Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Steam

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!

Ghost Dumplings

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To Prep
Add the pork filling ingredients into a large mixing bowl, then use your hands or a pair of chopsticks to combine the ingredients in a clockwise direction. Set aside to marinate for 30 mins.

To Cook
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil.
Place a small sheet of cling wrap on a plate or clean working surface. Add 2 tbsp pork filling onto the cling wrap and shape into a log. Roll the cling wrap over tightly, then tie the ends of the cling wrap to form a sausage.
Carefully place into the boiling water and cook for 5 mins, then remove and allow to cool slightly before slicing in half.
Repeat with remaining filling, reserving ½ cup.
Line a bamboo steam and place over a pan filled with simmering water.
To make the dumplings, place the cooked meat filling sliced side down on a plate. Spread some reserved uncooked meat filling onto the dumpling wrapper. Place the wrapper over the cooked meat, pressing gently to look like a ghost. Repeat with remaining meat and dumpling wrappers.
Place in the bamboo steamer and allow to steam for 7 mins. While still hot, carefully place 2 black sesame seeds for the eyes.
Serve with dumpling soy sauce or chilli oil.

Crispy Pork Belly Bao

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To Prep
To make pickled vegetables. combine all the ingredients and stir through until sugar dissolves. Leave for at least 15 mins before serving.

To Cook
Preheat air fryer to 200°C.
Place cuts on the meaty side of the pork belly, but do not pierce through to the skin. Turn pork over and score the skin of the pork belly.
Mix the sauces, Shaoxing wine, pepper and five-spice powder in a small bowl, and rub onto the underside of the pork belly.
Turn pork belly onto a sheet of foil. Rub bicarb soda all over the skin and into the cuts. Sprinkle salt on top and rub it all over the skin.
Fold up the foil to resemble a tray to fold around the pork belly, exposing only the skin.
Roast pork belly for 10 mins to dry up the skin. Then reduce heat to 180°C for 15 mins to cook the meat. Then increase heat to 220°C and bake for a further 10 mins to get crackling in the skin.
Prepare a steamer, and steam the bao for 2-3 mins.
Remove pork and rest for 5 mins. Brush salt off the skin, then slice.
Fill the buns with sliced cucumber, sliced crackling pork, and top half a tsp of hoisin sauce, pickled vegetables, coriander and spring onion.

Vegan Sticky Tofu Bao

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To Prep
Combine all ingredients and stir through until sugar dissolves. Leave for at least 15 mins before serving.
Cut tofu into slices about ½ cm thin and about 4cm wide and place on a plate.
Mix together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, cracked pepper, five-spice powder and oil. Pour over the tofu slices to marinade.

To Cook
Cook in a frying pan until sauce thickens. Remove from heat.
Steam or microwave bao according to packet instructions.
Fill bao with cucumber slices, sticky tofu, pickled vegetables, coriander and spring onion. Serve and enjoy.

Curry Prawn Gyoza

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To Prep the Dough
For the dough, place flour in the bottom of a large bowl, gradually add water while mixing until it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, then work into a smooth dough while kneading with hands. Cover in plastic wrap and set aside for at least 30 mins.
Using your hands, create a ring shape by gently working the dough from the centre out, gently pulling while rolling through hands until dough is approximately 2.5cm thick. Slice the dough and open into a long tube.
Cut 2.5cm lengths approx. 10g in weight each, slicing on a slight angle to create a triangular shape. Turning the tube of dough 180° after each cut, repeat with remaining dough.
Lightly flour the surface of your board or bench, and using a small rolling pin, roll each piece into a dumpling wrapper rolling with one hand and rotating with the other hand. The centre of the skin will naturally be a little thicker using this method.

To Make the Filling
For the filling, place prawns, spring onions, snow peas, ginger and stevia in a bowl and stir thoroughly to combine. Mix curry and half of water in a small jug, and then pour mix into bowl. Thoroughly combine, adding more water if needed. Mix should hold, but be slippery.

To Make the Dumplings
Place dumpling skins on a lined tray with baking paper.
Brush edges with water.
Fold middle bottom to middle top and pinch to seal. Pinch and fold left to middle until closed, then right to middle until closed, and approximately three pleats each side of centre.
Place oils in a large non-stick frying pan, heat to medium. Place flat sides of dumpling into the frying pan. Fry base for 1-3 mins or until golden and crispy.
Pour 50-100ml of water on the bottom of the frying pan and place lid on top. Allow to cook for 5-10 mins.

To Make Dipping Sauce
Whilst dumplings are steaming, prepare dipping sauce by stirring all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
Serve gyoza with the dipping sauce.

Pan Fried King Oyster Mushrooms

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To Prep
In a small pot of boiling water, blanch the spinach for about 45 to 60 seconds. When they have begun to wilt, remove the from the pot, drain and rinse them and then pat them dry using paper towels.
Combine the garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds in to a small zip lock bag along with the drained spinach. Sealed the bag and let marinate for at least 15 minutes.
To prepare the mushrooms, cut them either lengthwise or cut them in to small round sections about 2 to 3 centimetres in length.
Score the mushroom slices on one side and then season with salt and pepper prior to cooking.

To Cook
In a pan over medium heat, add the oil and allow it to heat up before adding in the mushrooms. When one side has become golden brown, flip it over and do the same for the other side.
When cooked, remove from the heat and season again with salt and pepper.
To serve, arrange some of the marinated spinach on a plate and top with the mushrooms.

Spicy Steamed Eggplant

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To Prep
Set up a steamer in a wok or in a covered pot to steam the eggplants for 10 minutes or until they have become soft.
When the eggplant has cooked, transfer it on to the plate that you intend to serve the dish on and set it aside.

To Cook
In a small pot, heat the oil and the sesame oil over a medium-high heat before adding in the ginger and the sesame seeds.
When the ginger has become fragrant, add in the chilli oil, sesame paste, soy sauce, salt and sugar and mix till all of the ingredients are well combined.
Once the sauce has begun to simmer, remove the pot from the heat and mix in the spring onions and the black beans.
To serve, pour the sauce over the eggplants and served topped with more sliced spring onions!

5 Ingredient Poke Bowl

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To Prep
In a zip-lock bag, combine the salmon cubes and sesame soy dressing together and let marinate for about 20 mins.

To Assemble
In a bowl, spoon in some of the rice and then arrange the avo, edamame and marinated salmon on top of the rice.
Serve with a drizzle of sesame soy dressing.

Salmon Poke Bowl

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To Prep
In a zip-lock bag, combine the salmon cubes and sesame soy dressing together and let marinate for about 20 mins.

To Make
In a bowl, spoon in some of the rice and then arrange the vegetables on top.
Top with the marinated salmon, garnish with sesame seeds and serve!

5 Ingredient Salmon & Avocado Sushi

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To Prep
Prepare the sushi rice and allow it to cool prior to making the rolls.

To Make
On a bamboo mat, place a sheet of sushi seaweed. Place a thin layer of the sushi rice on top of the seaweed, ensuring that it is fairly even throughout.
Place a strip of salmon and the avocado near the top of the rice.
Roll the bamboo mat to seal the sushi roll, cut off the ends and slice into sections before serving.
Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

Chinese Steamed Pork Buns (Baozi)

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To Make the Dough
Dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Add the yeast and stir through. Set aside until yeast activates.
In a large bowl, add the plain flour.
Pour in the yeast water in batches. Use chopsticks to stir through the flour, making sure the mixture is well incorporated.
Gather the dough together and form a ball. Cover the dough in cling wrap and place in a draught-free location. Allow to rest until doubled in size and dough doesn’t spring back when poked.

To Make the Filling
Add the pork mince, grated garlic, grated ginger, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, sugar, dark soy sauce and sesame oil in a large mixing bowl. Use a pair of chopsticks to combine the ingredients, working the mixture in one direction.
Stir in the chicken stock, mixing for 2-3 mins until the meat absorbs the liquid.
Add the diced spring onion. Mix through until well combined.

To Make the Buns
Sprinkle some flour over a clean working surface.
Punch the ball of dough to get rid of air bubbles. Place the dough on the floured surface, fold in half and knead, pressing down against the working surface. Turn dough 90° clockwise and continue kneading for 8 mins, or until there are no air bubbles.
To check, cut the dough to see if there are still air bubbles. Continue kneading if there are big air bubbles in the dough.
Roll the dough into a log, then divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. If you have a scale, you can weigh the dough to divide it accurately.
Cover your dough with a damp cloth as you’re working.
Flatten a piece of dough. Using your thumb to hold the middle, use a rolling pin in your dominant hand to roll the dough out, while your non-dominant hand holds onto it. Continue this until you have a wrapper with a thick middle and thin edges.
Add 2 tbsp worth of pork filling into the middle of the wrapper.
With your thumb and middle finger under the wrapper and your forefinger on the top, lift the edge and pinch it to make a pleat. Use your other hand to gather more dough, then pinch with your index finger. Continue doing this all the way around, making sure your thumb never leaves the first pleat.
You can either leave a hole on the top, or twist the pleat and pinch it together to close the top of the bun.
Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

To Cook
Line a bamboo steamer with perforated steamer paper liners. Place your steamer over a wok filled with hot water. Place your pork buns in the steamer, leaving adequate space between them. Cover with the lid and allow to proof for 15 mins.
Turn the heat on to high. Once the water boils, steam the pork buns for 15 mins. Turn off the heat and leave pork buns covered for 5 mins.
Serve.

Asian Pulled Pork Bao

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To Prep
In a bowl, add the shredded carrots and cover with ⅓ cup salt and mix through. Allow to sit for 15 mins. Squeeze out the liquid and rinse under water.
Add the carrots into a bowl and pour in enough vinegar to submerge the carrot. Add in the sugar and remaining salt and stir to dissolve. Allow to sit for 20 mins.
In a steamer, steam the bao buns until they are light and fluffy.

To Serve
Spoon some of the pulled pork in to the bun and then top with the pickled carrots, julienned cucumber and chillies.