Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Rice

Singapore Chicken Briyani

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To Cook the Rice
Heat ghee or oil in a rice cooker or a pot. When the oil is hot, add in the onions and saute until they have turned golden in colour.
Add in the garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and continue to saute until they have become fragrant.
When the aromatics have become fragrant, add in the tomato puree and stir well before adding in the carrots. Continue to fry for another minute befoe adding in the pandan leaf and cooking it for about another minute.
Add the rice, and mix it around so that all of the other ingredients become mixed evenly within it. Add in the water and bring to boil before adding in the salt.
Next, add the evaporated milk. Once it reaches a boil, cover the pot and immediately lower the heat to cook for another 10 mins.
Check if the rice has softened and the liquid has been fully absorbed by the rice. Fluff up the rice and then place the lid back on and remove from heat. Set aside until ready to serve.

For the chicken
Rinse the chicken well and drain. Add the ingredients for marinade and rub well into the chicken. Let the chicken marinade for at least 30 mins.
In a non-stick pan over a medium heat, add in the oil when it has heated up add in the pieces of chicken.
Fry on both sides but not through as we want to cook the outer flesh until it is slightly golden.
Set aside the meat and strain the oil from the pan except for about a tablespoon. Heat up the remaining oil and then add the onions, garlic and saute till softened.
Add in the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, pepper powder, turmeric powder and pandan leaves and saute until aromatic.
Return the meat back in to the pan and stir-fry for 5 more mins before adding in the 1 – 1/2 cups water and cook covered for another 10-15 mins on low heat.

To Serve
In a large bowl, add the rice and the cooked chicken and mix well. Transfer the mixed rice on to a plate and top with more chicken if desired. Garnish with fried golden raisins, cashews and freshly chopped coriander.

Tom Yum Fried Rice (Khao Pad Tom Yum)

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To Make the Sauce
Pound lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and chillies until fine. Add in the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and lime juice. Alternatively, blend all ingredients in a blender.

To Make Thai-style Fried Egg:
In a wok or small frypan, heat about 1cm of oil to very hot over medium high heat, before smoking.
Crack egg into the oil, then reduce the heat to medium. The egg white would bubble immediately if the oil is hot enough. Fry the egg for about 1.5 mins or until the edges are browned. For non-runny yolk, reduce heat to medium low after adding the egg. If the egg sticks to the pan, gently nudge it with a thin spatula after frying for 1 min for the bottom of the yolk to get firm. Keep the oil for later.

To Make the Fried Rice
Coat a wok with the oil from fried egg, heat over medium high until hot. Sear the prawns until browned on each side and cooked. Remove and set aside.
Add a little oil to the work and saute onion until translucent. Add the Chinese broccoli and toss slightly until the leaves turn bright green, then the rice and toss until most lumps are loosened.
Add the sauce over the rice and toss until they are evenly coated by the sauce and dry.
Remove from heat and stir in green onions. Serve with fried egg, prawns and cucumber. Garnish with spring onion, coriander, chillies and lime.

Tofu Poke Bowl

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To Prep
Drain tofu and place the tofu flat in between paper towel to soak up liquid. Cut into 2cm cubes.
Put the tofu cubes in a large mixing bowl, mix together soy sauce, mirin and 1 tbsp oil. Set aside for 10 mins.

To Cook
In a large nonstick pan, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Add tofu cubes to the heated pan and sprinkle with salt, shaking off excess marinade. Reserve marinade. Fry tofu for 15 mins, tossing every 5 mins, ensuring tofu is crisp on all sides.
Carefully pour in the reserved marinade, reserving 2 tbsp. Stir to coat all of the tofu cubes and lower the heat to simmer. Cook for 4-5 mins, or until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Dust the shichimi togarashi onto the tofu.
Marinate the seaweed with a little bonito soy sauce, minced garlic and sesame oil. Set aside.
To serve, layer a plate or bowl with rice, then top with tofu, veggies, drizzle with remaining sauce, and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on the dish. Enjoy!

Balinese Black Rice Pudding (Bubur Injin)

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To Prep
Rinse both types of glutinous rice until the water runs clear.
Soak them overnight.
Mix pinch of salt and coconut cream. Set aside.

To Cook
Heat up a saucepan over medium heat. Add glutinous rice, water and pandan leaves or extract, cooking until boiling.
Lower the heat to low-medium and cook uncovered for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally until the glutinous rice becomes porridge-like.
Remove the pandan leaves. Add palm sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Combine the coconut cream and salt in a bowl and mix well.
To serve, drizzle salted coconut cream over the pudding.

Korean Fried Rice (Kimchi Kibokum Bap)

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To Cook
Add 1 tbsp oil and butter (or sesame oil) to a heated pan. Add kimchi and carrots and cook until kimchi starts to soften, about 5 mins.
Push cooked kimchi to one side of the pan and add meat and cook quickly until meat is cooked, seasoning the meat with salt and pepper, should take about 2 mins. Stir kimchi and meat together to combine.
Add rice to the meat and kimchee mixture and fry quickly over high heat until rice is well combined with fish sauce and spring onions, continuously stirring with a wooden spoon. Season the rice with salt and pepper.
Pour 1 tbsp oil to another heated frying pan and fry eggs sunny side up.
Serve eggs on top of kimchi fried rice.

Japanese Tea Rice (Ochazuke)

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To Prep
Mix all sauce ingredients, rest in the fridge for up to 2 hrs to enhance flavours.
Cut kingfish (or salmon/tuna) into 1.5cm cubes, toss in the sauce to coat.
Place rice in 4 bowls, top with kingfish, nori, shichimi and wasabi.
Pour over hot tea just before serving.

Korean Pork Bibimbap

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To Cook
Set aside each type of vegetables on one big plate after the following cooking steps.
Heat pan and ½ tbsp oil. Add carrot and cook briefly about 20 secs. Season lightly with salt.
Repeat sauté process as above with zucchini but add ⅛ tbsp garlic and ½ tbsp green onions.
Repeat with shitake mushrooms but season lightly with soy sauce.
Mix salad leaves with ⅛ tbsp garlic, ½ tbsp green onions and 1½ tbsp of sesame oil.
In a saucepan, place soybean sprouts with ⅛ tbsp garlic, 1 tbsp sesame oil and 2 tbsp water. Cook for about 5 mins until sprouts are cooked.
Drain and add ½ tbsp green onions and ¼ tsp Korean chilli powder. Season with salt.
In a bowl, ladle 1 cup of cooked rice. Arrange vegetables, meat and then an egg on top. Drizzle some sesame oil and sprinkle some sesame seeds. Serve with Korean chilli paste for individual taste. Repeat with another 3 bowls. Mix Korean chilli paste with rice and topping before eating.

Thai Crab Fried Rice (Kao Pad Bpu)

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To Cook
In a wok or frying pan, heat the oil over medium high heat and saute garlic until golden. Add the egg and break the yolk. Let it fry a little then gently scramble.
Add in the rice and press to break the lumps. Add in the crabmeat then toss fast to mix.
Add the seasonings and continue to stir until well-mixed and rice is heated through. Add spring onions and toss to mix.
Remove from heat and serve with slice of lime, chilli flakes and Thai dipping sauce. Garnish with coriander.

Korean Sushi Roll (Gim Bap)

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To Prep
Mix rice with 2 tbsp sesame oil and ½-1 tsp salt in a bowl and set aside. Also set aside bulgogi and sliced danmooji.

To Cook
Pour ½-1 tbsp oil to a heated pan and pour eggs and make a thin omelette over medium heat, omelette should be pale in colour. Cut into thin strips when cooled and set aside.
Pour ½-1 tbsp oil to a heated pan and quickly sauté carrots for about 30 secs and season with salt and set aside.
Squeeze excess water out of spinach, mix with ½ tbsp sesame oil, ¼ cloves of garlic and 2 pinches of salt in a bowl and set aside.
Place sushi mat on a board. Place gim (nori sheet) on the mat, place ⅓- ½ cups of rice on gim, covering about ⅔ of the sheet. Place all the ingredients on top of the rice, lining them up horizontally and close together. Roll the gim (nori sheet), using your mat until you have a cylinder shape. Squeeze the roll inside the mat gently so that the gimbap is not too loose.
Repeat with all the other ingredients until you have a desired number of gimbap rolls. Cut gimbap into bite sized pieces, usually 8-10.

Glutinous Rice with Diced Chinese Pork Sausage

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To Cook
Mix shrimp with rice, add to the rice cooker, along with the water. Place pork sausages and mushroom on top of rice and turn on to cook until ready.
When rice is done, remove mushrooms and sausages and set aside. Mix sauce ingredients and stir through to rice.
In a clean bowl, place mushrooms and sausages, then add the sticky rice and press to form the shape. Turnover to serve on a plate, garnish with coriander.
Serves 4 with an accompaniment of freshly steamed vegetables.

Vegetarian Thai Pineapple Fried Rice with Cashew Nuts (Khao Pad Sapparod)

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To Cook
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high heat, pour in the eggs and cook, stirring frequently for about 30 secs or until the eggs are scrambled and lightly set.
Transfer the eggs to an empty bowl. Wipe the wok with a paper towel.
Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil to the wok and add tofu puffs, broccoli, pineapple and red pepper. Stir constantly for 3-5 mins or until the liquid has evaporated and the pineapple is caramelized.
Add in the spring onions and garlic, stir constantly for 30 secs or until fragrant. Transfer to the bowl of eggs.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining vegetable oil to the wok. Pour in the cashews and stir until fragrant. Add the rice to the wok and mix through. Continue frying for 3 mins until rice is hot and fluffy.
Pour the contents of the bowl back into the wok and stir to combine, breaking up the scrambled eggs with the spatula. When everything is warmed through, turn heat off. Add soy and sriracha sauce, to taste. Serve.