Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Rice

Trio of Mushroom Sushi Burger with Lotus Chips Nori Salt

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To Cook
Place sushi seasoning ingredients in a small pan and simmer, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Rinse rice until the water runs clear and place in a saucepan with the water. Cover and let it simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Set aside to cool for 5 mins.
Place rice in a glass bowl, add sushi seasoning and stir with a rice paddle, fanning until the rice is cool.
Put a cookie mould or egg ring on a tray lined with baking paper. Press the rice into the moulds to form 4 burger shapes, sprinkling black sesame seeds on two of the shapes. Chill until needed.
Mix the flours, baking powder, salt and water to make the fritter batter. Chill until needed.
Place the pickling ingredients in a small pan and let it simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let the mixture cool.
Finely julienne the carrot and thinly slice the radish before adding both to the pickling mixture. Drain before serving.
Trim the enoki mushrooms, to separate, chop the shiitake mushroom finely. Place 1 tbsp of flour (extra) in a freezer bag, toss the enoki mushrooms till coated, fold the shiitake mushrooms and coated enoki mushrooms into the prepared batter.
Heat oil in a heavy based frying pan and spoon batter in, forming 2 patties. Fry until golden and cooked through.
Mix the Kewpie Mayonnaise, Kewpie Dressing Roast Sesame and wasabi paste together and pour into a serving bowl.
Slice the lotus root thinly and place in a bowl of water while heating the oil. Drain, pat dry and fry the lotus root until crisp and golden.
Process the nori sheet until it forms small crumbs, add the ground salt and stir to combine.

To Serve
Place a sushi circle on the serving plate, top with lettuce, avocado, pickled carrot, garlic chives & cucumber, place a mushroom fritter on top, add the pickled radish and a few shimeji mushrooms. Drizzle with a little sesame and wasabi mayonnaise. Place the remaining sushi circle on the top to form the burger.
Sprinkle the lotus chips with nori salt and serve with the remaining sesame & wasabi mayonnaise to dip.

Year of the Dog Mitarashi Dango with Sweet Soy Sauce

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To Cook
To prepare the soy sauce glaze, add the ingredients for the glaze into a small pot. Cook the mixture over low heat and stir continually until it thickens. Be careful not to burn the glaze. Set aside until needed.
Mix the black glutinous rice flour and rice flour together. Add a few drops of water and stir. Add more water until the mixture comes together.
Place the glutinous rice flour, rice flour and sugar into a bowl and mix.
Add the water a little at a time and knead the dough until it becomes smooth. If it’s too watery, add more flour.
Divide the dough into equal sized balls. Shape one ball into a long log and cut into small pieces (for the eyebrows).
Shape the remaining balls into dog heads and flattened round balls (paws).
Using the glutinous black rice mixture, shape the dough into the paws. Attach using a little bit of water.
Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add the dumplings to the water. When they float to the top, let them continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes. Scoop up and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
Skewer the dumplings with the bamboo sticks.
Using scissors, cut out mouths and noses from the nori sheet.
Brush the dango with the soy sauce glaze. Using a toothpick, add the black sesame seeds for eyes and the cut out noses and mouths.
Enjoy your new year mitarashi dango!
NOTE: You can grill your dango before brushing on the soy sauce glaze. Grill the dango until it is slightly charred on either side.

Thai Vegetarian Yellow Curry

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To Cook
Heat a wok over medium heat and add half a jar of the Valcom Yellow Curry Paste. When fragrant, add the carrot and cook for a further 2 mins.
Pour in coconut cream and stir to combine. Add the fish sauce and the palm sugar. Once bubbling, reduce to simmer for 5 mins.
Add puffed tofu and cook for a further 2 mins.
Add bok choy and serve on top of a bowl of rice.
Top with lemon wedges, a handful of coriander, pinch of chopped fresh chilli. Sprinkle with fried shallots for some extra crunch!

Vegan Unagi (eel)

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Rice
First thing to do is to cook your rice. Follow the “absorption method” directions on the back of the rice packet and by the time your rice is done, so will your delicious unagi.

Teriyaki Sauce
Mix the cornflour and water together first and then combine with the soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar in a small saucepan.
Cook over a medium heat stirring constantly. Once the sauce turns dark brown and thickens take it off the heat immediately and put it aside.

Unagi
Cut the nori sheet into little rectangles about 5cm long by 2.5cm wide and set aside.
Peel and coarsely grate the sweet potato. Squeeze out any excess moisture.
Put grated potato into a mixing bowl and season with a bit of salt and pepper, then sprinkle the flour over and toss gently so that all the grated potato is lightly and evenly coated with flour but stays nice and loose.
Take a little rectangle of seaweed sheet and place it with the shiny side down. Gently press a small amount of the sweet potato mixture onto each rectangle to cover the seaweed. The small amount of moisture in the grated potato with the flour should make it sticky enough so that it stays attached to the seaweed quite firmly. There is no need to be too neat and delicate with this, it’s fine if there are little strands of potato hanging over the edges of the seaweed.
In a non stick pan, heat the oil so it’s nice and hot and shallow fry each unagi, seaweed side first, for 2.5 mins, then turn them over and fry for a further 2.5 mins or until they are golden brown and crispy on the edges. Be sure not to crowd them in the pan or they stick together and won’t get crispy!
Drain on paper towel and be sure to keep them warm in the oven till they are all cooked.

Finishing
Use a pastry brush to coat each unagi liberally on both sides with the teriyaki sauce.
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve with the steamed rice.

Easy Teriyaki Chicken Bowl

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To Cook
Add all the sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
Add olive oil to frying pan over a medium heat and cook the chicken until they are golden on both sides.
Reduce heat, add the sauce to the frying pan and stir until the sauce has evenly glazed the chicken.
Serve with rice, lettuce, tomato and boiled egg.

Boiled eggs
Return the egg to room temperature.
Any small cracks or holes in eggs before boiling make shells easier to peel.
Boil water in a pot, put egg on a spoon and gently put in hot water.
Boil for 6-10 minutes (depends on your preference), take it out and immediately put in cold water.
Peel the shell after the eggs cool.

Chicken Noodle Soup (Soto Ayam)

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To Cook
In a large pot, pour in the water and add the chicken cutlets, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and salt. Bring to a boil.
Skim off any foam, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 45 mins. Skim any excess foam as needed.
Wash the eggs and place into the stock for the final 10 mins of cooking to hard boil. Remove, peel and set aside.
Prepare the spice paste while the chicken in simmering by crushing together the ingredients in a mortar and pestle or food processor into a paste.
Remove the chicken and pour the stock into a jug or bowl. Set aside.
Pull away the skin and bone, leaving big chunks of meat. Set aside.
In the same pot that the chicken was cooking in, add peanut oil and gently fry the spice paste on medium heat for 5 mins.
Place the rice vermicelli into a bowl and cover with cold water for 15 mins. Drain and set aside.
Return the chicken stock to the pot, pour in the can of TCC Coconut Milk. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for a further 10 mins. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Divide the rice vermicelli and the chicken between 4 bowls. Ladle over the soup.
Garnish with the bean sprouts, hard boiled eggs, fried shallots, fresh coriander and wedges of lime. Serve with Yeo’s Sambal Oeleck. You can either eat it as is, or with fluffy white rice.

Chicken Red Curry

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To Cook
Heat up cooking oil in a pan on high and add half a jar of Valcom Red Curry Paste. Keep stirring for 2 mins until fragrant.
Add one can of coconut milk and mix in with the paste.
Once hot, add the chicken thighs and let simmer for 5 mins.
Add the other can of coconut milk.
Get the broccoli and beans and add to the mix. Let it simmer under a lid for another 5 mins, or until the chicken is cooked.
When ready, remove from heat and serve on top of rice. Add sugar snaps, chilli, lime, coriander and fried shallots to garnish.

Braised Beef Spare Ribs

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To Cook
Heat oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Cook beef, in batches for 3-5 mins until brown. Transfer to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium-high. Add garlic and cook for a few seconds then add the onion. Saute for 1 minute. Add chilli flakes and cook for 15 seconds. Add the carrots and celery, cook, stirring for 1 minute. Return beef to the pan and stir. Add just enough water to cover the beef. Bring to a boil. Scoop and remove any scum. Reduce heat to low. Add hoisin, oyster sauce, soy sauce, kecap manis, tomato paste and fish sauce. Simmer and stir occasionally for 1 hour or until the beef is tender and liquid has reduced and thickened. Remove and discard the star anise and cinnamon.
Add the potatoes and cook for further 15 mins or until the potatoes are tender. Check the seasoning.
Transfer beef to a serving bowl. Serve with cooked jasmine rice.

Cantonese Stir-fry Chicken

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To Cook
Heat oil in a wok on high heat, add chicken and stir-fry until cooked through for 3-4 mins.
Add vegetables and sauce to pan and stir-fry until sauce thickens for 1-2 mins.
Garnish with sesame seeds, green onions and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

SS Lucky Golden Pork-et

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To Cook
Marinate pork slices by combining salt, light soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Add in egg white and mix well.
Sprinkle potato starch on pork pieces and mix well.
Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat.
Fry pork until golden brown. Transfer pork to a plate.
Stir-fry onion for 5 mins. Pour in Lee Kum Kee Sweet and Sour Chicken Sauce. Add pork and stir fry until pork is cooked through.
Garnish with spring onion.

Japanese Salmon Fried Rice

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To Cook
Pan fry salmon for 2 mins on each side or until it turns opaque.
Flake salmon with a fork to break it into pieces, set aside.
Heat a non-stick wok and add the cooking oil. Crack eggs in the wok and scramble them.
When the salmon is about 80% cooked, remove from wok and set aside.
Keep wok on medium high heat and add the sesame oil and spring onions.
Stir fry until nicely coated with oil.
Add rice and slightly increase the heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
When rice is coated with oil, add the salmon and continue stirring until the salmon is well mixed. Be gentle so that the salmon doesn’t break up too much.
Add the eggs and mix well.
Stir in soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and freshly ground black pepper and remove from heat.
Serve immediately.

Fragrant Oil Rice (Yau Fan)

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To Cook
Heat oil in a wok over medium heat.
Add in shallots and saute until lightly browned without burning them.
Add in uncooked rice that has been washed, and stir fry. Add salt and mix well, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes.
Transfer the rice into the rice cooker to cook.
The yau fan (oil rice) is typically served with Malaysian Bak Kut Teh.