Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Seafood

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.

Thai Stir-Fried Chilli Crab (Poo Pad Namprik Phao)

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To Cook
Add vegetable oil onto a large pan. Add chopped garlic after the oil turns hot.
Stir fry the garlic until it turns yellow.
Add chilli paste and stir about 1 min.
Add crab and stir fry for approximately 5 mins or until they turn orange and are cooked.
Add fish sauce and sugar into the pan and mix well.
Add spring onions and turn off the heat.
Transfer the dish to serving plate and garnish with chilli. Serve.

Southern Thai Sour Soup with Prawns (Kaengsom Kung)

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To Make the Paste
Pound dried chillies, roughly chopped garlic, shallots and salt using a pestle and mortar.
After pounding for a while, add shrimp paste and continue grinding.
When these ingredients start to combine, add roughly chopped raw prawns and pound into a paste. Set aside.

To Cook the Soup
Heat 5 cups of water over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the paste when the water boils and stir well.
Add chopped wombok and long green beans.
When the vegetables are cooked, add palm sugar, fish sauce and tamarind juice. Stir well.
Add peeled and deveined prawns into the pot.
Remove the pot from heat when the prawns are cooked.
Transfer the soup into serving bowl and serve. Serve with cooked jasmine rice.

Thai Steamed Glass Noodles with Prawns (Kung Aob Woonsen)

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To Prep
Using a mortar and pestle, grind garlic, black pepper and half of the sliced ginger until a paste is formed. Set aside.

To Cook
Coat a non-stick clay pot with a small amount of cooking oil. Neatly place the uncrushed sliced ginger on the based on the pot and place the celery leaves on top of the sliced ginger.
Using a small mixing bowl, mix sugar, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and soy sauce.
Add the paste from your mortar and pestle into the mixing bowl and mix well.
Add the washed prawns into the mixing bowl, allow to marinate for 10-15 mins, and then remove and set aside.
Drain the glass noodles to get rid of the excess water, then add the glass noodles into the mixing bowl and mix well so they can absorb the sauce evenly.
Place the noodles in your clay pot on top of the ginger and celery leaves. Create a flat top by patting the glass noodles down. Then, neatly lay the prawns on top of the glass noodles.
Cook for 15 mins over medium-high heat.
Garnish with celery leaves and serve.

Thai Steamed Glass Noodles with Crab (Poo Aob Woonsen)

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To Prep
Using a mortar and pestle, grind garlic, black pepper and half of the sliced ginger until a paste is formed. Set aside.

To Cook
Coat a non-stick clay pot with a small amount of cooking oil. Neatly place the uncrushed sliced ginger on the based on the pot and place the celery leaves on top of the sliced ginger.
Using a small mixing bowl, mix sugar, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and soy sauce.
Add the paste from your mortar and pestle into the mixing bowl and mix well.
Add the crab into the mixing bowl, allow to marinate for 10-15 mins, and then remove and set aside.
Drain the glass noodles to get rid of the excess water, then add the glass noodles into the mixing bowl and mix well so they can absorb the sauce evenly.
Place the noodles in your clay pot on top of the ginger and celery leaves. Create a flat top by patting the glass noodles down. Then, neatly lay the crab on top of the glass noodles.
Cook for 15 mins over medium-high heat.
Garnish with celery and serve.

Singapore Hokkien Prawn Mee

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To Make the Broth
In a stock pot, heat the oil and sauté garlic and shallot until fragrant. Add prawn heads and shells, stir-fry until fragrant.
Add the remaining broth ingredients and bring to boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 45 mins.
Strain the broth and bring to boil again. Poach the squid rings slightly, then the prawns.

To Cook the Noodle
Heat pork lard in a pan, stir-fry the egg. Add all the noodles, light soy sauce and minced garlic, stir-fry until well-mixed.
Add the pork belly and seafood, then 2 cup seafood broth and bean shoots. Cook covered for 6 mins and add dark soy sauce for colour. Stir-fry to mix well. Transfer to serving plate and garnish with spring onions and coriander.

Quick and Easy Prawns

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To Prep
Remove veins from the prawns, snip off the pointed ends on the heads and tails. Trim off the legs. Rinse and pat dry.

To Cook
Heat oil in a saucepan or wok. Deep fry prawns for about 30 secs, then remove.
Let the oil heat up again before returning the prawns to deep-fry further. Repeat 3 times, remove and drain well.
Place garlic, chilli and spring onion into a large bowl. Pour in about ⅓ cup hot oil to cook until fragrant.
Add fried prawns and seasonings. Stir briskly to combine well. Transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately.

Pan Fried Fish Fillet with Thai Soybean Chilli Paste

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Sprinkle fish fillet with salt and pepper, then coat with flour. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan on medium high and pan fry fish fillets until golden brown on both sides, about 2 mins per side. Set aside on a serving plate.
In the same pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a frying on medium high heat and sauté garlic and onion until fragrant. Add the Thai soybean chilli paste, Thai sweet chili sauce, salt and sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil.
Pour the sauce over the fried fish. Serve immediately.