To Make
To prepare the vegan dashi, soak a small piece of konbu and one dried shiitake mushroom in one cup of water for 3 hours. Strain with a fine mesh strainer.
To prepare kori tofu, cut out the required amount of firm tofu and place it into a container, and freeze the tofu overnight. Then, defrost and squeeze out the water with hands and crumble the tofu.
Prepare ramen as per instructions on the package. Once cooked, soak the ramen in ice cold water for a few seconds and strain away all the water.
Arrange cooked ramen onto a bowl and arrange all the vegetables on top of ramen.
Mix all the ingredients of pouring sauce together.
Noodles
Spicy Miso Ramen
To Make
Place all ingredients for spicy miso paste in a food processor and blend until you get a fine paste.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/R02843-Spicy-Miso-Ramen-Step-1.jpg
Heat up a frying pan on medium heat and fry the paste until fragrant. Set aside.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/R02843-Spicy-Miso-Ramen-Step-2.jpg
In a small saucepan, heat up some oil and sauté shallot, garlic, salt and sesame seeds until fragrant and slightly golden under medium heat. Switch off the fire and toss in togarashi and stir until combined. Set aside.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/R02843-Spicy-Miso-Ramen-Step-3.jpg
Heat up a medium soup pot with sesame oil and sauté minced pork with black pepper until around 80% cooked. Toss in the chopped shiitake mushrooms and cook for 1 min. Add in ¼ cup spicy miso paste and continue to cook for 2 mins until fragrant.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/R02843-Spicy-Miso-Ramen-Step-4.jpg
Pour in chicken stock and soya bean milk. Stir and bring it to a simmer.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/R02843-Spicy-Miso-Ramen-Step-5.jpg
Using a sieve with fine mesh, slowly dissolve the ½ cup spicy miso paste into soup. Discard the solid trapped on the sieve. Continue to let soup simmer for a further 3-5 mins under low fire.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/R02843-Spicy-Miso-Ramen-Step-6.jpg
In a large saucepan, boil some water and cook the ramen following the instructions on the package. Prepare a bowl with cold water and place the noodles in once cooked to stop them from cooking further. Drain and place into a bowl.
To serve, scoop enough soup with meat into the bowl, covering the noodles. Garnish with chilli oil, ajitsuke, sliced mushrooms, bamboo shoots, spring onions and nori sheets.
Malaysian Char Kway Teow
To Cook
Heat 2 tbsp of the vegetable oil in a wok over high heat, add the garlic, lap cheong and stir-fry for a minute.
Then add prawns and stir-fry for a further minute until cooked.
Add rice noodles, season with light soy sauce, dark soy caramel and white pepper, and stir-fry to make sure all noodles are charred and well coated in the sauce.
Push the rice noodles aside and make a clear space in the wok, then add the remaining tablespoon of oil and crack the egg into the oil. Stir and break up the egg with the spatula, then quickly cover it up with noodles and let it cook for 10-15 secs before you start stir-frying again.
Add bean sprouts and garlic chives, turn the heat off, give everything in the wok a toss to combine, then tip out onto a serving plate. Serve this Malaysian Char Kway Teow immediately.
Notes
Dark cooking caramel, also known as dark soy caramel, is different from dark soy sauce or kecap manis. It has a thick molasses consistency and a salty flavour. It can be found in many major supermarkets and Asian grocers.
Air Fryer Spring Roll Salad Cups
To Make
To make the dipping sauce, combine 4 tbsp Squid Brand Fish Sauce, hot water, sugar, garlic, lime juice, rice wine vinegar and chilli in a small bowl and whisk until sugar has dissolved. Set aside in the fridge.
Strain noodles and cut them into 2-3cm lengths. To make the filling, in a large mixing bowl, add noodles, pork mince, ginger, shallot, 1 tbsp Squid Brand Fish Sauce, soy sauce, coriander, egg white, lime leaves, sugar, salt and white pepper, mix well.
Lay a spring roll sheet with a corner closest to you on a clean work surface. Place 2 heaped tbsp of pork mix diagonally along the bottom third of the sheet. Fold in sides, then roll up from bottom to top to enclose filling. Brush the opposite corner with a little water and press to seal. Repeat with the remaining sheets and filling.
Preheat the air fryer to 200°C. Spray spring rolls with oil. Place in the basket of the air fryer and cook, turning halfway through cooking, for 15 mins or until golden.
Serve spring rolls with lettuce cups, carrots, spring onions, herbs and dipping sauce.
Scallion Oil Noodles
To Make
Cut the spring onions into 10cm segments. Make sure the white parts are kept together and the greener parts are put in a separate pile.
Use a cleaver to gently slap the white scallions.
Slice the red shallots.
Pour oil into a wok or pan and add the white part of the spring onions, the red shallots and ginger in. Bring the heat up to medium.
Let the aromatics gently fry for 3 minutes or until golden, then turn off the heat and use chopsticks to remove them from the oil. Discard the aromatics.
Add the green parts of the spring onions in and turn the heat up to medium. Fry for 3 minutes or until they start to change colour, then use chopsticks to remove them from the pan. You can save the cooked spring onions to use as a garnish.
Transfer the oil to a heatproof jar or container. Use it for any future savoury recipes.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles for 10 minutes or until al dente. If you’re using fresh noodles, you can skip this step. When ready, drain the noodles in a colander and run under cold water until cool. Let it rest as you work on the sauce. Note: Different varieties of noodles will have different cooking times, so make sure to read the packet instructions or test the firmness as it boils.
Combine the light and dark soy sauces and sugar in a pan and turn the heat up to low-medium. Let it simmer for 20 seconds, then transfer into a heatproof jar or container.
To serve, add 2 tbsp of the spring onion oil and 1½ tbsp of the cooked soy sauce in a bowl. Note: The amount you add is entirely up to your taste preference. Ideally, start with less and put more as you go. As Grandma always says: “You can add more salt if you need, but you can’t take it away once it’s added.”
Put the noodles into the bowl and stir until mixed well.
Garnish with the fried spring onions and drizzle Lee Kum Kee’s Chiu Chow chilli oil on top, then serve as is!
Tofu Pad Thai
To Cook
Cook noodles according to packet instructions.
Combine lime juice, soy sauce, water, sugar, tomato paste and rice vinegar to make a sauce.
While noodles are cooking, fry onion in a wok with the peanut oil for 2 mins, then add the garlic and fry for a further 30 secs.
Add the broccoli and fry until bright green and slightly charred (a few minutes). Then, add the noodles and half of the sauce and gently combine.
Fold in the fried tofu, cabbage, carrot and the rest of the sauce.
Serve and top with peanuts and coriander.
Bang Bang Chicken
To Cook
In a medium saucepan, pour in 1L of water and add in chopped spring onions, garlic and ginger slices, and chicken. Bring to the boil then simmer for 6-7 mins. Turn off the heat and leave chicken for 7 mins to steep.
Whilst chicken is cooking, prepare the noodles according to packet instructions. Divide cooked noodles between 4 plates/bowls.
In a bowl, mix together all of the sauce ingredients. Mix thoroughly to combine well and set aside.
Remove the chicken from saucepan, then shred the chicken by hitting with a mallet (or rolling pin). Add the chicken to the bowl with chilli sauce, gently turn the chicken to coat with the sauce.
Place the chilli chicken mixture onto the noodles, then top with the sliced spring onions to serve. Enjoy!
Teriyaki Soba with Grilled Salmon and Prawn
To Cook
Cook soba in rapid boiling water for 4mins,. When it turns soft, drain and place it on the bowl.
Grill the prawn and salmon rolls using a food blow torch until it turns brown, then place it on top of the soba.
Cook all sauce ingredients together until they boil, then pour the sauce over of the soba.
Soba Noodles with Soy Glazed Salmon
To Cook
Mix 1 tbsp of sesame seeds, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of white/apple vinegar, 1 tbsp of honey and 1 tbsp of water in a bowl, and whisk to combine.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook the salmon for 2 mins each side until golden. Add the sauce (from step 1) and cook until the sauce is reduced.
Stir together 2 tbsp water, 2 tbsp of sesame seeds, 3 tbsp of soy sauce and 2 tbsp of sugar. Set aside.
Cook soba in boiling water for around 3-4 mins. Drain and rinse noodles well with cold water then drain again.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium heat, then saute ginger and garlic until fragrant for 20 secs, then add vegetables, rest of sesame seeds, spring onion, and cook for a few mins. Add sauce (from step 3).
Add soba into the vegetable mixture. Serve sprinkled with spring onion, toasted sesame seeds (optional) and salmon.
Creamy Tom Yum Seafood Noodles
To Cook
Add Valcom Tom Yum Paste, coconut milk, water, sugar and mushroom (if needed) in a pot and bring to boil.
After boiling, add in all the seafood and continue cooking in the boiling soup for 30 secs. Then add tomato and cook for another 30 secs before turning off the fire. Add lemon juice and mix well.
In a separate pot, bring 1L of water to boil and blanch the noodles for 30 secs or until cooked.
Serve noodles and soup in a bowl. Garnish with micro coriander and red chilli on top.
Cold Soba Noodle (Zaru Soba)
For Dashi Stock
Combine all ingredients in a pot and leave for overnight in the fridge to slowly extract the flavours of the ingredients. When ready to use, remove the mushrooms and kombu seaweed.
For Soba Sauce (Mentsuyu)
Combine all ingredients in a pot and heat to boiling point. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature before chilling in the fridge.
To Cook
Boil 4-5L of water in a large deep pot. Cook the soba noodles by following the instructions on the packet or until it becomes the desired texture. Al dente is said to be the best texture for soba noodles.
Once the soba noodles are cooked, drain and cool in ice water.
Drain noodles and serve with cold soba sauce (mentsuyu). To enjoy, add the desired amount of garnish in the soba sauce. Pick up a mouthful of noodles with chopsticks and dip halfway in the sauce before slurping it down. Soba noodles are best consumed within 5 mins after cooled for the best texture and flavour.
Pork Bone Style Ramen (Tonkotsu Fu Ramen)
To Make Soup
Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to boil.
Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for 15-20 mins.
To Serve
Cook noodles by following the instructions on the package. Drain and place in bowl.
Heat the soup in a pot to boiling temperature, ladle over the noodles.
Top with pork slices, bamboo pickles, egg, wood ear mushrooms and garnish with spring onion and red pickled ginger.