Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Noodles

Hegi Soba with Mentsuyu Dipping Sauce

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For the Dipping Sauce
In a medium saucepan, add the sake and bring it to a boil over medium high heat.
Add soy sauce and mirin, mix well then add the kombu and katsuobushi
Bring the sauce to a boil and continue to cook over a low heat for another 5 mins before removing from the heat, straining the sauce and setting aside.

For the Soba Noodles
In a large pot, boil enough water to cook the soba noodles. When the water reaches a boil, add in the noodles and cook till done. Ensure the noodles don’t stick together and aren’t overcooked.
While the noodles cook, prepare a large bowl of ice water to cool the noodles when they’re done.
Using a sieve, drain the soba noodles and rinse the noodles under cold running water to get rid of the extra starch.
Transfer the noodles in to the iced water and set aside till the noodles are cool and ready to eat.

To Serve
Make ready the hegi, or a flat bamboo sieve. Take a few strands of the noodles at a time. Loop the strands onto the sieve to make a nice little bundle. This is one portion. Allow for about 10-12 portions or so per person.
Arrange each bundle separately, to allow for easy pickup with chopsticks.
Serve directly on the hegi, or place a plate under the bamboo sieve to catch any drips. Put soba noodles and garnish with shredded nori sheet on top.
Put one part of cooled dipping sauce and 2-3 parts of iced water in a serving pitcher or small individual bowls.

To Eat Soba Noodles
First fill out a dipping bowl with diluted tsuyu, and add green onions and/or wasabi (optional). Then pick up a bundle of soba noodles at a time, dip in the tsuyu briefly, and slurp the noodles up. The dipping sauce is very salty, so don’t soak the noodles in the sauce for a long time.

Satay Rice Vermicelli

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To Cook
In a frying pan, heat the satay sauce, then add prawns and squid rings. Cook for 5 mins.
Add water spinach and cook for 1 min before adding the rice vermicelli. Mix well and then plate it, garnish with spring onion, coriander and chilli. Serve hot.

Tonkotsu Ramen

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To Make the Broth
Place the chicken, pork in to a large pot and fill it with enough water to fully cover all of the meat. Cover the pot with a lid and bring it to a boil over a high heat.
When the water has reached a boil, drain the water and wash the bones to remove any impurities.
Clean the pot and return the cleaned bones back in to it along with the rest of the ingredients for the broth. Add enough water to cover the ingredients and cover with a lid.
Over high heat, bring pot to a boil and then reduce the heat so that the broth is simmering. Allow to simmer while covered for 6-12 hrs.
Towards the end of the simmering time, take the pork fat and place it on to a sieve. Lower the sieve in to the broth and allow the pork fat to cook. Allow for about 30 mins of time to cook the fat before draining and finely mincing.

To Make the Marinated Eggs
Combine water, sake, soy, mirin, and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Pierce fat end of each egg with a thumbtack to make a tiny hole (this is to prevent the eggs from cracking and eliminates air bubbles from forming at the end). Carefully lower the eggs into the water with a wire mesh spider, or slotted spoon. Reduce heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cook for exactly 6 mins. Drain hot water and carefully peel eggs under cold running water (the whites will be quite delicate).
Transfer eggs to a bowl that just barely fits them all. Pour marinade on top of the eggs until they are covered, or just floating. Place a double-layer of paper towels on top and press down until completely saturated in liquid to help in keeping the eggs submerged and marinating it evenly. Refrigerate and marinate for at least four hrs and up to 12. Discard marinade after 12 hrs. Store eggs in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in ramen soup to serve.

Assembling Your Ramen
Heat up the broth by bring it to a boil. When the broth has reached a boil, add the seasoning. begin with a small amount of seasoning and add more till you get your desired flavour.
Pour a small spoonful of the broth in to a bowl and then arrange the noodles in a bowl along with sliced chashu, marinated egg, some minced pork fat, and your desired toppings and garnish. Serve immediately!

Knife Cut Noodle Soup (Kalguksu)

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To Make Stock
Place Stock ingredients and water into a pot, bring to boil. Skim off any impurities. Simmer for about 15 mins. Strain out vegetables and anchovies, discard. Set stock aside.

To Make Noodle Soup
Bring the stock to a boil again and add zucchini, carrot, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt and pepper.
Add in the noodles and vongoles (optional). Cook until the noodles are cooked and the shells of vongoles have opened. Add spring onions towards the end of cooking time.
Serve noodles in individual bowls with seasoned soy sauce.

Tips
You can use chicken stock instead of making the anchovies stock.
You can add precooked noodles to stock to have a clearer soup.

Vegetarian Pad Thai

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To Cook
Place noodles in a bowl of boiling water and soak for 6-8 mins. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok over medium heat, add in garlic and sauté until fragrant and slightly browned.
Add in tofu and stir-fry until just cooked.
Add broccoli, cauliflower, carrot and zucchini, toss until vegetables are tender.
Add Pad Thai paste and mix well. Stir in fish sauce, tamarind puree, sugar and chilli powder.
Rinse rice noodles then add to wok and stir through. Push the mixture to one side of wok, then add beaten egg and allow it to cook slightly before tossing it through the noodles.
Throw in the bean shoots and chives, stir thoroughly for 1 min.
Dish out and garnish with peanuts, lime/lemon wedge, coriander and a dash of pepper.

Korean Seafood Noodle Soup (Kalgaksu)

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To Cook
In a stockpot, add the dried large anchovies, garlic, onion, whole spring onions and 10-12 cups of water. Bring to boil and skim off any impurities. Simmer for about 15 mins. Strain and discard ingredients, set stock aside.
Bring the stock to a boil again and add the soy sauce, fish sauce, zucchini and carrots. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the noodles and seafood, cook until done. Add spring onions towards the end of cooking time.
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with spring onions. Serve with seasoning sauce.

Thai Braised Pork Noodle Soup

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To Cook
In a stockpot, add water and pork, bring to a boil. Add all the Soup ingredients and simmer for 1 hr.
Add meatballs and seasoning to the stockpot and let it simmer for another hr. Do taste test and add more seasoning if needed.
In a separate pot, blanch vegetables until tender, set aside.
Divide noodles into 4-5 separate bowls and top with vegetables.
Ladle soup and meat over noodles and garnish with coriander. Serve hot.

Thai Glass Noodle Soup with Tofu (Kang Jued Woon Sen)

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To Prep
Mix the minced meat, soy sauce and ground white pepper until well combined. Form into approximately 12 small meatballs.

To Cook
Heat oil in a frying pan on high heat, then add in garlic and fry for 30 secs.
Pour in the soup stock and bring to a boil.
Add meatballs, onion, Chinese cabbage and carrot, simmer until tender.
Add in the noodles and stir thoroughly.
Add the fish sauce, sugar and white pepper.
Carefully add Japanese tofu and stir gently to avoid breaking the tofu. Remove from heat.
Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with coriander. Serve.

Thai Stir Fried Vermicelli with Chicken

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To Cook
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok, scramble eggs until cooked, remove and set aside.
Heat 2 tbsp oil over high heat, stir-fry chicken for about 3 mins or until just cooked through. Remove from wok and set aside.
Add 1 tbsp oil and ginger to sauté for 1 min, then add vegetables to the wok and stir-fry for another 2 mins.
In a mixing bowl combine chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce and corn flour.
Add egg, chicken, noodles, coriander and broth mixture to wok and stir-fry for 3 mins or until everything is cooked and heated through.
Drizzle some sesame oil for added flavour. Transfer to serving plate and sprinkle some chilli powder, serve.

Pad Thai Wrapped in Egg (Pad Thai Hor Kai)

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To Prep
In a small pot, mix all ingredients for pad thai sauce and cook over medium heat for 15-20 mins until sauce thickens. Taste test and add more sugar if the tamarind is too sour for your liking. Store sauce in a sealed container and refrigerate for use later.

To Cook
In a wok or a pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil and fry shallots until fragrant. Add noodles and stir-fry until softened. Using the spatula, push the noodles to one side of the wok.
On medium-high heat, add ½ tbsp oil, prawns, fermented radish and bean curd to the now empty side of the wok. Stir-fry fir a minute and fold the noodles onto the ingredients.
Add pad thai sauce and continue to stir-fry until sauce evenly coats the noodles. Then turn up the heat and add bean sprouts, chives and peanuts and stir-fry for about a minute. Dish out the noodles and set aside.
In a small bowl, beat 1 egg and set aside. Wipe the wok clean and return to medium–high heat. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil, ensuring it coats the surface of the wok evenly. Take hold of the wok handle with one hand, pour in the beaten egg and quickly swirl the wok in a wide circular motion to coat wok to create a thin crêpe-like layer of egg. Cook for about a minute until the egg crêpe is set.
Spoon the noodles into the centre of the wok and scatter over the peanuts. Then fold over the sides of egg crêpe into the centre to cover the noodles and form a parcel. Flip the egg-wrapped pad thai over in the wok to briefly seal the folded ends, then slide it onto a serving plate. Serve the dish with fresh bean sprouts, chives, peanuts, sugar and lime wedges.

Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu)

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Broth
Add half of the water in to a pot and boil. Put the pork bones in to the pot and continue to boil for a few minutes before draining the water and washing the bones to remove any impurities.
Rinse the pot before returning the bones back in and adding the remaining water in to the pork bones pot. Bring the broth back to a boil before reducing to a simmer and cooking for an hour or longer.
Peel the shells off from the shrimps and separate the meat from the shells. Set the meat aside and put the shells in to the broth. When the broth begins to turn red from the prawn shells, remove them along with the pork bones.
Add in the remaining broth ingredients except for the tomatoes and stir well till all the soluble ingredients have dissolved. Bring the broth back up to a boil before finally adding in the tomatoes.

Meatballs
Put the saved meat from the peeled prawns as well as all of the meatball ingredients except for the crab meat into a food processor and blend them together until they have formed a paste.
When the paste has been made, add in the crab meat and hand mix the meat in to the paste until it is relatively evenly mixed in.
Cook the meatballs in the soup broth until they begin to float on the surface of the broth, which means that they have cooked through. Add in the fried tofu at this stage too.

To Serve
In a bowl, add in the noodles and add any of the toppings you want. Pour the broth over the noodles and place a few pieces of the tomatoes and meatballs. Finish with a lime wedge and serve!