Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken

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To Prep
Marinate chicken in a bowl with salt, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and cornstarch. Refrigerate for 30 mins.

To Cook
Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil in a wok. Add the Sichuan peppercorns, lower the heat, and fry until aromatic. Remove the peppercorns and set aside.
Add garlic and ginger to the wok and stir-fry quickly, then add the dried red chillies. Continue stir-frying until fragrant and spicy. Set aside.
Clean the wok and heat the remaining 1 tbsp cooking oil. Stir-fry the marinated chicken until half cooked.
Return the garlic, ginger, and chilli mixture to the wok and continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked.
Add the peanuts and prepared sauce, stirring continuously until the chicken is well coated.
Remove from heat, garnish with spring onions, and serve.

Drunken Thai Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)

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To Prep
First, combine all the ingredients for the stir-fry sauce in a bow and set aside. This amount ingredients used is sufficient for 4 serves, extra sauce can be kept in the fridge for a month, and can be used for other stir fries.
Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and chillis until you get a rough paste.

To Cook
In a wok or large pan, heat some vegetable oil over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the pounded garlic and chillis. Fry until the garlic begins to brown.
Add your meat to the wok and stir fry until almost cooked. Then add your baby corn and asparagus.
When the vegetables are done, add your noodles, stir fry sauce and sugar. Using some wrist action, toss the noodles in the wok to evenly coat with the stir fry sauce.
Add the black soy sauce and toss again to mix. Mix the noodles around a few more times until the sauce is absorbed.
When the noodles are done, remove from the heat and quickly mix in the Thai basil to wilt them. Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot.

Chicken Tempura (Toriten)

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To Prep
Tenderise chicken breast using the back of the knife, or pound with a meat tenderiser.
Cut meat into strips and marinate with salt, black pepper, sake and Japanese soy sauce. Add grated garlic and ginger and mix well to season the chicken.

To Cook
Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Then, set a smaller bowl over the ice water. Add egg to the second bowl and whisk. Gradually add cake flour and potato starch and whisk until well combined.
Carefully coat the chicken pieces with the batter.
Heat 4-5 cm of oil in a pot or frying pan. Use a bamboo chopstick to test the oil. If the oil is hot enough, there will be a steady stream of bubbles surrounding the chopsticks. Add small batches of 2-3 pieces of battered chicken to cook at one time. Deep-fry until golden brown. Then, repeat until all the chicken pieces are used up.
Serve toriten in a baking paper lined basket with shredded cabbage, ponzu sauce and Japanese hot mustard on the side.

Heng Hua Mee Sua

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To Cook
Blanch the chicken carcass in boiling water for a few minutes. Then strain and scrub the carcass clean. Add chicken carcass, shallots and ginger to 1.5L water and slow boil for 1 hour. Strain the stock and transfer to another pot.
Add the reserved mushroom water to the stock.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add into the stock. Bring it up to boil and allow it to cook for 30 mins.
Add the softened mushrooms to the stock and boil for another 30 minutes.
Add chicken stock cube and salt to taste.
Now we need to make the ginger oil. Start by heating the cooking oil in a wok. When the oil begins to smoke, add the old ginger and fry until golden brown. Pour the ginger and frying oil into a bowl and set aside to cool.
Drop the noodles into a pot of boiling water and cook for about a minute. Take care with the noodles as they cook very quickly and become mushy when overcooked. Then drain the noodles and rinse under running water.
Drizzle the ginger oil over the cooked noodles and toss to evenly coat the noodles with the oil.
Lay a few lettuce leaves in a bowl and place a portion of the noodles on top.
Ladle the soup in the bowl of noodles together with a few pieces of mushrooms and chicken.
Traditionally, the must have toppings are the fried seaweed, and fried peanuts; all other toppings are optional and can be added at your own discretion. Serve immediately after adding your toppings.

Miso Udon Noodle Soup (Miso Nikomi Udon)

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To Cook
Season chicken slices with salt and set aside.
Boil water in a pot and dissolve the miso. Add additional amount of miso according to taste.
After boiling, add chicken, cabbage and carrot.
When ingredients soften, add udon and cook for another 4-5 min. Top with asparagus and garnish with spring onion. Serve hot.

Korean Chicken Bibimbap

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To Cook
Set aside each type of vegetables on a big plate after cooking.
Heat pan and ½ tbsp oil. Add carrot and cook briefly for about 20 secs. Season lightly with salt.
Sauté zucchini as above but add ⅛ tbsp garlic and ½ tbsp green onions.
Sauté shiitake mushrooms as above but season lightly with soy sauce.
Mix spinach with ⅛ tbsp garlic, ½ tbsp green onions and 1½ tbsp sesame oil.
In a saucepan place bean shoots with ⅛ tbsp garlic, 1 tbsp sesame oil and 2 tbsp water. Cook for about 5 mins until cooked. Drain and add ½ tbsp spring onions and ¼ tsp Korean chilli powder. Season with salt.
Heat oil in a pan, fry the beaten eggs to make a thin omelette. Remove and slice thinly.
Heat oil in a pan, pan-fry the chicken pieces with the capsicums.
In a bowl, place 1 cup of cooked rice. Arrange vegetables, chicken and egg on top. Drizzle some sesame oil and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with gochujang for individual taste. Repeat for another 3 servings. Mix gochujang with rice and topping before eating.

Korean Chicken Noodle Soup

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To Cook
Place the chicken in a stockpot large enough to hold the chicken and 10-12 cups of water.
Bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Skim off any foam on top. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for about 40 mins.
Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic and onion. Season with salt and pepper, simmer for about 15 mins. Add spring onions towards the end of cooking time.
Remove chicken and shred.

To Serve
Place noodles in serving bowls, top with carrots, zucchini, enoki mushrooms and shredded chicken. Ladle in hot soup, garnish with crown daisy and chilli. Serve with seasoning sauce.

Korean Soy Chicken

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To Cook
Boil 8 cups of water in a pot and blanch the chicken for about 2-3 mins. Drain well.
Add chicken and all the Sauce ingredients to a saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer for 10-15 mins.
Add the potatoes, carrot and onions, simmer for another 15-20 mins or until chicken pieces and potatoes are tender. Add more water and mirin if necessary.
Add the dried chillies, spring onions, pepper and simmer for another 5 mins. Season with salt if necessary. Remove from heat and garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds. Serve.

Ayam Goreng Berlada

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To Cook
Mix chicken with turmeric and a bit salt.
Heat 2 cups of oil in a pan on a medium heat and add the chicken.
Cooked until cook or golden. Put aside. Discard the oil and leave only 3 tbsp in the pan.
Add shallots, garlic and chilies into chopper/ blender and blend.
Put it in the pan and stir for 5 minutes. Add in salt, sugar and tomato and mix well for 2 minutes.
Add in the fried chicken and mix well for another 3 minutes.
Serve with white rice.

Vietnamese Noodles with Lemongrass Chicken (Bun Ga Nuong)

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To Prep
In a mixing bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the chicken fillets and mix well. Set aside and let the chicken marinate for at least an hour – overnight for best results.
In another bowl, combine all the ingredients all the Nuoc Cham ingredients and mix until the sugar has dissolved. Adjust the taste to suit yours and set aside.

To Cook
Prepare the vermicelli according to packet instructions. Rinse the noodles in cold water when they are done and set aside.
When your chicken is done marinating, heat up some oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat.
Pan-fry the chicken in the pan until they are done and allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes.
Remove any pieces of lemongrass on the chicken and slice the chicken into 1cm slices.
Split the noodles into even portions and place in individual bowls. Add the fresh herbs and vegetables to the bowl of noodles and top with the lemongrass chicken.
Drizzle a few tablespoons of the Nuoc Cham over the noodles and serve with lime wedges.

Ginger Garlic Baked or Grilled Chicken

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To Prep
Preheat oven to 190°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Rub the garlic and ginger to the chicken drumsticks, then add in the rests of the ingredients. Mix well and set aside for at least 30 mins, or 2 hrs in the fridge.

To Cook
Arrange the chicken drumsticks on baking tray and bake for 30-40 mins or until they turn golden brown, slightly charred. If the inside is not cooked through, cover with foil and continue baking until done. Alternatively, grill the chicken drumsticks on a barbecue for 30mins and turn occasionally to make sure all sides are evenly cooked.

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

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To Prepare
In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, green onions, soy sauce, mirin, Chinese five-spice, ground white pepper, 1 tsp sweet potato starch, and cayenne pepper. Stir until it forms a paste-like consistency.
In a large bowl, toss the chicken chunks with this mixture, ensuring each piece is evenly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight for more flavour).
In a medium bowl, beat the egg with a little cold water using a fork.
Measure out the sweet potato starch in another medium bowl.

To Cook
Heat oil in a wok to 175°C for frying.
Using tongs, dip each chicken chunk first in the egg mixture, then coat it with sweet potato starch. Fry the chicken in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the wok. Cook until golden brown, about 3–5 minutes per batch.
Drain the fried chicken on a wire rack or paper towels to remove excess oil.
Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and gently toss to coat evenly.
Quickly fry the Thai basil leaves for 15–20 seconds until crisp (be careful not to burn).
Plate the chicken with the crispy Thai basil leaves and serve immediately.