Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Rice

Beehive Cookies (Kuih Rose/ Kuih Loyang)

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To Prep
Add coconut milk, eggs, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and whip until well combined and all sugar has dissolved.
Sift all-purpose flour and rice flour into the mixture. Whisk until the mixture has the consistency of pancake batter (Add a little water if too thick).

To Cook
Heat up oil in a wok on medium heat.
Place brass moulds in the hot oil, about 2-3 mins. (The moulds have to be hot enough for batter to cling on them).
Dip hot mould into batter for 10 secs. Make sure batter coats only the bottom and sides of mould, never over the top.
Slowly lift it up and dip mould back in hot oil. Shake to release from mould and fry until golden brown on both sides.
Remove from hot oil, and let it cool over paper towel.
Repeat until all batter is used up. Store in air-tight containers.

Lotus Leaf Wrapped Sticky Rice (Hor Yip Fan)

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To Prep
In a medium bowl, stir together the marinade ingredients and add the chicken pieces. Stir well and refrigerate. Soak the sticky rice for 2 hrs, drain and mix with 2 tbsp dark soy sauce and set aside.

To Cook
Over high heat, add 2 tbsp oil to your wok. When the wok is smoking slightly, add half the mushrooms and stir-fry until they’re browned, tender, and most of the moisture has evaporated.
Heat your wok over high heat again with a couple tablespoons oil. Fry until chicken is golden brown before mixing in the mushrooms, scallions and salt. Stir-fry for a couple minutes to let the flavors meld together.
Combine with the soaked rice. Now you’re ready to wrap them in the lotus leaves. Brush a small section on one end of each leaf lightly with oil. Put about ¾ cup of the mixture on the oiled area. Wrap each into a rectangle, tie with kitchen string, and steam for about 90 mins.
You can serve with a little chili oil or allow them to cool, place into freezer bags, and freeze for later! When you’re ready to eat them, just steam them right out of the freezer for about 30 mins.

Nian Gao Baked Puff Pastry

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To Cook
Preheat oven to 180°C. Roll out the puff pastry until thin.
Lay and space out the strips of Nian Gao on the pastry sheet before cutting it up into rectangles.
Tip: Wet your fingers slightly if the Nian Gao becomes a bit too sticky and difficult to handle.
Place nuts on top of the strip of Nian Gao.
Fold the sides and enclose filling into a little roll.
Brush egg wash or melted butter on surface and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Bake in oven for 15 mins or until golden brown.

Grilled Rice Ball (Yaki Onigiri)

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To Prep
Lightly season the cooked rice with table salt.
Using a generous piece of plastic wrap, place portion of cooked rice, add filling in the center (optional), wrap with plastic wrap, then mould into balls.

To Cook
Lightly spray the grill of the broiler grill with cooking spray to prevent the rice ball from sticking.
Over medium heat, allow the rice ball to grill on both sides until golden brown and slightly crisp. Time may vary from 15 to 20 mins depending on your grill.
Drizzle soy sauce over yaki onigiri and serve immediately.

Grilled Pork Belly (Samgyupsal Gui)

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To Cook
Prepare the vegetables. Mix the sauce ingredients.
Heat the grill (or a flat pan). Cut the pork belly strips in shorter bite size pieces. You can also grill first and then cut the meat into bite sized pieces.
Add the meat to the grill along with the garlic, chili peppers, and any other vegetables you are using. Grill over moderate heat until cooked through.

Tofu Sushi Sandwich (Tofu Onigirazu)

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To Cook
Heat frying pan over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the tofu slices until golden brown and set aside to cool.
To assemble, place a cling wrap on a chopping board and put a sheet of nori seaweed on top (shiny side facing down).
Evenly spread the steamed rice (thinly) to form into a square shape in the centre of nori sheet. Sprinkle a little bit of salt.
Place the shredded cabbage evenly on top of rice and then the fried tofu on top.
Spread the mustard and tonkatsu sauce on the tofu and flip the tofu so the sauce is on the cabbage.
Place another thin layer of steamed rice on top of the tofu. Fold left and right corners of nori sheet towards the centre. Fold gently but tightly to wrap around the layers at the centre.
Then fold bottom and top corners towards the centre. Fold gently but tightly around the layers. Ensure the rice is tucked in nicely.
Wrap with cling wrap tightly and set aside for 3 mins.
Cut the onigirazu with a sharp and clean knife. Run your knife in cold water before cutting so that the cross-section will be clean.

Chicken Katsu Sushi Sandwich (Chicken Katsu Onigirazu)

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To Prep the Chicken Katsu
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper on a baking tray.
Heat up frying pan on medium heat and combine the panko and toast until golden brown. Transfer panko into a shallow dish and allow to cool.
Butterfly and cut the chicken breast. Pound the chicken to equal thickness if necessary. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken.
In a shallow dish, add flour and in another dish, whisk together the egg and water.
Dredge each chicken piece in the flour to coat completely, pat off the excess flour. Then dip into the egg mixture and finally coat with the toasted panko.
Place the chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 25-30 mins.

To Prep the Onigirazu
Place a cling wrap on a chopping board and put a sheet of nori seaweed on top (shiny side facing down).
Evenly spread the steamed rice (thinly) to form into a square shape in the centre of nori sheet. Sprinkle a little bit of salt.
Place the shredded cabbage evenly on top of rice and then the chicken katsu on top.
Spread the mustard and tonkatsu sauce on the chicken katsu and flip the chicken so the sauce is on the cabbage.
Place another thin layer of steamed rice on top of the chicken katsu. Fold left and right corners of nori sheet towards the centre. Fold gently but tightly to wrap around the layers at the centre.
Then fold bottom and top corners towards the centre. Fold gently but tightly around the layers. Ensure the rice is tucked in nicely.
Wrap with cling wrap tightly and set aside for 3 mins.
Cut the onigirazu with a sharp and clean knife. Run your knife in cold water before cutting so that the cross-section will be clean.

Chinese Lunar New Year Cake (Nian Gao)

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To Cook
Get ready steamer, put water and bring to boil under high heat.
For the nian gao base, cut up the banana leaves into sections of 15-20 cm. If using fresh leaves, boil a pot of water and blanch the leaves first. This will make the leaves less brittle and easier to mould. Pat leaves dry with cloth or kitchen towel.
Using a recycled tin can, wrap one banana leaf at a time around the can and fold the access leaf on top, into the can. Use a smaller can to press excess leaf firmly into the bottom of the can to form part of the base. Repeat steps with another 1-2 banana leaves. Use a rubber band to secure the banana leaves around the can. Then, cut a round piece of banana leaf, slightly bigger than the diameter of the can, and press it to the bottom of the can to form the base. You’ll need to prepare 5-7 of these moulds for this recipe, depending on the size of the cans you use.
In a pot over medium heat, add sugar and water to cook until it turns golden brown and forms a thick syrup. Keep stirring to avoid burning. Then, pour the syrup in a big mixing bowl, add glutinous rice flour, and stir until as well combined.
Strain the mixture and portion them into the banana leaf moulds. Cover each mould with aluminium foil and steam in the steamer for 1-2 hrs or until the nian gao is set.
Nian gao is sticky and soft when hot. It will gradually harden as it cools. It is rarely enjoyed on its own but it’s cut into slices (when cold and set) and made into other delectable snacks; deep-fried with egg, steamed with coconut, deep-fried with potato and yam or baked in puff pastry.

Teriyaki Jar

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To Cook
In a bowl, add 5 tbsp teriyaki sauce to chicken tenderloins. Set aside to marinate for 5 mins.
In the meantime, add sushi rice seasoning to rice and mix well.
Add 1 tbsp oil to a pan, and heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken tenderloins and pan-fry for 5-10 mins, or until meat is fully cooked through. Then, set chicken pieces aside to cool. Once cooled, slice to bite-sized pieces.
Gather all the ingredients and prepare four clean jars.
Start assembling by adding 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce to each jar. Then, add ingredients layer by layer – chicken pieces, cucumber, red cabbage, corn, shiitake mushroom, seaweed salad, sushi rice, and top with pickled ginger and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Refrigerate jars up to 5 days. Enjoy meal straight from the jar or, empty all contents into a bowl and tuck in!

Meat-Free Sushi in a Jar

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To Prep
Add sushi rice seasoning to rice and mix well.
Gather all the ingredients and prepare clean jars. Depending on the size of the jars, this recipe makes about 2-3 meals.
Start by adding 3-4 tbsp rice to the bottom of the jar, then layer on the omelette, edamame, carrot, red cabbage, cucumber, and top with seaweed salad. Repeat with another clean jar, or until all ingredients are used.
Seal and refrigerate up to 3 days. Drizzle 2-3 tbsp teriyaki sauce before digging in.

California Crab Maki Roll

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To Prep the Fillings
Firstly, cut avocado into half, pit and scoop out with a spoon and slice to 0.5cm thick slices. Squeeze lemon juice over avocado to prevent browning.
Then cut cucumber into thin long strips, and slice to remove cucumber seeds.
In a bowl, add crab meat and Japanese mayonnaise, and mix well.
Trim nori sheet according to intended size of the California Crab Maki Roll.

Assembling the sushi:
To prevent rice from sticking to the bamboo mat, wrap mat with cling film.
Tip: Also, rub both hands with mayonnaise before handling rice to prevent them from sticking.
On the bamboo mat, lay one nori sheet down and spread about 1 cup of rice evenly onto the nori sheet. Use your fingers to press and push to rice to form an even layer of rice.
Sprinkle the rice with toasted sesame seeds.
Then, turn the nori sheet over so that the rice now faces down towards the bamboo mat. Align the edge of the nori sheet to the bottom of the bamboo mat.
Add crab meat and arrange avocado and cucumber in a row, close to the bottom of the nori sheet.
Then, pull up the bottom edge of the mat, while using your fingers to roll and tuck the fillings in. Lift the mat slightly to go over the roll, and continue rolling forward while keeping a firm hold.
Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into equal portions. To ensure a clean cut every time, keep a damp cloth handy and clean the knife after every cut.
Serve up your California Crab Maki Rolls on a platter or, stack them up and decorate your very own Sushi Christmas Tree as shown in the video below!

Rice Crackers with Minced Chicken Dip (Khaw Tang Na Tang)

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To Cook
Heat oil and fry rice crackers a few pieces at a time over medium flame till crispy and golden in colour. Set aside and drain.
Pound together chilli, coriander root, garlic and peppercorns till fine.
Heat coconut milk in a pot but do not bring to a boil. Add pounded mixture, minced chicken and prawns. Stir to avoid lumps.
Add sugar and fish sauce. When cooked, add peanuts and shallots.
Garnish with parsley before serving.