Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Steam

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!

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.