Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Seafood

Lime and Coconut Curried Cod

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To Prep
Heat the oil in the wok (or other pan) over medium heat, add in the shallots, garlic and ginger and fry for a minute or two.
Add in the curry paste and fish sauce and fry for another minute.
Then add in the lemongrass and makrut leaves and sweat until fragrant and tender (about 5 minutes).
Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add in the white pepper and lime juice.
Strain the sauce through a colander and discard the chunky bits. Taste and season with more fish sauce or pepper if needed.
Whilst the sauce is cooking bring a pot of water to the boil with a steamer attachment, top and tail the beans and snow peas and steam until tender (or cooked to your liking).

(Optional) To Make Cilantro Oil
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, add in 2 cups of cilantro leaves and stems. Blanch for 15 seconds and then transfer to an ice bath. Squeeze and remove as much water as possible.
Add the cilantro to a food processor with 1/4 cup of sunflower oil and blend, strain through cheesecloth keeping the oil and discarding the leaves. Keep it in the fridge.

To Make
Heat a fish grill (or regular grill pan) with the oil on high heat.
Season the cod fillets on both sides and place on the grill
Grill until golden on the bottom, flip and grill for another minute.
Place the cod pieces on a lined baking tray and bake at 200°C for about 6-7 minutes (until fish is cooked through).

To Serve
Place your vegetables into each bowl and top with a piece of cod.
Pour over your coconut lime sauce.
Garnish with sliced chili and scallions and drip in some cilantro oil. Top with some lime slices and serve.

Hakka Yong Tau Fu – Stuffed Bean Curd and Vegetables

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To Make
Scrap Spanish markerel off the bone, finely chop till turn into paste. Mix fish paste with salt, white pepper, and sesame oil, and set aside.
To prepare the bean curd (hard tofu and fried soft tofu) for stuffing, make a cut lengthwise, with both ends still attached.
To prepare bitter melon for stuffing, cut around 2 cm wide and remove seeds
To prepare the chillies for stuffing, make a slit lengthwise and remove all membranes and seeds.
Stuff bean curd and vegetables with fish paste using a butter knife.
Heat a deep pan over medium heat, and pan fry stuffed bean curd and vegetables in batches, until golden and set aside.
Saute garlic with a little oil for 30 second in the same pan, before adding Lee Kum Kee chilli bean sauce.
Continue to saute for a minute, then add in oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, cooking wine, white pepper and stock. Simmer for 2 minutes and check for seasonings.
Arrange stuffed bean curd and vegetables neatly in the pan and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on. Thicken the sauce with corn flour solution just before serving.
Sprinkle spring onions on top and serve with plenty of steamed rice!

Miso Glazed White Fish with Soba

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To Prepare
Sprinkle salt and 1 tbsp sake over fish and rub. Set aside for 30 mins to let it draw out excess moisture and fish odor.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MFS-1.jpg
In a small bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients together.
Pour 2 tbsp sake over fish to rinse off the salt and pat dry with paper towel.
Place fish in a glass container and brush marinade on both sides. Cover and let it marinate overnight or for best results up to 3 days.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MFS-3.jpg

To Make
Pre-heat oven to 200°C (180°C for convection oven) and prepare a tray with baking mat or paper. Remove fish from container and wipe away the marinade from fish. Place fish skin side up onto tray and bake fish for 20 mins or till cooked.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MFS-4.jpg
While fish is baking, boil soba noodles following package instructions. Once cooked, remove and rinse with running cold water. Set aside.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MFS-7.jpg
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together. Set aside.
Place soba noodles into a bowl and mix with shredded carrot and edamame. Arrange soba onto plate and gently lay baked fish on top. Pour sauce around soba and serve.

Spring Onion and Ginger Braised Fish

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To Prepare
Sprinkle salt and pepper over fish slices, then pour over 1½ tbsp water. Rub the seasonings lightly and marinate for 10 mins.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SOGF-1.jpg
Prepare oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar in a bowl. Set aside.

To Make
Heat oil up in frying pan and check with a chopstick for readiness. Once bubbles arise around the chopstick, the oil is ready.
Sprinkle corn flour over fish slices and gently mix to coat.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SOGF-3.jpg
Fry fish slices for 2-3 mins each side in 2 batches. Strain on wire rack and set aside.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SOGF-4.jpg
Pour away oil and leave about 1 tbsp in frying pan. Sauté ginger under medium heat for a min then add in minced garlic and sauté for 30 secs.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SOGF-5.jpg
Toss in the white parts of the spring onions and fry for a minute, then toss in the green parts and fry for 30 secs. Add water and the sauce mix.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SOGF-8.jpg
Add in fried sliced fish and stir to coat with sauce.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SOGF-9.jpg
Sprinkle in corn flour solution and stir for a bit. Add in Shao Xing wine and switch off fire.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SOGF-11.jpg
Serve immediately with hot rice.

Mild Cod Stew (Daegu Jiri)

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To Prepare
Clean fish cutlets and dry with paper towels. Sprinkle a bit of salt on the fillets to rub.

To Make
Boil water or anchovies stock in a medium cast iron pot. Add in kelp and sliced radish and let it come to a boil.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/DJ-1.jpg
Let it simmer for 5 mins or until radish is softened. Remove kelp and season the broth with some salt and pepper.
Add in fish cutlets and let it simmer over medium fire for 3 mins.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/DJ-2.jpg
Add in tofu slices and continue to simmer for 3 mins.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/DJ-3.jpg
Add enoki mushrooms, spring onions and chillies and let it boil for 1 min.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/DJ-4.jpg
Switch off fire and let the residual heat cook the fish. Garnish with more spring onions and chillies. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Steamed Garlic Prawns with Mung Bean Threads

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To Prepare
In a bowl, combine all the seasoning sauce ingredients, mix well and set aside.
Soak mung bean threads with warm water.
Wash and drain prawns. Cut away the prawn’s antennas and legs.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SGP-1.jpg
To butterfly the prawn, use a kitchen shear to cut through the shell from behind the head all the way across the centre to the tail. Then using a sharp knife, slit across the flesh and slice all the way. Remove the black vein.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SGP-3.jpg

To Cook
Heat up frying pan with 1 tbsp of oil and sauté minced garlic and minced ginger for 2-3 mins or until fragrant.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SGP-4.jpg
Pour in seasoning sauce and fry for a min under medium heat and be careful to not burn the garlic.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SGP-5.jpg
Prepare steamer with water. Arrange soaked mung bean theards onto plate and place butterflied prawns on top.
Place ½ tsp scoop of garlic sauce mixture and chopped chilli onto prawns. Drizzle the remaining seasoning sauce over prawns and noodles.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SGP-7.jpg
Place plate into steamer and steam for 5-7 mins or until prawns are fully cooked.
Sprinkle chopped spring onions and coriander over prawns.
Heat up 2 tbsp of oil until it starts to smoke and drizzle over spring onions and cilantro. Serve immediately.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SGP-10.jpg

Thai Steamed Mussels

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To Make
Place mussels in a bowl filled with water. Leave them for 20-30 mins to let them open up and spit out any dirt or mud. Scrub the shells with a brush of any dirt and set aside.
Heat up a heavy bottom pot over medium heat and sauté garlic and red onion for 2-3 mins until onions are soft and slightly translucent.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TSM-1.jpg
Add in lemongrass and bird chillies and fry for 30 secs.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TSM-2.jpg
Pour in chicken stock. Toss in galangal, kaffir lime leaves and fish sauce. Bring it to a boil.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TSM-4.jpg
Gently add in the mussels and fry for a min. Cover for 2 mins. Stir in the cut chillies and turn mussels around to make sure all are opened up.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TSM-6.jpg
Continue to cook until all mussels have opened up. Add in lime juice.
Switch off fire and toss in Thai basil leaves and cook with residual heat.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TSM-7.jpg
Sprinkle chopped cilantro in before serving.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TSM-8.jpg

Vietnamese Mango Salad (Gỏi Xoài)

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To Make
Place pickling ingredients in a small bowl and let them sit for 15-20 mins, before draining out and leaving shallots and chilli.
Heat up a small frying pan with oil and sauté the chopped shallots and minced garlic for 2 mins.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MS-1.jpg
Remove and set aside but leave oil in the pan. Toss in the soaked dried shrimps and cook until they are slightly brown. Remove and set aside.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MS-2.jpg
Pour in fish sauce and sugar into the same pan and let it come to a boil.
Toss dried shrimps back into pan and cook until it caramelised. Set aside to let it cool slightly.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MS-3.jpg
Make the nuoc cham sauce by combining all ingredients together.
Place shredded mango, carrot, prawns, mints, crushed peanuts, the fried garlic and shallots, pickled shallots and chillies, caramelised dried shrimps in a large mixing bowl.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MS-5.jpg
Coat and mix in nuoc cham sauce until well combined. Serve immediately.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MS-6.jpg

Crispy Wasabi Prawn Sandwich (Wasabi Ebi Katsu Sando)

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To Prepare
Fill enough water to cover egg in a small sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Place egg in and let it simmer under medium heat for 9 mins. Let boiled egg sit for 10 mins, remove from saucepan and remove shell and let it cool.
Mash egg into fine crumbs. Add in all the tartar sauce ingredients and mix well. Set aside.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/PKS-1-2.jpg
Heat up frying pan with oil and sauté onion until soften. Remove and set aside to cool.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/PKS-2-1.jpg
Smash prawns with knife and give them a rough chop.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/PKS-3.jpg
Place chopped prawns with sautéed onion, potato flour, salt, pepper and wasabi in a mixing bowl and mix them all until well incorporated.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/PKS-5.jpg
Divide into 2 equal portions and flatten them into square patties.

To Make
Set up coating station of flour, beaten egg and panko. Coat prawn patties with flour then beaten egg follow by panko.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/PKS-7.jpg
Heat up oil in a frying pan to 180°C and fry prawn patties one at a time until both sides turn golden brown. Drain oil and let them cool on cooling rack.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/PKS-8.jpg
Alternatively, bake coated prawn patties sprayed with some oil in the oven at 180°C for 25 mins or 15 mins in the air fryer. Turn them over mid way.
Place one prawn patty on a slice of bread, top with shredded cabbage and tartar sauce and cover with another slice of bread.

Chirashi Sushi

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To Prepare
For the sushi rice, wash rice until water runs clear and drain. Place rice in rice cooker with water and soak for 30 mins. If cooking rice on stove top, bring water to a boil under high heat. Once water starts bubbling, turn to low heat and cook rice for 13 mins. Switch off fire and let it sit for 15 mins.
In a small sauce pan, heat up rice vinegar, sugar and salt until sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool.
Scoop cooked rice out onto a large flat plate and mix with vinegar mixture.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CHI-4.jpg
Spread rice out to let it cool to room temperature.

To Make Filling
Heat up frying pan with oil and sauté mushrooms for 3 mins.
Add in shredded carrot and soaking water. Cook for 3 mins and add light soy sauce.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CHI-3.jpg
Once the sauce dries up, dish up and set aside to cool.

To Make Egg Omelette (Kinshi Tamago)
Beat eggs with salt, mirin and water. Go through a fine sieve to trap impurities.
Heat up small frying pan with a little oil. Use a paper towel to absorb up the oil.
Pour one ladle of beaten egg and swirl around the pan under low heat and let it cook. Flip over and cook the other side. Set aside to cool and continue the same process with balance egg mixture.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CHI-1.jpg
Once cooled, roll all omelette up and slice thinly.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CHI-2.jpg

To Make Pickled Lotus Roots in Amazu Dressing
In a small saucepan, heat up vinegar, sugar and salt until sugar dissolves and set aside to cool.
Pour vinegar mixture over sliced lotus roots and let it soak for 2-3 hours or overnight.

To Assemble Chirashi Sushi
Mix cooled sushi rice with mushroom and carrot filling. Sprinkle in toasted sesame seeds and mix well.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CHI-5.jpg
Transfer mixed rice into a medium bowl.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CHI-6.jpg
Firstly, layer with the egg omelette (Kinshi Tamago).https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CHI-7.jpg
Then add the pickled lotus roots, blanched prawns and fresh salmon cubes.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CHI-8.jpg
Lastly, place cut blanched snow peas and tobiko in between prawns and salmon. Add a dollop of wasabi on top.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CHI-9.jpg

Indonesian Fried Noodles (Mie Goreng)

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To Make
Heat up a wok with oil on medium heat. Fry sliced red shallots for 5-6 mins on low heat until light golden brown.
Once golden brown, remove shallots from wok with a soup skimmer and spread it on some paper towel to soak up the excess oil.
Remove some oil from the wok to leave about 2 tbsp. Add in garlic and sauté for 1 min. Then, toss in the prawns and sauté the prawns until they are about half cooked.
Toss in the shredded cabbage and stir for about 2 mins until the cabbage has softened. Once softened, add in the noodles.
Mix all sauce ingredients together and pour in the sauce. Stir to coat noodles evenly for around 2 mins.
Lastly, add in the bean sprouts and stir through.
Serve and garnish with sliced chillies, chopped spring onions, limes and ABC Original Chilli Sauce.

Thai Shrimp Cake (Tod Mun Goong)

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To Make
In a small frying pan, fry red curry paste with coconut milk under medium heat until it turns into a thick paste. Set aside to cool.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/TSC-1.jpg
In a small sauce pan, cook all the dipping sauce ingredients until it starts to boil. Simmer for 2 mins and set aside to cool.
With a food processor, blitz shrimps and egg until it turns into a sticky paste.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/TSC-3.jpg
Transfer to a mixing bowl and add in kaffir lime leaves, snake beans, fish sauce, sugar and red curry paste. Mix them until they are well incorporated.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/TSC-4-1.jpg
Using a spoon, scoop up the shrimp mixture and roll it into a ball. Drop the ball into bowl filled with panko and coat the shrimp ball. Set aside and repeat with remaining shrimp mixture.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/TSC-5.jpg
Heat oil over medium heat in a sauce pan until it reaches 180°C. Deep fry shrimp balls for 3-4 mins or until golden brown in batches. Strain oil and cool.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/TSC-7.jpg
Serves with dipping sauce and crushed peanuts.