Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Seafood

Crabs in Coconut Milk (Ginataang Alimasag)

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To Prep
Using a large heavy-bladed knife or cleaver, cut the crabs in half and scrape off the spongy grey gills, then twist off and crack the claws.
Turn the body over and pull off the apron pieces. Rinse well under cold running water.

To Cook
Heat oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook until softened. Add in the garlic, ginger, chillies, XO sauce and curry paste and cook for 1-2 mins or until aromatic.
Stir in coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce and pumpkin. Bring to the boil.
Reduce heat to low then add water. Add the crabs and simmer for 5-6 mins or until cooked. The crabs will turn pink or red when they are ready and the flesh will turn opaque.
Drizzle the liquid from the pan over the crabs. And scatter the water spinach on top. Simmer for 5-6 mins.
Serve immediately with rice and fried dried anchovies. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with lime wedges and rice.

Tom Yam Goong Noodle Bowl

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To Cook
Pour prawn stock into pot over medium-high heat.
When the stock starts to boil, add lemongrass, Valcom Tom Yum Paste, Squid Brand Fish Sauce, kaffir lime leaves and sugar to pot.
Stir gently to break down paste and leave to boil for a couple of minutes.
Add carrots, king prawns, snapper, mussels, straw mushrooms to pot and leave to boil for 2-3 mins.
Add the squid and baby corn to pot, allow to boil for 1-2 mins.
Lastly, add cherry tomatoes and remove pot from heat.
Add lime juice to pot, stirring gently.
Place noodles in a bowl, and ladle Tom Yum soup over noodles.
Garnish with fresh herbs and cut chilli.

Spicy Glass Noodle Salad with Squid & Prawns (Yum Woon Sen Talay)

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To Prep
Soak the glass noodles in water for 8-10 mins and drain in colander.
Put all the seasoning mix ingredients in a bowl and mix them until the sugar has dissolved. Put it aside.
Put 1.5l of water in a pot and put on the stove and bring it to boil.
Then cook the glass noodles for about 1 min until the noodles have cooked through.
Take the noodles out and quick rinse them with fresh water to stop them cooking then drain in a colander.
Cook the squid and prawns for about a min until the squid is just cooked and the prawns turn pink – do not overcook them. Then take the squid and prawns out and put them into a large bowl.
Put the cooked glass noodles into the same bowl of cooked squid and prawns.
Then, pour all of the seasoning mix into the bowl followed by spring onions, lemongrass, mint, red onions and coriander. Mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust to your liking.
Put the glass noodle salad into a bowl and top with toasted sesame seeds and add some sliced fresh chilli.

Tom Yum Fried Rice

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To Prep
Marinate the chicken pieces with ½ tbsp of Valcom Tom Yum Paste, mix well and set aside for 10 mins.
Marinade the prawns with ½ tbsp of Valcom Tom Yum Paste, mix well and set aside for 10 mins.
Pour 1.5L of water into a pot and bring to a boil. Place the straw mushrooms into the boiling water and blanch for 30 secs. Remove from the pot and drain well. Set aside.
Add the bamboo shoots into the hot water and blanch for 30 secs. Turn off the heat and remove from the pot. Drain well and set aside.

To Cook
In a wok, heat 1 tbsp of oil on medium heat. Add a pinch of salt into the eggs and mix slightly. Pour the eggs into the wok and let it fry for 1 min.
Fold the eggs slightly and continue to fry for another min. Stir the eggs into smaller pieces and pan fry until golden brown on each side. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat another tbsp of oil in the wok, add the chicken pieces into the wok. Stir fry until the chicken pieces are cooked.
Add the prawns into the wok and stir fry until the prawns are cooked. Add in the bamboo shoots and straw mushrooms, stir well. Then, add in the rice and stir for 1-2 mins.
Add ½ tbsp water into the remaining tom yum paste to dilute slightly, then pour into the fried rice.
Lastly, add the fish sauce to the fried rice and stir well until all ingredients are evenly mixed and coated with tom yum sauce.
Turn off the heat and stir in the kaffir lime leaves. Mix well then serve in a bowl, garnish with chilli slices. Enjoy immediately.

Dao Ming Squid in Sichuan Adobo Sauce with Ginger & Coconut Rice Balls

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To Prep
Prepare a bowl and put sliced squid with sweet soy sauce, mirin, rice wine vinegar, ground pepper and salt. Mix all together and set aside to marinate for 1 hr.
Soak 1 cup of rice in rice wine vinegar and water for 1 hr.

To Cook
Add oil and saute grated ginger and turmeric in a small casserole dish and over medium heat.
Drain rice (reserving the water) and add to the casserole and saute until it turns into yellow. Season with a pinch of salt and honey.
Add the water and allow to cook for 10 mins or until ready.
When the rice is ready, let it cool and roll into balls and then coat in black sesame seeds.
Meanwhile, heat a wok or pan over medium-high heat, then add some vegetable oil.
Saute garlic and fresh chillies for 1 min.
Remove the squid from the marinade, reserving the marinade.
Add the squid, peppercorns and dried chillies and quickly stir fry, then set aside.
For the sauce, add the reserved marinade, star anise and water into the pan. Bring to the boil and cook until it thickens.
To serve, plate the rice balls and squid. Drizzle some of the sauce on top of the squid and sprinkle with spring onions. Enjoy.

Grandma’s Chicken Noodle Soup (Soto Ayam Bali)

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To Prep
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor to make the spice paste.
Process to a fine paste, stopping to scrape down occasionally. Add a little more water if it is too dry.
Boil the glass noodles for 1 min, then plunged into an ice bath to stop the cooking, and drain.

To Cook
Heat the oil in a pressure cooker pot.
Add the spice paste, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and curry leaves. Stir over medium heat until fragrant, for about 3 mins.
Pour the chicken stock into the spice paste. Bring it to a boil.
Add the chicken pieces and bring to a simmer. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and cook at 12-15 psi for 10 mins.
Turn off the heat and keep the lid on. Allow the pressure cooker to cool for 10 mins.
Remove and discard the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and curry leaves from the stock.
Next, remove the chicken from the stock and discard the bones. Finely shred the meat by hand. Set aside.
Place individual serves of glass noodles, shredded chicken, bean sprouts and celery leaves into individual serving bowls.
Ladle over the hot chicken stock.
Squeeze over some fresh lime juice and garnish with fried shallots and hard-boiled egg halves.
Serve immediately, with sambal oelek, kecap manis and prawn crackers on the side.

Whole Bonito & Prawn Teppanyaki with Edamame & Pickled Daikon

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To Prep
Make the marinade by combining the Obento Mirin Seasoning, Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce and Obento Cooking Sake with brown sugar and grated ginger. Stir well until sugar is dissolved. Put one quarter aside to use as a dressing sauce and divide the remaining marinade into two bowls.
Pack the fish with sliced ginger and spring onions and cut the fish with 3 to 4 deep slits on each side.
Gently combine the fish with ½ of the marinade and refrigerate for 1-3 hrs.
Add prawns to skewers and combine with remaining marinade. Refrigerate for 1-3 hrs.
Using a small pot, prepare the pickling liquid by combining Obento Rice Wine Vinegar, white vinegar, water, sugar and salt, and heat until sugar is dissolved. Allow mixture to cool, then pour over daikon and carrot in a glass bowl. Allow to stand and infuse for at least 30 mins.
Prepare the edamame and watercress salad by tossing the ingredients gently with salad dressing. Set aside until ready to serve. Sprinkle with furikake and shichimi togarashi immediately before serving.

To Cook
When ready to BBQ, preheat a flat grill to medium temperature, and cook the fish, occasionally basting with the marinade, turning only once. (Approximately 4 mins per side).
Add the prawns to the grill and cook, occasionally basting with the marinade.
Serve the BBQ Bonito and Prawns with the pickled daikon and carrot salad, and edamame bean and watercress salad.
Drizzle reserved dressing over the fish and prawns, dress with finely sliced spring onion and sprinkle with shichimi togarashi to serve.

BBQ Sweet Chilli Prawn Wonton Cups with Mango Salsa

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To Make the Marinade
Combine the sweet chilli sauce, olive oil, coriander, lime zest and juice and garlic in a shallow glass or ceramic bowl.
Add the prawns and toss to coat. Cover and keep in the fridge for at least 2 hrs.

To Make the Wonton Cups
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly brush each side of a wonton wrapper with olive oil and use it to line the edges of the one of the holes of a ⅓ cup capacity muffin tray.
Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers, then place the muffin tray in the oven for 8-10 mins, or until the wonton wrappers are golden and set.

To Make the Mango Salsa
Finely chop the mango, avocado and spring onion and combine in a bowl. Add a handful of picked coriander leaves and gently stir.

To Cook the Prawns
Remove the prawns from the fridge. Heat a BBQ or griddle pan on high heat and cook the prawns for a minute each side, or until the tails are pink and the prawns are cooked through.

Assemble the Wonton Cups
Fill each cup with mango salsa and top with a prawn. Makes an impressive entrée at your next BBQ feast! Serves 12.

Fish Head Curry

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To Prep
Combine half of the tamarind paste with 100 ml of the water and pour the solution over the fish. Let marinate for about 10 minutes.
In a blender or food processor, blend the garlic, shallots, ginger and chillies until they form a rough paste. Set this aside and combine the curry powder with about 3 tbsp of water to make a curry paste.

To Cook
In a wok, heat up 4 tbsp of oil and salute the curry leaves until they become fragrant. Add in the mustard and fenugreek seeds.
Continue to sauté until the mustard seeds begin to pop before adding the blended paste and curry paste. When the oil has begun to separate from the paste, add in the toasted rice flour and the rest of the water.
Bring the mixture to a boil before adding in the fish, eggplant and okra. Reduce the mixture to a simmer and cook the fish for about 10 minutes. When the fish has cooked, remove it from the wok and add in the leftover tamarind paste, salt and sugar and let simmer for another 40 minutes.
When the curry has thickened, return the fish to the wok and bring the curry up to a boil again. Once it begins to boil, remove it from the heat and serve!

Braised Oysters with Black Sea Moss

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To Prep
Soak the oysters in the water for 1-2 hrs, then drain, reserving 375ml of the soaking water. Set aside.
Soak the black sea moss in the water for several mins to soften, then rinse in several changes of water and squeeze dry.

To Cook
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the black sea moss, 1 tsp of the oil and 2 slices of the ginger, and boil for 20-30 mins. Remove from the heat and drain.
Heat the remaining oil in a wok over medium heat until very hot. Stir-fry the remaining ginger and spring onion for about 1min. Add the oysters and stir-fry for 1 more min. Season with the rice wine, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and liquid from the soaked oysters. Bring the mixture to a boil, simmer for about 20 mins and remove from the heat. Discard the ginger and spring onion, drain the oysters and reserve the sauce.
Line a wide-rimmed heatproof dish with the cooked oysters in a single layer and fill the center with the sea moss. Pour the reserved sauce over the oysters and cover the bowl with aluminium foil. Steam the dish in a covered wok or steamer for 1-1½ hrs. Remove from the heat and drain all the sauce into a small bowl. Place a serving platter over the dish of oysters and sea moss, and carefully invert them onto the serving platter. Arrange the blanched lettuce leaves around the dish.
Bring the reserved sauce to a boil over high heat in a saucepan. Add the salt, pepper, sesame oil and cornstarch solution, and mix until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat, pour the sauce over the dish and serve immediately.

Banana Prawns in Fish Sauce (Gung Chae Nampla)

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To Prep
Rinse the cabbage under running water. Chop off the cabbage stem. Shred the cabbage.
Rinse the garlic and bird’s eye chilli finely, then mince them. Reserve.
Peel off shrimp shells. Chop off the shrimps’ head. The shrimps must have only the tail and flesh left. Use a knife to slit the shrimp flesh until the cut is deep enough to make the shrimps flat. Wash the shrimps under running cold water twice. Reserve.
In a small mixing bowl, mix chopped garlic and bird’s eye chilli with the fish sauce.
Add sugar and lime juice. Mix well until sugar is properly dissolved.
Place shredded cabbage in the centre of the serving plate and bitter melons around the cabbage.
Place the shrimps on top of the cabbage. Pour the sauce over the shrimp.
Garnish the dish with spearmint. Serve.

Cantonese Style Stir-Fried Shrimp and Eggs

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To Prep
Beat the eggs in a large bowl, add in the salt, sesame oil and white pepper.
Mix in ¾ of the chopped spring onions.

To Cook
Heat the water in a pot on medium until the water start turning hot. Add in the shrimps and cook until pink. Remove and drain well.
Gently mix in the shrimps into the egg mixture.
Heat oil in a wok on high, spreading the oil with a wok spatula to cover all the surface.
Pour in the egg mixture and immediately use the wok spatula to fold the eggs quickly but gently. Make sure the shrimps spread evenly all over the egg while avoid the egg from turning brown.
Once the egg is cooked, transfer onto a serving plate and garnish with remaining spring onions. Serve hot with rice.