Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Steam

Pork Belly Bao

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

To Assemble
Carefully open bao buns. In the middle, add the sriracha mayo, pork belly, pickled carrots, coriander and chilli.
Repeat this with the remaining ingredients and serve.

Temari Sushi

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To Make Sushi Rice
In a bowl, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt and mix well.
Pour into hot cooked rice and mix until well combined.
Roll the rice into rice balls.

To Make Temari Sushi
On a clean working bench, lay a sheet of plastic wrap and place the topping ingredient at the center. Dap a little wasabi on the sashimi, then place a rice ball on top.
Wrap the plastic firmly to form a ball shape. Repeat for the remaining toppings and rice balls.
Garnish the temari sushi with edible flowers or other seasonings to add more depth to the flavours. Serve with wasabi and soy sauce.

Rice Cooker Mushroom Rice (Shiitake Gohan)

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To Prep
In a saucepan, soak shiitake mushrooms in 1 cup water for min. 30 mins.
Remove the mushrooms from the water, reserving the mushroom water in the saucepan.
Slice the shiitake mushrooms, then place back in the reserved water. Add mirin, sake and Japanese soy sauce into the saucepan and combine.

To Cook
Place soaked rice in a rice cooker. Pour the dashi and mushroom stock with the mushrooms over the rice and stir.
Cook the rice according to the manufacturer’s instructions of your rice cooker.
Once cooked, fluff the rice with a fork or spoon.
Garnish with spring onion and serve.

5 Ingredient Kimchi Pork Rice

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To Cook
Add rice into the rice cooker and pour over water.
Add chicken powder and stir to dissolve, then add pork belly and kimchi.
Cook the rice according to the manufacturer’s instructions of your rice cooker.
Once cooked, fluff up with a fork or spoon.
To serve, portion rice into a bowl and top with extra kimchi.

Yellow Curry Chee Cheong Fun

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To Cook
Prepare steamer basket, steam rice rolls over medium heat for 10 mins.
In the last 2 mins add string less beans alongside rice rolls. Steam until tender.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 2 mins or until onion softens. Add Valcom Yellow Curry Paste. Gently stir fry until fragrant.
Add coconut milk and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, add fishcake tofu and pork meatballs.
Remove from heat after pork meatballs and fishcake tofu are cooked through.
Remove steamed rice rolls and cut into bite sized pieces.
Place cut rice rolls on individual serving bowls.
Place fishcake tofu, pork meatballs, fried pork rolls and steamed beans on rice rolls.
Ladle curry gravy in bowl and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and spring onion.
For a spicy kick, add freshly cut chillies.

Tempura Mushroom Bao with Pickled Radish and Miso Mayo

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To Make Fillings
Place all pickled radish ingredients in a bowl and massage the salt, sugar, vinegar and chilli into the radishes. Leave in the fridge for 5-10 mins.
Place tofu, miso paste, rice vinegar and rice malt syrup in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Set the blender on high speed and drizzle in the oil so it emulsifies. Store the mayo in the fridge.
Mix sake, sugar, mirin, soy sauce, and water in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
Add mushrooms and cook for 5 mins or until tender. Remove and pat dry with paper towel.
Return half the liquid to the heat and reduce by half.
Heat the oil in a large wok. Mix the corn flour, plain flour in a large bowl, add soda water and mix quickly.
Add mushrooms and turn them to coat. Lift one mushroom at a time to let the excess tempura batter drip off, then lower into the hot oil. Repeat until all mushrooms are golden brown. Drain them on paper towel.

To Make Bao
Place the milk, flour, baking powder, yeast and sugar together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix the oil and water together.
Make a little well in the middle of the bowl with the dry ingredients and add the water oil mix.
Stir with a spoon and use your hands to knead until the dough comes together.
If the dough is too sticky add a little more flour and keep kneading. Knead for about 5-8 mins or until it is smooth. Cover and leave it in a warm place for 90 mins to rise (roughly double its size).
Once the dough has risen place on a floured surface and knead for a further 5 mins to get the air out. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough about 1 cm thick.
Grease the top with oil then use a glass or rough cutter that is roughly 8 cm in diameter to cut out 12 circles. Remove the excess dough.
Fold the circles in half and slightly roll with a rolling pin. Place each bun on a square of baking paper and pop in bamboo steamer to rise for 30 mins.
Fill a third of a wok or saucepan with water and heat on high.
Place the bamboo steamer on top and steam buns for 12 mins.
Then turn off the heat and let it sit for 4 mins before taking the lid off.

Assembling the Bao
Take your bao bun, open it up and fill with shredded wombok, green onions and pickled radish.
Place your tempura mushrooms on top, then add a drizzle of the reduced mushroom liquid and a dollop of miso mayo. Enjoy!

Shiitake Mushroom Dumplings

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To Cook
Sauté mushrooms, wombok, carrot and garlic in a little olive oil over medium-high heat until softened.
Remove from the heat and add the chopped bamboo shoots and soy sauce.
Spread gyoza wrappers onto a clean bench top. Place a tsp of the sauteed mixture into the center of each wrapper. Using a finger dipped in water, dampen the circumference of each wrapper, then fold the wrapper in half and pinch the edges together.
Place the dumplings into a lined bamboo steamer. You will need to work in batches of 5-10 dumplings at a time, depending on the size of your steamer.
Place the steamer over a saucepan of boiling water for 8 mins, or until the dumplings are cooked.
Allow the dumplings to cool, then pan fry for 1-2 mins each side in olive oil. Serve with soy sauce and black vinegar to dip.

Crabs in Coconut Milk (Ginataang Alimasag)

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To Prep
Using a large heavy-bladed knife or cleaver, cut the crabs in half and scrape off the spongy grey gills, then twist off and crack the claws.
Turn the body over and pull off the apron pieces. Rinse well under cold running water.

To Cook
Heat oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook until softened. Add in the garlic, ginger, chillies, XO sauce and curry paste and cook for 1-2 mins or until aromatic.
Stir in coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce and pumpkin. Bring to the boil.
Reduce heat to low then add water. Add the crabs and simmer for 5-6 mins or until cooked. The crabs will turn pink or red when they are ready and the flesh will turn opaque.
Drizzle the liquid from the pan over the crabs. And scatter the water spinach on top. Simmer for 5-6 mins.
Serve immediately with rice and fried dried anchovies. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with lime wedges and rice.

Thai Egg Custard-Filled Pumpkin

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To Prep
Carve out a hole around the stem of the pumpkin.
Scoop out the pumpkin seeds from the hole.
Rinse the pumpkin both outer and inner parts. Dry the pumpkin on a rack.
Repeat with second pumpkin.

To Cook
Add palm sugar, coconut milk and corn flour into a mixing bowl and mix well.
Squeeze the pandan leaves to extract the juice and add into mixing bowl with the pandan leaves.
Add eggs and mix well.
Strain the mixture with a cheesecloth and colander in order to get a smooth custard texture.
Fill ¾ of the pumpkin with the custard batter.
Repeat for second pumpkin
Steam the pumpkins over low heat for 40-45 mins.
Place egg custard-filled pumpkins into the fridge and leave them to set overnight.
When the custard has set, cut each egg custard-filled pumpkin and serve.

Vegetarian Simmered Mushrooms with Wombok

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To Cook
In a steamer, steam mushrooms for 15 mins. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan, sauté ginger until fragrant.
Add in the mushrooms, wombok, Cordyceps flowers and the fungi, stir well.
Add the vege oyster sauce and soy sauce, stir well.
Pour in the water and bring to boil. Lower the heat to simmer for 5 mins. Add salt to taste.
Drizzle sesame oil over the dish and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with spring onion and serve.

Grilled Banana Wrapped in Sticky Rice (Chuoi Boc Nep Nuong)

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To Prep the Bananas
Peel bananas and place in a bowl. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of sugar and toss to coat. Chill in the refrigerator for about 30 mins.

To Prep the Rice
Drain the soaked glutinous rice and toss in a pinch of salt.
Cook the glutinous rice with 60ml coconut milk, 60ml water and 2 pandan leaves. The liquid amount should just barely cover the rice.
When the rice is cooked, add 1 tbsp sugar and mix well.
While the rice is still hot, divide into 4 equal portions, transfer each portion onto a cling wrap-lined cutting board and knead the rice with a rice ladle until they stick together.
Layer another piece of cling wrap on top and press until rice is about 10×10 cm in size and 0.5 cm thick. Remove the top layer of cling wrap and sprinkle some shredded coconut on rice.
Place a small banana in the center of the rice. Lift up the edges of the cling wrap and carefully roll rice around the banana. Twist the cling wrap edges and shape into a log. Then, wrap around the parcel lengthwise with a pandan leaf.
Grill the rolls over a barbie or in the oven at 250°C for about 20-30 mins.
To make the coconut sauce, add 1 cup coconut milk, 1 tbsp sugar, a pinch of salt and ½ tsp cornstarch. Stir to combine well and bring the sauce to boil.
When the glutinous rice layer is lightly golden, remove the pandan leaves and cut into bite-size pieces. Drizzle with coconut sauce and serve.

Shanghai Style Lion’s Head Pork Meatballs

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To Prep
In a mixing bowl, mix pork with water until it is fully incorporated.
Add Marinade ingredients, ginger, spring onions, corn starch, chestnuts and eggs. Mix well.
Add panko and Lee Kum Kee Pure Sesame Oil, mix until it forms a soft mixture. (Panko and water can be used to adjust the texture.)
Form into 8-10 meatballs.

To Cook
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the meatballs until they are browned on all sides.
In a steamer, add in water and place a plate of meatballs on the rack. Cover and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Turn to medium heat, steam for 40 mins until the meatballs are cooked through.
Boil bok choy and mushrooms till cooked. Place on a plate and top it with the meatballs.
Serve immediately with steamed rice.