Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Seafood

Scattered Sushi (Chirashizushi)

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To Prep the Rice
Cook sushi rice according to instructions on rice packaging. Add ¼ cup rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp salt to the cooked rice. Using a wooden spatula, fold the seasoning into the rice.

To Prep the Shiitake
Gently squeeze shiitake mushrooms to drain water, remove stems and slice thinly.
In a medium pan, heat 160ml water used for soaking the mushrooms. Then add shiitake, soy sauce, sugar, and mirin.
Simmer on low heat until the liquid is almost dried up. Set aside.

To Cook the Omelette
In a bowl, beat eggs and add ½ tbsp sugar. Continue mixing until the sugar dissolves.
In a medium skillet, evenly oil the surface and heat over medium heat. Pour a scoop of egg mixture into the skillet to make a thin crepe-like omelette.
Repeat until egg mixture is used up. To slice, roll up the omelettes and slice into thin strips.

To Serve
Serve sushi rice on a large plate or individual bowls. Scatter simmered shiitake, shredded crab sticks, sliced omelette, and cucumber over rice. Top with sashimi slices, ikura and sesame seeds. Serve with pickled ginger on the side.

Nobu-Inspired Miso Cod

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To Prep
In a saucepan, combine the sake and mirin together and heat over a medium flame till they begin to boil. Boil for 30 secs before turning the heat down to low and adding in the miso paste.
Allow the miso to dissolve before adding in the sugar and continuing to cook till the sugar has dissolved too.
When the mixture has been well combined, remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool.
Dry the fish using paper towels before placing in to a zip lock bag and covering with the miso mixture. Squeeze the bag to coat the fish and let marinate overnight.
When the fish has marinated, remove them from the zip lock bag and wipe off the excess marinade.

To Cook
In a non-stick pan over a high heat, add oil and place the fish skin side down to sear until the skin begins to slightly blacken.
Flip the fish and continue to cook the other side for about 2 mins until the flesh has cooked through. Remove and set aside.

To Serve
Serve topped with a small serving of pickled ginger and rice!

Buckwheat Porridge (Sobagome Zosui)

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To Prep
Clean niboshi by removing heads and cuts. Then put the niboshi into a straining/dashi bag.
In a pot, add 4 cups of water and put niboshi bag in. Leave to soak for 10 hrs or overnight. This will be the pot of dashi.

To Cook
Rinse sobagome. In a pot, add the rinsed sobagome and enough water to immerse it. Bring to boil for 15 mins, then remove from heat and drain the water. Set sobagome aside.
In the meantime, soak dried shiitake mushrooms in water to rehydrate. Slice shiitake mushrooms, carrot, chikuwa, konnyaku, and chop the spring onions. Rub salt onto konnyaku slices and rinse to remove smell.
Cut chicken thighs into 1cm pieces and rub sake into it. Set aside.
In the dashi pot, add shiitake and bring contents to boil.
Leave to simmer for 2-3 mins before removing the niboshi bag.
Add chicken, carrots, konnyaku, and mirin into the dashi pot and simmer.
Add the cooked sobagome, garnish with spring onions, and flavour with light soy sauce.

Optional step: Add a slice of sudachi or chopped yuzu peels to add more flavour to the dish.

Chunky Vegetable Soup Niigata Style (Noppei Jiru)

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To Prep
Soak dried shiitake mushrooms and scallops (optional) in 2 cups of water overnight to rehydrate and draw flavours into the water. The juices will be used as part of the soup stock.

To Cook
In a small pot, bring roughly 4 cups of water to boil and drop in konnyaku, return to boil, then drain and set aside the konnyaku.
Prepare the dashi by heating 4 cups of water in a saucepan over medium heat. Just before the water boils, remove the kelp from the saucepan.
Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Keep cooking for another 5 mins.
Lower the heat and add bonito flakes into the saucepan. When the water boils, turn heat off. Set aside to cool for at least 5 mins and let the bonito flakes sink to the bottom.
Strain the liquid through a strainer lined with a paper towel or several layers of cheesecloth. Set aside.
In the meantime, remove shiitake mushrooms and scallop (optional) from the water. Lightly squeeze to drain water and slice the shiitake mushrooms.
In a pot, add dashi, shiitake mushroom water and scallop (optional), seasoning and heat over medium-high heat.
Add in all the ingredients and bring to boil. Then, lower the heat to a simmer and keep cooking for another 20 mins, or until the taro softens.
Turn off heat and scoop into individual serving bowls. Best enjoyed hot.

Satay Rice Vermicelli

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To Cook
In a frying pan, heat the satay sauce, then add prawns and squid rings. Cook for 5 mins.
Add water spinach and cook for 1 min before adding the rice vermicelli. Mix well and then plate it, garnish with spring onion, coriander and chilli. Serve hot.

Vietnamese Caramelised Fish in Young Coconut Juice (Ca Kho Dua)

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To Prep
Combine the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Add the fish and coat it in the marinade ingredients. Cover and let it marinate for 10 mins.

To Cook
Put wok/frying pan on the stove on low heat. Add vegetable oil and palm sugar. Cook until the sugar has caramelised, stirring the mixture a little as it starts to colour.
Add in the garlic and pork belly, and stir-fry for 2 mins, then immediately add the marinated fish. Coat the fish with the caramel, and cook for 1 min.
Stir in the coconut juice and simmer for a further 6 mins. Skim off any impurities that rise to the surface.
Sprinkle spring onion, pepper and chilli over the top, and serve.

Sambal Prawn (Udang)

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To Prep
In a blender, add all spice ingredients and blend until smooth.

To Cook
Heat oil in a pot, stir-fry spice paste and kaffir lime leaves until fragrant, about 8-10 mins.
Add the diluted tamarind paste and mix well. Cover the pot and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer for 3-5 mins.
Add prawns, sugar and salt, stir until well mixed. Cover again and simmer for 3 mins.
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot.

Sea Bream with Rice (Tai Meshi)

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To Prep
Wipe the dried kombu with a clean cloth to remove any dirt, but not the white powdery substance on the surface.
Combine the water and the kombu together in a pot and let the kombu soak for approx 30 mins.
While the kombu is soaking, rinse the rice with water until the water begins to run clear. Cover the rice with water and let soak for approx 30 mins to 1 hr.
Score the fish on both sides before lightly rubbing in the salt and adding in the sake. Let the fish marinate for 10 mins before patting dry.
After the kombu has finished soaking, turn on the stove and set it to low. Slowly heat up the water until it just begins to boil before removing it from the heat and setting it aside.

To Cook
In a pan or grill, cook the fish for 3 mins on each side or until a nice brown sear has been achieved. The fish doesn’t need to be fully cooked through at this stage.
In a large pot, drain and add the rice, kombu stock, salt, sake, soy sauce, and mirin. Stir until all of the ingredients have been well combined before topping with the grilled fish and grated ginger.
Cover the pot and heat over a medium-high heat until the stock begins to boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for approx 10 mins before removing from the heat and letting stand for another 5-10 mins.

To Serve
Serve the entire dish as is, in the pot, garnished with chives and white sesame seeds! Enjoy!

Knife Cut Noodle Soup (Kalguksu)

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To Make Stock
Place Stock ingredients and water into a pot, bring to boil. Skim off any impurities. Simmer for about 15 mins. Strain out vegetables and anchovies, discard. Set stock aside.

To Make Noodle Soup
Bring the stock to a boil again and add zucchini, carrot, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt and pepper.
Add in the noodles and vongoles (optional). Cook until the noodles are cooked and the shells of vongoles have opened. Add spring onions towards the end of cooking time.
Serve noodles in individual bowls with seasoned soy sauce.

Tips
You can use chicken stock instead of making the anchovies stock.
You can add precooked noodles to stock to have a clearer soup.

Green Curry Mussels

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To Cook
Heat a medium-sized heavy-based pot and add oil, onion, garlic, ginger and green curry paste. Saute until fragrant.
Add fish sauce, coconut milk and sugar and bring to boil.
Add drained mussels and cover pot with lid. Bring pot contents to boil and remove from heat immediately.
With the lid on, shake the pot occasionally to open the mussels.
Dish out on a serving plate and garnish with chopped coriander and fried shallots. Serve the dish immediately with steamed rice.

Korean Spicy Baby Octopus

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To Cook
Add 1 tbsp oil to a heated pan, sauté carrots, zucchini and onions over high heat briefly, about 1 min. Set aside.
Add 1 tbsp oil to the same pan and sauté the garlic gently for about 15 secs, then add the chilli powder. Cook over low heat, taking care not to burn, for about 20 secs.
Turn heat to high and add baby octopus, stir fry for about 3 mins or until just cooked. Add soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil, season with salt and pepper.
Add the vegetables and spring onions, immediatelt cook over high heat until the ingredients are well mixed. Remove from heat, garnish with spring onions and serve.

Korean Seafood Noodle Soup (Kalgaksu)

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To Cook
In a stockpot, add the dried large anchovies, garlic, onion, whole spring onions and 10-12 cups of water. Bring to boil and skim off any impurities. Simmer for about 15 mins. Strain and discard ingredients, set stock aside.
Bring the stock to a boil again and add the soy sauce, fish sauce, zucchini and carrots. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the noodles and seafood, cook until done. Add spring onions towards the end of cooking time.
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with spring onions. Serve with seasoning sauce.