Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Rice

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.

Glutinous Rice Balls in Ginger Soup (Tang Yuan)

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To Make the Glutinous Ball
In a large mixing bowl, add flour and sugar. Gradually add water (you don’t have to use all of it) and knead the dough until soft and smooth. It should be bouncy and easily kneadable, yet not too wet (sticky to the fingers), nor too dry (crumbling).
Divide the dough depending on the number of different colours you intend to make.
Add food colouring, one drop at a time, to each portion and knead until the colour is well distributed. Shape the dough to even-sized balls.
Bring a pot of water (enough water to submerge the glutinous ball completely) to boil. Add the tang yuan into the boiling water and cook until they float to the surface. Transfer them immediately to a bowl of room temperature water until cooled or ready to serve.

To Cook the Ginger Sweet Soup
To cook the ginger sweet soup, add all the ingredients – ginger, water, palm sugar and pandan to a pot.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer until the sugar is fully melted. Simmer for another 30 mins.
To serve, add tang yuan to a serving bowl and ladle the sweet soup over.

Salmon Sushi Rolls

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To Cook
In a large bowl, cover and rinse rice with cool water. Swirl rice around, drain water and then repeat until the water is clear.
In a medium saucepan, place equal parts rice and water over high heat. Leave uncovered and bring to boil. Once boiling, turn heat down and cover for 15 mins.
Remove from heat, but leave covered for another 10 mins.
Combine rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Transfer rice into the big glass bowl. Using a wooden spoon or rice paddle, gently fold in the vinegar mix so that every grain of rice is covered. Be careful not to get the rice too wet.
Allow rice to cool before assembling sushi.
On a sushi mat, take a piece of nori and place it shiny side down, about 2 cm away from the edge nearest to you.
Wet your hands and gently spread about ¾ cup of rice over seaweed, being careful to leave about 2.5 cm borders around all sides.
Line two pieces of finely sliced salmon end-to-end on the rice.
Holding the filling in place, carefully roll the mat over itself, away from you, making sure the nori folds over and seals itself.
Continue with the rest of the nori sheets and filling. Cut rolls into 2.5cm thick pieces and serve with soy sauce, beni shoga (pickled ginger) and wasabi.

Thai Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Neow Ma Muang)

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To Prep
For the sticky rice, rinse it 6 – 10 times, making sure most of the starch is removed until the water is clear. Soak the rice in water for about 6 hrs.

To Cook
Using a steamer basket or other type of steamer, steam the sticky rice for about 15-20 mins until fully cooked. Set aside.
To prepare the coconut cream mixture, add coconut cream into a pot over medium heat and gently stir in one circular direction. Add sugar and salt, and keep stirring until fully dissolved. When the coconut cream mixture comes to a boil, turn off the heat.
Put the fresh sticky rice into a mixing bowl, and begin to slowly add in the coconut cream and sugar mixture. Stir constantly to slowly incorporate coconut mixture into the rice. Once all combined, the rice should look glossy with a grainy pudding-like texture. The hot sticky rice will absorb all the coconut milk.
In a separate saucepan add the other portion of coconut cream with salt and stir on low heat. Bring it to a boil, then turn off the heat and set aside in a bowl. This will be served alongside the mango sticky rice as a topping.
For the yellow mung beans using low heat and with a frying pan or wok, dry-fry the yellow mung beans for a few minutes until they turn golden crispy. Set this aside as a topping.
For the mango, first peels off the skin, then cut off the meat from either side of the mango seed and slice the mango.
On a serving plate, add a portion of sticky rice, top it with mango and a sprinkling of crispy mung beans, and then drizzle coconut cream all over.