To Begin
Place short grain rice and sweet rice with 1½ cups water into a rice cooker. Cook.
If using frozen Chinese crullers, refry until crispy.
Line a sushi rolling mat with cling wrap and spread ½ of the rice across the mat into a thin layer. Top with a piece of fried Chinese cruller in the middle and sprinkle ½ the pork floss and ½ the zhacai.
Roll the rice using the sushi mat to cover the filling, squeezing the mat to ensure the roll is compact. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Cut into half if desired and serve.
Rice
Steamed Pork with Rice Powder (Fen Zheng Rou)
To Prep
In a bowl, mix pork belly slices with marinade ingredients. Set aside.
To Cook
In a pan over medium heat, place in rice, peppercorns and star anise. Fry until lightly browned. Then, pulverize the mixture using a food processor until fine.
Add the fine rice mixture to the marinated pork. Mix well.
Line the base of a heat proof steaming plate with lettuce leaves and then layer with potato cubes. Spread out the pork belly slices on top of the potato cubes. Steam over high heat for 30 mins.
Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with spring onions. Serve.
Vegetable and Prawn Fritters Rice Bowl (Kakiage Don)
To Cook
Season prawns with a pinch of salt.
Place all sauce ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil. Set aside.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Mix eggs with iced water and sake then, pour into flour mixture. Stir the bowl 10 times lightly in circular motion.
Heat enough oil for deep frying and sesame oil in a wok over medium high heat. Meanwhile, place prawns and vegetables into a bowl and dust with corn starch, coating ingredients well. Pour batter over the ingredients and mix gently. Ladle a scoop of ingredients into a wire sieve and drain off excess batter. Carefully place the battered ingredients into the hot oil and work quickly to collect pieces of stray ingredients into a big piece using chopsticks. Once the fritter is golden browned, dish out and drain off excess oil by placing the fritter on paper towels. Repeat with remaining battered ingredients.
To serve, reheat sauce. Meanwhile, divide rice into individual serving bowls. Pour some sauce over the rice. Top each bowl with a fritter and drizzle with more sauce. Serve immediately.
Yam Rice
To Prep
Place pork belly slices into a bowl and mix well with all pork marinade ingredients. Set aside.
To Cook
Heat up oil in a wok or large pan. Sauté shallots until aromatic. Dish out and set aside. Toss dried shrimps into the remaining oil and fry until fragrant. Add marinated pork belly slices and stir fry for about 2 mins. Then, place in mushrooms and yam and stir fry for another 2 mins.
Add in rice and rice seasonings. Turn the heat to medium-low and gently stir fry to mix well.
Carefully pour in rice mixture into a rice cooker and pour in water. Cook the rice in the rice cooker and allow to rest for at least 5 mins once ready. Gently mix the rice to loosen the grains.
Serve yam rice with sprinkles of spring onions and fried shallots.
Korean Fist Rice (Jumeok-bap)
To Begin
Cook rice according to packaging instructions.
Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry luncheon meat until crispy and browned. Set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in the same pan. Sauté garlic, toss in carrots and kimchi and season with a pinch of salt. Cook until carrots soften. Set aside.
Place cooked rice into a large bowl. Top with luncheon meat, fish roe, kimchi-carrot mix, sesame oil, sesame seeds, Japanese mayonnaise and toasted laver strips.
Wearing gloves, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Season with salt accordingly. Then, form the rice mixture into bite-sized balls. Enjoy!
Jack-O-Lantern Onigiri
To Prep
Add sushi rice, water, turmeric powder, hot chilli powder and salt in a rice cooker, and cook according to manufacturer’s instructions. Once rice has cooked, allow to cool completely.
Oil hands, then form 2-3 tbsp of rice into a round shape and fill centre with mashed pumpkin.
Using scissors or a knife, carefully cut out facial features out of nori sheet. Place onto rice ball.
Cut ends of spring onion and attach to top of Jack-O-Lantern Onigiri.
Serve on a plate with coriander and steamed pumpkin.
Malaysian Fried Rice Cake (Char Koay Kak)
To Cook
In a large non-stick pan, heat up 1 tbsp of oil and pan-fry the rice cake cubes until the sides are a light brown colour.
Remove the rice cakes and set them aside.
Add another 3 tbsp of oil in to the pan and saute the garlic and pickled radish until fragrant before adding in the chilli paste.
Return the rice cake cubes back in to the pan and then add the dark soy sauce and stir.
Season the rice cubes with salt and pepper to taste before making an empty space in the centre of the pan and pouring in the eggs.
Toss the rice cake cubes in the egg to coat them.
Finally, add the bean sprouts and chives and stir fry for another minute before removing from the pan and serving.
Blue Butterfly Pea Rice Salad (Nasi Kerabu)
To Cook
In a rice cooker, add in rice, water, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and salt. Strain blue butterfly pea flowers, reserving the blue water. Add blue extract into the rice cooker and cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.
To make the sambal, blend the chillies together with sugar. Alternatively, use a mortar and pestle. Transfer into a small bowl. Season with salt and lime juice to taste. Cover and set aside.
For the fish and coconut floss, blend together the red onion and lemongrass into a fine paste. In a dry pan, add the onion and lemongrass paste with the mackerel and shredded coconut. Cook on medium heat until the mackerel dries and turns into a floss. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl for the salad, combine the ingredients.
To assemble, line a plate with banana leaves. Place blue rice in the centre of the plate, and arrange sambal, fish and coconut floss, salad, fried chicken, fish sausage, prawn crackers and salted egg around. Serve immediately.
Blue Butterfly Pea Nasi Lemak
To Cook
Start by preparing the coconut rice. Wash the rice and place in a large saucepan and add the salt, ginger, pandan leaves, coconut milk, and water. Cook all the ingredients in a rice cooker.
When the rice is done, discard the garlic, ginger and pandan leaves, and then fluff up the rice. Divide into 2 equal portions. Add My Blue Tea Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Powder to one and mix well. Combine both rices together.
For the sambal, blend the chilli paste, garlic, ginger, shallots, and ¼ cup water in a blender to a smooth paste.
Heat the peanut oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the sambal paste and stir fry for 10 mins, or until fragrant and the oil separates. Add the onion and cook for another 5 mins or until soft. Add the tamarind paste and remaining ½ cup water and mix well to combine with the paste.
Taste the sambal and add more sugar or salt if needed. Remove from heat.
To serve, line a plate with a banana leaf. Place about 1 cup of the cooked coconut rice in the middle of the leaf. Place about 3 tbsp of sambal, a few slices of cucumber, half a hard-boiled egg, 1 tbsp of peanuts and fried anchovies around the rice. Serve warm.
Crab Fried Rice (Kani Ankake)
To Cook
Heat 1 tbsp of the sesame oil in a wok over high heat. Add the eggs and gently scramble until cooked. Remove the eggs and set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp of the sesame oil in a wok over high heat. Add the spring onions and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 secs or until fragrant.
Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 secs. Add the soy sauce, salt, pepper, and cooked eggs, cooking while stirring constantly for another 30 secs. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of sesame oil and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 more secs. Turn off the heat.
To plate the rice, arrange 4 plates, and ready 4 small bowls to serve as molds (rice bowls are ideal). Spoon ¼ of the cooked rice into each bowl, then quickly flip the bowl over, and rest it onto the plate rice side down. Do not remove the bowl for now; it will keep the rice warm. Repeat with the remaining 3 bowls. Set aside.
To Cook Ankake
Combine the crab, chicken stock, lettuce, ginger, salt, and pepper in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let the ankake simmer for 2 mins over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the potato starch mixture and cook, stirring constantly, for about 15 secs. Remove from the heat.
Removing the bowls covering the rice. Pour about ¼ of the ankake either alongside each serving of rice or over it, as you desire. Serve immediately.
Thai Chicken Rice (Khao Man Gai)
To Make the Chicken and Broth:
Pour 10-12 cups of water in a large pot and bring to boil. Add salt, coriander roots and the chicken. Add more water if needed to cover the chicken, then lower the heat to simmer about 30-45 mins or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the chicken and set aside to rest. De-bone and slice to pieces to serve.
Strain the chicken broth and reserve for later.
To Make the Rice:
In a rice cooker, place the rice and add the fried garlic, ginger, and bruised cilantro roots on top. Add additional salt (adjust from chicken broth’s taste) or ground white pepper if desired.
Add chicken broth (adjust if needed) and cook the rice in your usual fashion until it is done.
To Make the Dipping Sauce:
Mix all sauce ingredients until well combined (adjust taste as needed).
To Make the Soup:
Heat the chicken broth and water over medium heat.
Add in the chopped vegetable and cook about 10 mins or until tender. Adjust the taste with fish sauce if needed and serve with chopped cilantro.
To Serve:
Plate a serve of rice with sliced chicken at the side.
Serve with the soup, dipping sauce, cucumber slices, and garnish with a sprig of coriander.
Vegan Tempura Sushi Burger
To Cook
Add sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix together until fully combined. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring to avoid burning. Take off heat when sauce is reduced by half. Set aside to cool.
Add sushi seasoning to cooked brown rice, mix and sit for 15 mins.
Add vegetables into a large mixing bowl. Add in ½ cup flour and salt, and toss until coated thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, prepare the tempura batter by incorporating the remaining plain flour, potato starch and ice water. Then add the batter with vegetable mix, tossing to combine.
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok. Spooning bits of the vegetable batter into the oil, using a chopstick to shape it into a round form.
Remove from oil when golden and place on wire rack or drain on paper towel.
To shape sushi buns, spoon 2-3 tbsp of sushi rice into an egg ring and press to mold into shape. Place sushi buns on heated pan to sear the surface.
Assemble the burger by adding wasabi, pickled ginger, cucumber and desired amount of sauce before topping off black sesame seeds on top of sushi bun.