sticky, but do this a tablespoon at a time.
Knead it for 10 mins until elastic and smooth. Form the dough into a ball and rub a small amount of oil on the dough’s surface to prevent it from drying. Place in a clean bowl covered with a kitchen towel and place somewhere warm for about 1-2 hrs or until it doubles in size.

To Make the Filling
Open the can of jackfruit and drain it. Remove the firm pointy ends off each triangular piece of jackfruit and squash each piece of jackfruit gently so that it separates into individual strands and soaks up more of the cooking sauce. Set aside.
Heat up 2 tbsp of oil in a medium size pan. Fry spring onions until softened. Add chopped garlic and ginger and fry gently until soft and fragrant.
Mix in Chinese five spice and fry gently for 1 min.
Now add the remaining sauce ingredients: soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar and sugar. Mix them around well and allow sugar to melt. Finally add in jackfruit and mix well to allow it to warm up and soak up the maximum amount of sauce.

To Make the Baos
After the dough has doubled in size, tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and press the air out with your fingertips. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and form small balls. Place the balls on a lightly floured surface, cover with a kitchen towel and leave for another 30 mins.
Using a rolling pin, roll the balls out into ½cm thick oval shapes. Fold each shape in half and insert bamboo steamer paper (you can buy these at the Asian grocers) or baking paper between the bun halves.
Line your bamboo steamer with bamboo steamer paper and place folded up buns inside for another 30 mins of proving. If your steamer is too small, rest the remaining buns on baking paper and lightly dusted tray until you are ready to steam. Fill a pot/wok (which the steamer can comfortably sit on) with water and place the steamer with the buns on top.
Turn heat to medium-high and let the water come to a simmer; don’t be tempted to peek inside or you will ruin the buns. Once you can hear the water simmering vigorously, put the timer on for 10 mins.
After the time is up, take the pot and steamer off the heat and rest the buns for another 5 mins.
After 5 mins, lift the lid off and remove the buns gently. Repeat the process to cook the other buns.

To Serve
Fill each bun with pulled jackfruit, pickled veggies, coriander, Sriracha and some extra hoisin sauce and crushed peanuts.

Radish and Sweet Potato Cake

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To Prep
Cover dried mushrooms with 2 cups of water in a medium sized bowl. Let them soak in the water until all mushrooms are soft.
Use a cheese grater to grate radish and put it in a large bowl. Add in ½ tbsp of salt, mix it all together and leave it for 15 mins.
After 15 minutes, squeeze out the excess water from radish and transfer dried radish into another bowl.
Add water into the bowl until it covers the radish and wash salt out the from radish by squeezing until dry and transferring it into another bowl.
Repeat washing with water to rinse out salt from radish another 2 times. Leave dried radish in a bowl.
Use cheese grater to grate sweet potato into the same bowl as the radish.
Squeeze out water from shiitake mushroom and chop the mushroom into very small pieces. Keep the water for further use.
Put frying pan on the stove and pour 3 tbsp of oil into the pan over medium high.
Wait until the oil is hot then add the red shallot and fry for about 30 secs. Add the chopped mushrooms and fry them for about 45 secs before adding the minced garlic and frying it all for about 1 min. Pour all of ingredients with the oil into a bowl. Put it aside.
In a large bowl combine the radish, sweet potato, and the mushroom mixture together.
Add the rice flour, tapioca flour, wheat starch, 2 tsp of salt, black pepper and sugar into the bowl.
Pour 1 cup of soaked mushroom water into the bowl. Mix all together until combined. If the mixture is a bit dry you can add a further ⅓ cup of soaked mushroom water. The mixture should be a thick paste (not very runny).

To Cook
Transfer the batter to a greased glass or stainless steel tray that will fit into your steamer.
Add water to the steamer and put on the gas top. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
When the water is boiling put the mixture tray into the steamer and cover it with the lid.
Cook for about 30-45 mins until it is cooked through (test by using a toothpick inserted into the cake; it should come out clean).
For the dipping sauce, mix all the dipping sauce ingredients together and adjust the flavour as you like. Put it aside.
As soon as the cake has completely cooked, allow it to cool before cutting it or putting it into the fridge overnight.
Before eating, transfer the cake onto a chopping board and cut it into squares or triangles. Dust lightly with rice flour and cook them on a frying pan with a little bit of oil over medium heat. Do not crowd the pan and cook both sides until golden brown.
After cooking, drain all cakes with paper towels to remove excess oil.

To Serve
Place the cakes onto a plate, garnish with chopped spring onions and serve it with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Japanese Matcha Steamed Cake (Matcha Mushi Pan)

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To Make Steamed Cakes
Place a steamer over medium heat.
Place paper cupcake liners onto a cupcake pan.
In a bowl, sift the matcha powder, baking powder and the plain flour. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat the egg and sugar together with an electric beater until fluffy.
Slowly add the milk and oil, continue to beat until well combined.
Add in the sifted ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth and well combined.
Pour batter into the cupcake liners about ½ to ¾ full each.
(Optional) Drop ½ tbsp red bean paste to the center of each cake, then press down slightly for the batter to cover it.
Steam the cupcakes for 12 mins then turn heat off. Let the cupcake rest in the steamer for 5 mins before serving.

Tips
Line the steamer lid with cloth to prevent water dropping onto the cakes.
Depending on your desired finish, a fuller batter will create a cracked top after rising. Else, opt for less batter in each liner for a smooth, round top.

Steamed Egg with Crispy Pork

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To Prep
In a bowl, combine the minced pork and all of the remaining main ingredients together and mix well. Cover and let marinate for at least 20 mins.
In another mixing bowl, combine the eggs, stock of your choice and sesame oil and mix thoroughly. Strain the eggs through a fine sieve to remove any clumps and transfer the eggs in to a ceramic serving bowl.

To Cook
Set up a steamer and when the water is rapidly boiling, reduce to a simmer and place in the bowl. Cover and cook for 15 mins.
While the eggs steam, heat up a tbsp of oil in a frying pan over a high heat and when the oil is hot, transfer the marinated pork in to the pan.
As the meat cooks, break it up in to smaller pieces. Continue to cook until the meat has been cooked through and has a slightly crunchy texture.
Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

To Serve
Transfer the cooked egg out of the steamer and let cool slightly before spooning over the minced pork and garnishing with spring onions and serve!

Cherry Blossom Rice Dumpling (Sakura Mochi)

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To Prep
Pour the rice in to a rice cooker bowl and rinse off the extra starch. Cover the rice in water and let soak for at least 1 hr.
Strain the water out of the bowl and let dry for a bit before returning back in to the rice cooker bowl.
Measure out the water add it in to the rice cooker bowl along with the red food colouring. Mix well to ensure that the colouring is evenly distributed.
Cook the rice until just finished and then use a spatula or a rice spoon to lightly mash the grains. Continue to mash the grain until the rice becomes sticky and clumps together. Try not to mash the rice too hard as you still want grains to be visible.

To Form
Spoon out a serving of the red bean paste and mould it in to a small ball.
Roll out a section of cling wrap and set it out on your work space. Wet the spatula to make working with the mochi easier, and spoon a small serving on to the cling wrap.
Flatten the mochi and place 1 on the red bean paste balls on to the centre. Roll up the ends of the cling wrap and mould the mochi in to a ball shape. Set the mochi aside and then repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Serve topped with pickled cherry blossoms and enjoy!

Quick Duck Pancakes

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To Prep
In a bowl, combine the salt, pepper and five spice powder and then coat the duck breasts. Set the duck aside.
Prepare the pancakes as per the packet instructions and then set it aside under a damp towel or any method to prevent it from drying out.

To Cook
In a pan over a medium heat, fry the duck breasts skin-side down until the skin has become crispy and brown and the fat has rendered.
Flip the breasts over and add in the star anise and continue to fry for another 5 mins or until the meat has become firm to the touch.
Remove the duck breast from the pan and let rest for at least 5 mins before slicing thinly.

To Assemble
On a single pancake, lay a few sticks of the cucumber and spring onions with a couple of the duck breast slices and top with the hoisin sauce before wrapping tightly.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients and serve with more hoisin sauce as a side!