To Cook
In a microwavable bowl, combine the rice flour, tapioca starch, water, vegetable oil and salt. Stir well to dissolve. Set aside for 30 mins to reduce the strong flour smell.
Before putting it into the microwave, stir up the batter again. Microwave for 2 mins. Take out and stir well, then microwave for 1 min. Repeat.
Transfer the paste into an 18x18cm (7×7 inch) square mold greased with some vegetable oil. Flatten the surface with a spoon or spatula. Steam the paste for 30-40 mins until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the cake from the mold, cut into rectangular cubes in the size of a domino—about 5x2x1cm (2x1x0.5 inch). Divide into 2 portions for each serving.
Mix each rice flour cake portion with 1 tsp dark soy sauce and set aside.
To make the dipping sauce, combine soy sauce, sugar and vinegar together and stir well to dissolve. Add some chopped chilli if desired.
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the rice flour cake cubes and pan-fry both sides 7-8 mins each or until crispy and golden brown.
Crack 2 eggs into the pan and break the yolks to bind the rice flour cubes together. Top up with 2-3 tbsp chopped spring onion and cook for 1-2 mins until the egg is slightly set. Flip rice cakes over and cook other side for 1 min.
9. Transfer to a serving plate and top up with the pickles. Drizzle some sauce over the plate, mix well and serve.
Rice
Shanghainese Shaomai with Sticky Rice
To Prepare Overnight
Soak the glutinous rice in cold water for about 8-10 hrs.
To Cook
Drain the water from the glutinous rice. Put baking paper or a similar substitute on a steamer and spread the glutinous rice over it. Steam for about 15-20 mins until it has fully cooked.
Remove the glutinous rice and cover with a wet cloth making it doesn’t get dry while it is cooling.
Heat up a wok or pan and add cooking oil. Once the pan is hot enough, add the pork until it has browned. Add soy sauce and stir. Add cooking wine and sugar. Cook for a few mins. Add enough water so that the meat is just covered. Add ginger. Add seasonings to taste.
Add the rice and sauce until the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and mix in scallions. Let it cool down by spreading it out.
Wrap the shaomai.
Once you’ve wrapped the desired amount of shaomais, steam it for 10 mins before removing to cool down.
Stir Fried Rice with Fish
To Cook
Pan fry fish in oil until golden brown and cooked.
Add leeks, carrots, oyster sauce and fine shrimp sauce. Stir fry until fragrant. Toss in cooked rice. Stir well until heated through. Serve.
Lee Kum Kee Fried Rice
To Cook
Heat oil in a wok and stir fry shallots until fragrant. Add in eggs and stir fry until half cooked. Toss in rice, char siu, oyster sauce, soy sauce and spring onions. Stir fry until well combined and heated through.
Dish out and serve.
Rice Dumplings with Mushroom and Pork
To Cook
Mix pork belly with marinade and leave overnight in fridge. Wash and soak black glutinous rice overnight. Drain. Wash and soak glutinous rice and mung beans separately in water for about 2 hrs. Drain. Mix black glutinous rice and glutinous rice with seasoning mix. Mix mung beans with sesame oil.
Soak dumpling leaves and wrapping straws in water for 2 hrs. Boil for 10 mins before use. Drain.
Use dumpling leaves to form a hollow. Spread a layer of mixed glutinous rice over dumpling leaves. Spread a layer of mung beans on rice. Put 1 heaped tbsp Lee Kum Kee XO Sauce, pork belly, some peanuts, some dried shrimps, 1 salted egg yolk and 1 Chinese mushroom on mung beans as filling. Spread another layer of mung beans and mixed rice to cover the filling. Cover the dumpling with another dumpling leaf. Fold the leaves to form dumpling shape. Wrap the two ends with straw to secure. Repeat the steps to form 10 dumplings altogether.
Put all dumplings in a big pot of boiling water. Ensure all dumplings are immersed in water. Cook for about 2½ hrs until dumplings are cooked. Drain.
Remove dumpling leaves. Serve hot with either sweet soy sauce or sugar.
Vegan Buddha Bowl
To Cook
Cover tofu with paper towel to draw out excess liquid for 15 mins, and then cut into small cubes. In a medium-sized bowl, combine cornflour, pepper and salt. Heat oil in a saucepan or pot over medium-high heat. Dip tofu cubes into cornflour mixture and then carefully drop into hot oil. Once golden brown, remove from oil and place onto a plate lined with paper towel.
Combine soy sauce and sliced chillies in a small bowl and set aside.
To assemble, add cooked brown rice into a bowl. Top with carrot, grilled bok choy, cucumber, salt and pepper tofu, avocado and radish. Serve with chilli soy sauce.
Korean Buddha Bowl
To Prep
Combine soy sauce, sugar, garlic, sesame oil and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Add in steak and coat in marinade. Cover bowl in cling wrap and set aside in fridge to marinate for at least 1 hr or overnight.
To Cook
After steak has marinated, heat oil in a pan over high heat. Once oil has come to temperature, reduce to medium-low heat and place steak in pan. Cook for 30 secs on each side, or until browned. Continue to cook, turning every 20 secs until cooked to desired doneness. Remove from heat and allow to rest on a plate for 5 mins before slicing.
To assemble, add cooked white rice into a bowl. Top with carrot, red cabbage, kimchi, sliced steak and fried egg. Drizzle over sriracha, and garnish with sesame seeds and spring onion before serving.
Vegetarian Fritter Hand Roll
To Prep
Add the sushi vinegar to the cooked sushi rice and gentle fold in to the rice until well incorporated.
Combine 3 tbsp of the tempura flour with the ice water in a mixing bowl and lightly stir them together. Try not to over mix the batter.
Put the remaining tablespoon of flour in to a separate bowl along with the cut vegetables. Season lightly before mixing to coat all of the ingredients.
Pour in the batter and lightly mix through to further coat the ingredients.
To Cook
Heat a pan with about 2 cm of oil to deep-fry up to about 180°C.
Place spoonfuls of the vegetable mix in to the pan and cook until golden on both sides. Let cool on paper towels to drain the excess oil.
When the fritters have cooled, cut them in to halves or in to sections that will fit in to the hand roll.
To Assemble
Cut nori sheets in half. Place sushi rice and the rest of the fillings onto one side of nori.
Fold the nearest corner of the nori over the filling and start to shape.
The finished hand roll should be shaped conically to prevent any rice from falling out from the bottom.
Serve with teriyaki sauce or eel sauce on top!
Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls with Prawns
To Make Rice Paper Rolls
Put the rice noodles in to a heatproof bowl and pour enough boiling water to cover them.
Let noodles cook until they soften before draining the water and rinsing the noodles under cold water.
Dip the rice paper sheet in to a bowl of water before draining it and placing it on to a clean work surface.
Arrange on to the rice paper sheet 2 of the prawn halves, 2 mints leaves, and some of the rice noodles.
Fold the sides of the rice paper roll before folding the bottom half of the wrapper over the fillings.
Before rolling to finish the roll, stick a couple of the chives on to the roll and then finish rolling.
Transfer to a serving plate and then repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Serve with chilli sauce or hoisin sauce!
Korean Rice Punch (Sikhye)
To Prep
Soak powdered malt barley in 10 cups of water for 1 hr. Twirl barley a few times to loosen the husks.
Strain malt barley in a fine colander or a fine muslin over a bowl. Squeeze the barley thoroughly before discarding the husks.
Leave the strained malt water in a bowl and let it rest for about 4-5 hours. You should have the top part of malt barley water clear and the bottom white with sediment.
To Cook
Place cooked rice at the bottom of a rice cooker. Pour the top part of the malt barley water over the rice, taking care not to pour in the white sediment at the bottom of the bowl. Make sure that the rice is fully covered.
Put on the “keep warm” option in your rice cooker for around 4-5 hours or until the rice granules start rising to the top. Alternatively, use a double boiler at 55-60°C instead of a rice cooker.
Turn off the rice cooker and strain the sikhae liquid through a colander into a bowl. Rinse the rice with water a few times and drain thoroughly in a colander. Store dried rice in the fridge and set the sikhye liquid aside.
Pour strained sikhye liquid into a pot and add 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and skim off any impurities that float to the top. Simmer for about 8 mins over medium to low heat. Add more sugar if necessary. Turn off heat, let the sikhye cool to room temperature and store in the fridge.
To serve, pour chilled sikhye into a small bowl or glass, spoon in some rice granules and sprinkle with pine nuts.
Tempura Prawn Hand Roll
To Prep
Add the sushi vinegar to the cooked sushi rice and gentle fold in to the rice until well incorporated.
Combine 125 g of tempura flour and ice water together in a mixing bowl and lightly stir them together. Don’t over mix as pockets of flour will make the batter airy. Pour the remaining 50 g of flour in to a separate bowl.
To Cook
Heat the oil to about 180°C, then dredge the prawns one by one in the tempura flour, then into the batter and fry in batches till golden brown. Let cool on paper towels to drain the excess oil.
To Make the Roll
Halve the seaweed sheets. Place sushi rice and then the lettuce, cucumber and prawn onto one side of nori.
Fold the nearest corner of the nori over the filling and start to shape.
The hand roll should be shaped cone shaped to stop any rice from falling out.
Serve with teriyaki sauce or eel sauce on top!
Japanese Rice Congee (Okayu)
To Cook
After 30 mins of soaking sushi rice in a claypot, drain water and add 1 cup of water to the rice. Cover claypot and bring to boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to the lowest. Remove lid and stir the rice to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the claypot. Return the lid to the claypot to keep it covered, continue to simmer on lowest heat possible for a further 30 mins.
After 30 mins of simmering, turn heat off and let it sit with lid on for a further 10 mins. Rice should be soft and thicken by then. Remove lid and serve on individual bowls, followed by your preferred toppings.
Leftover sushi rice may be used for this recipe. Instead of pre-soaking for 30 mins, add cooked rice into the claypot and 2 times of water to it, example 1 cup of cooked rice to 2 cups of water. Cook stirring occasionally over medium low heat. Adjust consistency of congee to your liking by adding more water.