Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Chicken

Braised Chicken and Bitter Melon in Black Bean Sauce

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To Prep
Combine all Seasoning ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine all Marinade ingredients and mix well. Coat Marinade mix with chopped chicken and leave in the fridge for at least 30 mins.

To Cook
Heat wok with 2 tbsp oil and fry bitter melon for about 3-4 mins. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat the same wok with 1 tbsp cooking oil on high, add chicken and stir-fry for about 3-4 mins or until chicken is brown. Remove and set aside.
Reheat wok on high, add remaining cooking oil, add the Seasoning sauce mixture. Stir-fry until fragrant and aromatic.
Add in bitter melon to braise. When sauce boils, add cooked chicken, stir to combine.
Cover the wok and cook until chicken is tender. Serve.

Chicken Lettuce Cups

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To Cook
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté garlic until fragrant. Toss in chicken and stir fry until cooked through.
Add in carrots and asparagus, stir frying until heated through.
Mix in oyster sauce and plum sauce until well combined.
Stir in roasted pine nuts and remove from heat. Leave to cool slightly.
Wrap chicken filling with lettuce leaves and serve immediately.

Chicken Spring Roll (Chun Juen)

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To Prepare
Ensure the vegetables are cut as specified in the ingredients list. Do the same with the dried shrimp and wood fungus, ensuring that both are drained. Marinate the chicken.
Heat up the pan with some cooking oil and fry half of the chopped garlic and grated ginger for a few seconds before adding the chicken. Take the pan off the when the chicken is cooked.
Saute the chopped dried prawns and the remaining garlic and ginger for a few seconds, until fragrant. Add the cabbage, beans, carrot and wood fungus, cooking until slightly wilted. Add the chicken with stock powder, salt, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and white pepper.
After a minute, add the bean sprouts and thicken with some corn flour solution.
Prepare an area to wrap the spring rolls. Take one spring roll wrapped and scoop approximately 2 tbsp of the filling into the middle of the wrapper.
Wrap the spring roll by lifting the closest corner and pulling it over the filling. Pull the left and right side over the filling, the spring roll should resemble an open envelope.
Roll the spring roll into a small cylinder and seal the roll by brushing some egg white onto the top corner.
Fry the spring rolls, making sure that there are not too many in the pan in one batch. The spring rolls are ready when they look golden and crispy.
Remove from the pan and place on absorbent towels to remove excess oil.
Serve with your chosen sauce.

Hong Kong Style Sausage Buns

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To Make Tangzhong
Mix flour and milk evenly until all lumps are well combined. Cook over medium-low heat and stirring consistently to avoid burning and sticking.
Remove from heat when the mixture thickens to a stage where lines are visible when stirring.
Transfer mixture to a clean bowl and cover the surface of the mixture with cling wrap. Let cool to room temperature.

To Make Bread
Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisked the milk, egg and tangzhong until well combined.
In a large bowl, combine bread flour, salt, sugar and yeast and make a well. Add the wet mixture into the well and knead until well combined to a dough, then add in the butter and continue kneading until smooth and non-sticky.
Knead and make the dough round and put in a greased bowl, then cover with cling wrap or wet towel. Rest in warm temperature for about 40 mins or until double in size.
Remove and place on a clean floured surface. Deflate the dough and divide into 6, then knead them to make 6 balls. Cover with cling wrap again and rest for a further 15 mins.
Roll with hands to make each portion to 41cm-long (depends on frankfurt length) rounded dough. Then wrap each dough around a frankfurt from an end to the other, with the seal faced down. Place them on a lined baking tray and cover with wet towel or cling wrap to proof for about 45-60 mins until double in size.
Apply egg wash on the surface of the dough and bake for 35 mins or until golden brown. Remove and place onto a wire rack, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and let cool.

Braised Chicken with Radish

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To Prep
Wash the chicken thighs and pat dry with paper towels. Then chop into bite-sized pieces and mix with all the marinade ingredients and set aside to marinate for half an hour.

To Cook
Heat some vegetable oil in a wok over medium high heat. When the oil begins to smoke add the ginger, garlic and shiitake mushrooms and sauté until fragrant.
Next add the radish and carrots and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes.
Push the vegetables to the side of the wok and add more vegetable oil. When the oil heats up, add the chicken and brown on all sides.
When browned, mix the chicken with the vegetables and mix in ¾ cup of water and cover the wok with a lid.
Let the chicken cook covered until it is done, and the sauce has reduced by half. Season with salt to taste.
Make a simple corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch with 2 tbsp water making sure there are no lumps. Then pour the slurry into the wok and mix well.
The slurry will thicken the sauce after a while, so keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t become too thick.
Stir in the spring onions and serve with cooked white rice.

Chinese Shaoxing Goji Chicken

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To Prep
Wash the chicken and pat dry with paper towels, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
Mix the chicken with the all the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

To Cook
Heat up 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a wok over medium high heat. When the oil is hot enough, add the garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant.
Add the chicken and cook until they brown. Mix in the water, soy sauce, rock sugar and Shaoxing wine.
Cover the wok and let the chicken cook until they are done (15-20 minutes).
Check if the sauce has reached your desired consistency; otherwise allow the sauce to reduce further.
Stir in the spring onions and goji berries and remove from the heat.
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with some cooked white rice. You can stir in some more wine if you’d like a stronger wine aroma.

Beggar’s Chicken

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To Prep
Rub salt and pepper onto chicken and sit in fridge to marinade for 30 mins.
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Get 2 sheets of 55cm x 40cm baking paper, place on top of each other. Fold a 40cm side together, about 1cm wide for 5 times, to secure both sheets together to make a large sheet.
Place the combined baking paper over a large deep bowl that fits the chicken.

To Make Dough
In a large bowl, mix the salt and ½ of water until dissolved. Add in the flour and mix well, adding water just enough to form a dough. Rest covered for 30 mins.

To Cook
In a small pot, add the water, codonopsis, solomon’s-seal, angelica root, dates and goji berries, bring to boil and simmer for 5 mins. Add in the remaining filling ingredients, mix well and remove from heat. Let cool.
Remove the Chinese herbs and insert into the chicken cavity, then place the chicken in the lined bowl. Pour the stock over the chicken. Seal the baking paper to make a parcel.
Roll the dough into a ½cm-thick circle, then wrap and cover the whole parcel. Place onto a tray.
Bake in oven at 180°C for 2 hrs.
Being mindful of hot steam, using kitchen scissors to cut open the crust and discard the dough. Plate with paper parcel or transfer chicken and gravy to a serving bowl immediately. Serve warm.

Malay Spicy Tomato Chicken (Ayam Masak Merah)

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To Cook
Blend the paste ingredients in a blender or food processor until all the ingredients have been combined properly and has a paste-like consistency.
Heat the pan over medium-high heat and add the ½ tsp of oil. Once the pan is hot, place the chicken in the pan with the skin on the pan. Cook on 3-4 mins for each side before setting it aside.
At medium-high heat, fry the onion until it has softened and set aside.
At low-medium heat, add the paste and cook for 10 mins. If it looks dry, add some water because you don’t want it to burn.
Add the cinnamon, star anise, whole cloves, cardamoms and green lemongrass parts. Add water as needed and cook for 10 mins.
Change the heat to medium-high heat and add tomato sauce. Stir to mix well and add the chicken and onion. Add the water and bring to a boil. Once the liquid starts boiling, stir in the sugar and salt. Turn the heat to low and let it simmer, covering it for 20 mins. (You can let it simmer for longer if you want softer chicken meat).
Remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium-low and simmer for another 20 mins, until the sauce has reduced and thickened to the desired consistency. Stir often. Add seasoning to your taste. Serve with rice.

Marmite Fried Chicken

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To Make the Sauce
Combine sauce ingredients and mix well.

To Cook
Coat chicken meat with egg and corn flour. Mix well.
Deep fry chicken at medium heat until golden brown. Remove and drain.
In a frying pan, simmer the sauce until thick. Add in the chicken, toss and coat evenly.
Transfer to serving plate and serve with rice.

Black Bean Chicken

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To Cook
Heat oil in a wok or fry pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and capsicum and stir-fry for 2 mins. Using a slotted spoon, remove from heat (leave oil).
Add chicken and sauce to pan and stir-fry until cooked, for about 4 mins.
Return vegetables to pan and stir-fry for 1-2 mins. Serve hot.

Korean Spicy Chicken Feet Stew

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To Prep
Clean and trim chicken feet.
Rub the raw chicken feet with sea salt and let sit for about 15 mins.
Rinse with tap water and drain in a colander.

To Cook
Heat cooking oil in a pan on high, fry the chicken feet until they are lightly brown.
Plunge the fried chicken feet into ice water and let sit for about 1 hr. Drain and set aside.
Heat chicken stock in a pot with ginger slices.
Add the chicken feet and all the remaining ingredients, except spring onions, and mix thoroughly.
Cover and let simmer for about 15 mins.
Remove cover and simmer until the chicken feet are tender.
Stir from time to time to coat chicken feet as the sauce reduces.
Add more chicken stock if required and adjust the seasoning according to your taste.
Add in the bean sprouts 1 min before removing from heat.
Garnish with green chilli and serve.

Tips
You can store the chicken feet in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat the next day before serving.

Straits-Style Soy Ginger Glazed Chicken

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To Prep
Rub the chicken breast with the rice wine vinegar and set aside until required.

To Cook
Heat oil in a small deep-sided saucepan, add in the sliced ginger and shallots. Stir-fry until lightly browned, then add the palm sugar, cinnamon, star anise and cloves.
When the sugar caramelises, add the chicken breast and brown on all sides. Add the dark soy sauce, salt and enough water to cover half of the chicken.
Remove from heat; Simmer uncovered in a 180°C oven for 20 mins, turning often. Add a little water if the sauce reduces too quickly.
Remove the chicken when cooked and slice each breast into 4 pieces. Skim away all the fat from the surface of the sauce. Pour the sauce over the sliced chicken and serve with steaming hot rice.