Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Seafood

Thai Banana Blossom Salad

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To Prep
Place dried shrimp in a food processor and process until fine. Transfer to a small bowl and combine with tamarind paste, palm sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, chilli paste and coconut cream. Cover in cling film and set aside.
Fill a large bowl with water, add lemon juice and salt, and mix to combine.
To prepare banana blossoms, start by removing purple outer petals and flowers. Reserve a few purple petals for garnish.
Cut banana blossom in half, remove core and thinly slice pale inner petals. Place sliced banana blossom in lemon water to prevent browning.

To Cook
In a large mixing bowl, add prawns, spring onions, toasted coconut and coriander. Drain sliced banana blossom and place in the bowl. Add dressing and toss gently to combine.
Serve in banana blossom petals, and garnish with fried shallots, coriander and chilli.

Crab Fried Rice (Kani Ankake)

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To Cook
Heat 1 tbsp of the sesame oil in a wok over high heat. Add the eggs and gently scramble until cooked. Remove the eggs and set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp of the sesame oil in a wok over high heat. Add the spring onions and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 secs or until fragrant.
Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 secs. Add the soy sauce, salt, pepper, and cooked eggs, cooking while stirring constantly for another 30 secs. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of sesame oil and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 more secs. Turn off the heat.
To plate the rice, arrange 4 plates, and ready 4 small bowls to serve as molds (rice bowls are ideal). Spoon ¼ of the cooked rice into each bowl, then quickly flip the bowl over, and rest it onto the plate rice side down. Do not remove the bowl for now; it will keep the rice warm. Repeat with the remaining 3 bowls. Set aside.

To Cook Ankake
Combine the crab, chicken stock, lettuce, ginger, salt, and pepper in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let the ankake simmer for 2 mins over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the potato starch mixture and cook, stirring constantly, for about 15 secs. Remove from the heat.
Removing the bowls covering the rice. Pour about ¼ of the ankake either alongside each serving of rice or over it, as you desire. Serve immediately.

Mung Bean Vermicelli Salad with Chicken (Yum Woon Sen)

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To Prep
For the dressing, create a paste in a mortar and pestle by pounding the garlic, chillies and coriander root.
Add the palm sugar and lightly grind until dissolved.
Add the fish sauce and lime juice and pound until well combined.
Set aside.

To Cook
Cook the minced chicken in a small saucepan of boiling water for 3 mins or until cooked through. Drain and set aside.
Place the vermicelli in a heatproof bowl, then cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 2 mins. Drain well and place in a mixing bowl.
Add the dressing, chicken and dried shrimp and mix well, then add the spring onion, coriander, shallot and peanuts and combine.
Use the chilli and extra coriander as garnish on top and serve.

Yum Takrai (Thai Lemongrass Salad)

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To Prep
Heat a pan over low-medium heat. Add the cashews and dried shrimp. Fry your cashews and dried shrimp without oil or water until they appear toasted. Leave to the side.
Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Cook the shrimp until they are done. Remove the shrimp and add the minced pork, let it cook in your preferred portions. Remove from the pot.
To make your dressing, mix the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar together in the desired ratio.
Combine all your ingredients together and mix well.

Salt and Pepper Prawns (Tom Rang Muoi)

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To Prep
Clean the prawns and then cut off the whiskers and horn with a pair of scissors.
Without removing the shell, take out the veins by using a toothpick placed under the shell and then slowly pulling up. If the vein breaks, you should be able to pull out the remainder with your hands.

To Cook
In a pot, heat oil to 180°C.
While the pot of oil is heating up, dry roast the salt and pepper in a pan until the pepper becomes fragrant.
Once the pepper has become fragrant, remove from the heat and add the sugar, mix and set aside.
Coat a batch of the prawns in corn starch and shake off the excess before frying in the oil.
Cook for about 1-2 mins before transferring to a plate with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Continue to cook the remaining prawns in batches until finished.
In a wok, heat up 1 tbsp of oil and add the chilli, onions and garlic.
Sauté until fragrant before adding the deep-fried prawns and the salt and pepper mix.
Toss lightly until combined and then serve!

Salt and Pepper Prawns

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To Cook
In a large bowl. add flour, salt, 2 tsp black pepper and mix well.
Coat prawns in flour mixture. Shake off excess flour from each prawn.
Fill a frying pan 2-3 cm deep with oil and heat over high heat. Fry prawns in small batches for about 2-3 mins or until crisp. Transfer prawns to a plate lined with paper towel and set aside to drain.
Combine salt flakes with remaining black pepper in a small bowl.
Plate up the prawns and sprinkle with the salt and pepper mix. Serve on its own, or with rice.

Tempura Crabsticks

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To Make Dipping Sauce
In a saucepan, combine all Dipping Sauce ingredients and bring to boil.
Lower heat to simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and set aside.

To Prep
Heat oil in a wok or saucepan for deep frying.
Sift the plain flour 1-2 times into a bowl.
Add the egg into the ice-cold water and whisk vigorously until well incorporated. Scoop out the foam on the surface and discard.
Pour the egg mixture into the flour slowly, using chopsticks to mix gently. Allow some lumps in the batter and do not over mix.
Sit the bowl in another bowl with ice bath to keep the batter cool.

To Cook
When the oil is hot, dip each crabstick into the batter and place in the oil. Deep fry in batches to avoid cooling the oil too much.
When the tempura crabsticks turn golden brown, remove and drain well. Repeat until all crabsticks are done. Serve with dipping sauce.

Katong Laksa

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To Prep
With a blender, blend all spice paste ingredients, except the dried shrimps and oil, set aside.
Blend the dried shrimps and set aside.

To Cook
Heat oil in a wok, add the blended spice paste and fry for 45 mins. Remove and set aside.
In the same wok, fry the blended dried shrimps until fragrant, add the spice paste back in.
Add ½ of the coconut milk, 1 tbsp at a time, then add laksa leaves.
Add the water along with the reserved dried shrimps water, and the remaining coconut milk. Stirring, boil for 30 mins.
Add puffed tofu and cook for another 10 mins.

To Serve
Place the rice noodles and bean shoots in a serving bowl. Pour in the laksa soup and top with prawns and fish cakes. Serve hot.

Wonton Soup

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To Make the Wontons
In a mixing bowl, combine the pork filling ingredients and cover with cling wrap before letting marinate in a fridge for at least 20 minutes.
While the pork marinates, dice the prawn meat in to small sections and then add the rest of the seasoning. Mix well and cover the prawns with cling wrap before letting them chill in a fridge with the pork for 10 minutes.
After the meats have marinated, combine them together. Place a wonton wrapper on to a work surface and then spoon a teaspoon of the filling in to the centre.
Using a bit of water, wet the edges of the wrapper before folding the wrapper over the filling to enclose it.
Repeat with the rest of the filling.

To Make the Soup
In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil.
Add the choy sum in to the boiling stock and cook until softened before adding the sesame oil and salt and white pepper to taste.
Set the soup aside while cooking the wontons.

To Cook the Wontons
In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Place each wonton in to the pot individually and stir them to make sure that they don’t stick to the pot.
When the wontons begin to float, remove them from the pot and transfer them in to bowls to serve.
Ladle some of the prepared soup in to the bowls and place on some of the choy sum on top.
Sprinkle on some of the cut spring onions and serve.

Steamed Egg Bean Curd with Shrimp

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To Cook
Mix mashed shrimp with marinade ingredients until well combined.
Sprinkle egg bean curd with a little corn starch. Spread mashed shrimp onto each egg bean curd.
Steam egg bean curd over high heat for 8 mins until cooked. Remove.
Pour hot oil and soy sauce over steamed bean curd and serve hot. Garnish with spring onions and red chillies.