Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Chicken

Shio Ramen

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Preparing the Chicken stock
Place all the chicken bones, onions, carrots, and onions in a large stock pot and cover with water You want at least 3cms of water covering all the ingredients.
Start to boil the water and skim off any scum that rises to the top. Skim until no more scum rises to the top.
Add the sake and mirin to the stock.
Lower the heat to the point right before the stock boils. If you have a thermometer, this should be 80°C. Maintain at this temperature for at least 6 hours.
Strain the stock and set aside for later use.

Preparing the Dashi
Add the water and kombu to a pot and let it soak for 30 minutes.
Next, place the pot onto medium heat and let it slowly come to a boil.
Just before the water boils, remove it from the heat and add in the bonito flakes.
Return to the heat and let it simmer for a minute or two. Take care not to let it boil over.
Strain the dashi stock into another pot.
Add the salt, soy sauce, mirin, and sake to the dashi stock. Let the soup boil for a minute or two and remove from the heat.

Preparing the Tare
Soak the kombu in the mirin and sake overnight.
When done soaking, place all the contents into a small pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Take care to not let the liquids boil over.
Remove the kombu and add the chicken stock and ground chicken meat.
Allow the stock to boil until the meat is cooked. Turn off the heat and then let the ingredients soak for at least 30 minutes.
Strain the liquid into another pot. Begin seasoning with salt by adding at least 50gms of salt to the tare. Keep tasting and adding salt until the tare is salty, but not unbearably salty. Let it cool and store for later use.

Preparing the Ramen
Make sure your eggs are at room temperature. Then add them to boiling water for 6 minutes.
At the end of 6 minutes, remove the eggs from the boiling water and immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water.
Once the eggs have cooled, peel the shells off.
Cook the corn kernels by boiling in water for 5-10 minutes
Then, in a pot, add 150 ml of dashi and 150 ml of chicken stock and heat up over medium heat. This is soup for 1 serving or Shio ramen.
Start off by mixing in 1 tbsp of the tare to the soup, and add more to adjust the saltiness and flavor.
Cook the ramen noodles as per packet instructions and place in a bowl.
Add the corn kernels, and 6-minute eggs to the bowl of ramen noodles and pour the soup over.
Garnish with nori seaweed and serve.

Chinese Hot Pot

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For Soup
Prepare a big pot and bring water to a boil. Boil the chicken carcass and pork bones for 5 mins and discard the water. This is to remove scum.
Fill in 2.5L of water into the pot and bring it to boil. Add in goji berries and red dates, simmer for 2 hrs. Season with salt according to taste.

To Enjoy
Once ready, transfer broth into a steamboat pot / hot pot, about half full. Place it on a portable electric stove. Add in your own combination of meat, veggies and fish. Let it boil and cook. When ready, dish out into individual serving bowls with small wire strainer or ladle. Dip cooked food into condiments and enjoy.
Repeat the same process by adding in meat, veggies and fish into the hot pot and allow to boil and cook once the first batch of cooked food have been distributed. Top up with broth when needed.
Noodles and eggs are usually added towards the end when broth is most flavourful after cooking all the ingredients.

Singapore White Bee Hoon

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To Prep
Marinade the squid and prawns with the marinade ingredients for 10 mins.

To Cook
In a stock pot, add the chicken carcasses, chicken feet, soybeans, rock sugar and water, bring to simmer. Add the stir-fried prawn heads and shells, bring to boil then simmer covered for 4 hrs, removing floating scum from time to time. Set aside.
In a wok, heat 1 tbsp oil and sauté minced garlic until fragrant. Add the rice vermicelli and fry for 1-2 mins. Remove and set aside.
Clean the wok, heat 2 tbsp oil and scramble the eggs. Add 800ml of the stock then the clams, prawns and squid. Cook covered until clams open partially, about 2 mins.
Add in the fish sauce, salt and white pepper, then add in the rice vermicelli and mix well. Let simmer for 3 mins.
Add the choy sum and simmer for 1 min. Add seasonings to taste, serve hot.

Vietnamese Style Tom Yum Hot Pot (Lau Thai)

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To Cook
Start by preparing the soup. Place all the ingredients of the soup into the hot pot, mix well and bring to a boil. Turn heat off and set aside.
Next, combine all the dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
Place hot pot on the dining table and turn heat on to bring to a boil. Prepare and arrange all the other ingredients around the hot pot. One hot pot starts to boil, place a little of every ingredient in to the cook. Cover pot with lid and allow to boil, this is to ensure all ingredients are cooked.
Remove lid, turn heat down and eat fresh from the hot pot with some soup base and the dipping sauce.

Steamed Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce (Fung Jao)

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To Cook
Pat chicken feet with paper towels until dry. In a wok or deep pan, heat up oil and deep fry chicken feet in batches until golden brown. Drain.
In a pot, add water till half full and bring to a boil. Carefully place fried chicken feet into boiling water and boil for 40 mins. Check occasionally to ensure there is sufficient water.
Meanwhile, prepare garlic. Place minced garlic in a bowl together with fermented black beans, oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, fermented bean curd, ground white pepper, chicken stock and salt. Combine till well mixed.
Once chicken feet are ready, drain them from the pot of water. Place into a large mixing bowl and toss them with the seasoning sauce. Allow to marinade for at least 1 hr (or best overnight).
Steam marinated chicken feet for 3 hrs over low heat. Occasionally, gently mix the chicken feet with sauce while steaming to ensure that the chicken feet are evenly flavoured and coloured.
Serve immediately.

Claypot Chicken with Bitter Melon

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To Cook
In a clay pot, heat sesame oil and stir-fry soybean paste and fermented black beans for 30 secs or until fragrant.
Add in the garlic, ginger, chicken and bitter melon, stir-fry until the surface of the pork turn white.
Add in the sauce ingredients and simmer covered for 15 mins.
Season with soy sauce or salt to taste. Add the Shaoxing wine before removing from heat. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot.

Vietnamese Chicken Congee (Chao Ga)

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To Cook
In a large stock pot, place the chicken in and fill with enough water to cover the chicken. Add 1 peeled whole onion and 1 tbsp salt to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. And then turn the heat down to medium and let chicken cook for a further 30-45 minutes, or until tender. Remove any froth or foam that appears on the surface.
Retain liquid in the stock pot and remove chicken from the pot and rinse under cold water to cool down and avoid discoloring. Shred the chicken meat and set aside.
Drain soaked rice and glutinous rice, adding them along with the ginger and shallot to the broth in the stock pot. Let it sit for 45 minutes untouched.
After 45 minutes, give the rice a stir and bring to boil over medium high heat for a further 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then season to taste with salt, fish sauce and chicken stock.
Transfer and serve in individual serving bowls. Top with the shredded chicken and. garnish with chopped spring onion, coriander or Vietnamese mint, and fried shallots.

Korean Chicken Congee (Dakjuk)

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To Cook
Drain soaked rice. Heat oil in a medium sized pot over medium high heat. Add drained rice and saute for about 2 minutes. Add in chicken stock and bring to boil. Then lower heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid rice sticking to the bottom of the pot.
After 15 minutes, add in the finely chopped carrot and garlic. Allow to cook for a further 15 minutes, continue to stir occasionally.
The rice should soften and thicken up by then. Turn heat off and add in spring onions and Korean chives. Stir evenly and serve onto individual serving bowls, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Thai Chilli and Lemongrass Stir Fried Chicken

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To Prep
In a bowl, combine the lemongrass, chilli, garlic and fish sauce.
Place chicken into another bowl and add ½ the lemongrass mixture, reserving the rest. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 20 mins.

To Cook
Heat the oil in a wok over high heat, add the reserved lemongrass mixture and stir-fry for about 1 min until fragrant.
Add the marinated chicken and stir-fry for 4-5 mins, or until the chicken pieces have a nice colour on all sides.
Add the onion, broccoli, carrots and capsicums, stir-fry for 1 min.
Pour the chicken stock into the pan and stir in the sugar. Simmer for a few mins, or until the stock has reduced to a thick sauce. Garnish with coriander and chillies, serve.

Honey Chicken with Mango

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To Prep
In a large bowl, combine marinade ingredients well. Mix in chicken and set aside for 1 hr.
Cut the mangoes as close to the seed as possible, scoop out the flesh and set the skin shell aside. Cut the flesh into cubes, set aside.

To Cook
Heat some oil in a wok, coat chicken with crispy flour and deep-fry until golden brown. Drain and set aside.
In a saucepan, add seasonings ingredients and cook until well combined. Add fried chicken, cook over high heat until the chicken are well coated with the sauce.
Place mango cubes into the shell, top with fried chicken, sprinkle with chopped coriander.
Serve with Japanese mayonnaise.

Honey Garlic Chicken Ribs

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To Prep
Place chicken ribs in a mixing bowl and mix well with the remaining chicken ingredients. Set aside for at least 30 mins.

To Cook
Heat oil in a deep pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium low and deep fry the marinated ribs for about 10 mins or until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
Add seasoning sauce ingredients in a separate pan and bring to a boil. Then add the deep fried ribs and stir fry quickly.
Add cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce. Dish up and serve immediately.