Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Chicken

Thai Mango Chicken

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To Prep
In a blender or food processor, blend all ingredients for ‘Mango Sauce’ until smooth.
Taste-test to see if sauce is to your liking. Add more chilli if it’s not spicy enough. If it’s not salty enough, add fish sauce. If the sauce is too sour, add a little sugar or, if it’s too salty or sweet, add more lime juice.
In a mixing bowl, stir the flour and salt together. Then add the chicken pieces and mix to coat evenly.

To Cook
Heat a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and fry the chicken pieces a few at a time for 1-2 mins until cooked through or lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan with and drain on paper towel.
Briefly saute the sliced scallions and capsicums, and set aside. Pour out remaining oil.
Set wok or pan over medium-high heat and add the mango sauce. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and then add the capsicums and scallions. Continue to simmer for 3-4 mins. If sauce becomes too thick, add 3-4 tbsp water or coconut milk.
Add the fried chicken pieces, and stir to coat with sauce. Add about 1 tbsp fresh coriander and ½-1 mango cubes (optional), and briefly simmer to heat up entire dish.
Taste-test again and add fish sauce or chilli if desired.
Dish out and transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with the rest of the chopped coriander and serve with steamed rice.

Thai Steamed Fish with Chilli and Lime

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To Cook
Boil chicken for 30 mins to prepare the chicken stock. Alternatively, you may also use store-bought chicken stock. Then, set aside.
Clean fish and make a few slits on both sides. Place fish in a deep dish.
Mix chicken stock with red chillies, garlic, coriander root, fish sauce and lime juice. Set aside.
Bring water to a rolling boil to prepare for steaming then reduce heat to moderate. Pour stock over fish.
Spread Chinese celery on top and steam fish for 10 mins or till fish is cooked.
Garnish with fresh Chinese celery, chilli strips and lime slices before serving. Serve hot with rice.

Butter Cereal Chicken

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To Prep
Marinate the chicken pieces with soy sauce and turmeric powder for at least 30 mins.

To Cook
Heat-up oil in a pot or wok. Coat some cornstarch over the chicken pieces. Deep fry till golden brown. Drain off the oil and set aside.
In a wok, melt a tablespoonful of butter and stir-fry the oats until it turns crispy and golden-brown. Remove from wok and set aside.
Melt the rest of the butter in a wok. Stir-fry the shallots until fragrant and golden brown. Then add the curry leaves and bird eye chillies (optional).
Add the fried chicken pieces to the wok and mix well. Arrange the cooked chicken on a serving plate and top with crispy oats cereal (from Step 3).
Serve hot with steamed rice.

Nyonya Fried Chicken (Inche Kabin)

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To Prep
Mix all the seasoning well in a bowl and add in the chicken to marinate overnight.

To Cook
Heat up 4 tbsp of oil to a pan or wok and fry the chicken over low heat till all the seasoning sticks to the meat and the meat cooks through.
Now for the deep frying. Heat the oil until it is very hot and deep fry the chicken for 1 min or till the sizzling subsides. Turn the chicken to ensure it cooks evenly, remove and drain.
Allow the oil to heat up again, deep fry chicken for 1 min, remove and drain. Repeat the process a third time, till the chicken pieces are golden brown. Serve with dipping sauce and prawn crackers.

Penang Nyonya Lam Mee

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To Cook
To prepare the stock, rinse the pork bones with water. Transfer the bones in to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 mins while scooping out any scum that floats to the surface.
After boiling, drain, rinse again and return to the empty pot. Fill the pot with 4L of water and the crushed peppercorns. Add soaked dried scallop into the stock pot and continue boiling for another 1 ½ hours.
Add the chicken breast and pork belly in to the stockpot and boil till cooked. Once done, remove both from the pot, shred chicken meat and sliced up pork belly. Set aside.
Boil prawns with shell on in the pot until cooked. When the prawns are cooked, remove them from the pot and peel the shells.
Put the prawn’s shells back into the boiling prawn water and boil for another 5 mins before removing them.
Season the stock with salt, pepper and rock sugar and continue to cook for another 30 mins.
While the stock finishes cooking, whisk the eggs to make a thin omelette and then cut it in to strips. Set aside.

To Prep the Sambal Belacan
Using a pestle and mortar, grind all of the chillies and the belacan into a thick paste. Add in the calamansi lime juice and mix well. Adjust according to taste.

To Serve
Blanch the yellow egg noodles and bean sprouts in boiling water for 1 min. Transfer the cooked noodles in to a serving bowl.
Place a serving of the chicken, prawn, pork belly, dried scallop, egg omelette and bean sprouts on to the noodles. Ladle in hot stock and a few pieces of pork ribs.
Garnish with some garlic, oil, fried shallots, spring onions, chives and coriander.
Enjoy the lam mee with sambal belacan!

Cashew Nut Chicken

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To Cook
In a bowl, mix all ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
Mix chicken well in the seasoning.
In a frying pan, heat oil and fry the chicken until cooked through. Drain and set aside.
With the leftover oil, add in Chinese rice wine, ginger juice, ginger slices and mushrooms. Fry until fragrant then add in the green capsicum and continue cooking for another 2 mins or so on high heat.
Add in the chicken cubes and mix well. Add in the sauce and stir-fry until it thickens.
Finally, fold in the toasted cashew nuts and garnish with spring onions and thinly sliced red chilli. Serve hot with rice.

Claypot Chicken Rice

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To Prep
First, soak the shiitake mushrooms in warm water until soft for about 30 mins. Rinse the mushrooms and squeeze lightly to remove access water. Remove the stems, thinly slice the caps and set aside.
In a bowl, combine the chicken, sugar, corn starch, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate for at least 20 mins.

To Cook
Coat a large frying pan or wok with oil and heat over high heat. Add garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add in the marinated chicken and stir-fry until lightly browned. Add the sausage and shiitake mushrooms, and continue stir-frying for another 20-30 secs. Then, remove from heat, transfer to a plate and set aside.
Place the rice and chicken stock in a covered claypot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook the rice for 15 mins over reduced heat, or until liquid is almost dried.
Spread the chicken and mushrooms over the rice and continue to cook for another 15 mins with lid covered, over low heat until the chicken is cooked through. Mix the ingredients around one last time before you garnish with spring onions and serve!

Grilled Chicken Thigh with Coconut Water (Gai Yang)

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To Prep
To marinade, add all the ingredients together in a big bowl and mix well.
Marinade chicken and place the bowl in the fridge for at least an hour.

To Cook
Preheat oven at 170°C.
Pan-fry the chicken in a pan on medium-low heat until cooked or sear both sides on medium-high heat pan; then put in oven for 12-14 mins.
Serve with cooked sticky rice or steamed rice, salad and sweet chilli sauce.

Poached Chicken Salad (Yum Som-O Gai Sheek)

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To Cook
In a pot bring coconut water for cooking, garlic, lemongrass and coriander root to a boil.
Add chicken and reduce to medium heat for 7-8 mins or until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken then tear the chicken into small pieces to set aside.
Strain and keep the poaching broth, put on medium heat and let it simmer until 1⁄3 liquid is left.
Add dressing ingredients then continue cooking for 3-4 mins and remove from heat.
Finally add chicken and salad ingredients, then mix well and serve.

Quick Coconut Noodle Soup

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To Cook
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add noodles, cook for 2-3 mins. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add chicken, cook for 3 mins until cooked through.
Add lemongrass, garlic, ginger, curry paste and turmeric. Stir-fry until fragrant (about 1 min).
Add coconut milk, spring onion, bean sprouts, fish sauce, stock and lemon juice. Bring to the boil, simmer for 2 mins.
Divide noodles among 4 bowls; add soup. Garnish with spring onion slices, chilli and lemon wedge. Serve.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken

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To Prep
In a bowl, combine the Marinade ingredients, then add the chicken to coat.
Blend the lemongrass, shallot and chillies into rough paste, set aside.

To Cook
In a small skillet, mix the 2 tbsp sugar with 1 tbsp water and cook over high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Then cook without stirring until a deep amber caramel forms.
Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2 tbsp water. Transfer to a bowl.
Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add in the paste and stir fry until fragrant.
Add the chicken and caramel, stir fry until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened. Transfer to a bowl and top with spring onion and coriander.

Fried Tofu with Chilli Sauce (Tau Hu Tod)

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To Prepare the Sauce
Add water, sugar, and vinegar in a saucepan, and cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, then add in the fish sauce and dried red chili flakes, and stir through.
Set aside.

To Cook the Fried Tofu
Dry the tofu wedges on paper towels for 1 hr.
Heat oil in a pan or wok over high heat until the oil reaches 200°C.
Carefully lower the tofu wedges into the hot oil and fry for 5 mins or until golden brown on all sides, turning the pieces occasionally with long tongs.
Drain the fried tofu on paper towel.

To Serve
Add chopped roasted peanuts, bird’s eye chilli and coriander on top of sauce.
Serve fried tofu with the dipping sauce.