Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Vegetables

Betel Leaves Wrap (Miang Kham)

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To Prep
To prepare the palm sugar dressing, pound shrimp paste, galangal, shrimp floss, toasted shredded coconut in pestle.

To Cook
In a saucepan over high heat, caramelise sugar with 50ml water. Then, add pounded ingredients from Step 1 to the saucepan together with 100ml of water and fish sauce. Reduce heat to a simmer for 1-2 mins, then remove from heat and set aside to cool.
To serve, place palm sugar dressing in a small bowl and arrange ingredients (betel leaves, shallots, ginger, dried shrimp, toasted shredded coconut, lime and chillies) on a serving platter.
To enjoy miang kham, roll the betel leaf into a cone, fill it up with the various ingredients and top with sweet and tangy sauce.

Thai Lamb and Mango Salad

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To Cook
Heat a slightly oiled griddle or fry pan on high. Fry lamb for 2–3 mins each side. Lamb is best cooked until pale pink, so that it stays tender and moist.
Remove from heat and rest in pan for 5 mins, then slice thinly.
Toss the sliced lamb in combination of sauces, oil, lime juice and coriander. Add lamb to remaining ingredients and toss.
Serve with fried cellophane noodles or crusty bread.

Stir-Fried Beef with Black Pepper and Garlic Sauce

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To Prep
Combine the sliced steak, oil, garlic paste, black peppercorns and white pepper in a small bowl and allow to marinate. (up to 24 hrs)

To Cook
Heat wok over a medium high heat and stir fry the beef 2-3 mins
until browned. Remove and set aside.
Add the carrot and bok choy to the wok and stir fry 1-2 mins, stir in the oyster sauce and fish sauce. Return the steak to the wok and toss through.
Serve hot garnished with spring onion curls.

Prawn and Vegetable Tempura

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To Prep
Make the batter by mixing half a packet of tempura batter with 200ml iced water and whisking gently leaving the batter lumpy.

To Cook
Heat the oil to about 180°C, then dredge ingredients one by one in dry Nisshin Tempura batter flour, then into the batter and fry till golden brown.
Then, prepare dipping sauce by combining all three ingredients in a bowl. Serve tempura with dipping sauce and grated daikon on the side. When eating tempura, mix the grated daikon into the tempura dipping sauce, and take the dipping sauce bowl in hand, quickly dipping the tempura in the mixture before eating.

Assorted Sushi Rolls (Nori Maki)

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To Prep
Stir through the rice using a paddle to separate and cool the rice a little. When rice is cool to touch, add 3 tbsp sushi rice seasoning and mix well. Set aside.
Prepare the sushi by placing 1 sheet of nori (shiny side down) onto the bamboo rolling mat, moisten your hands with water and take a handful sushi rice.
Spread the rice evenly over the surface of the nori, to within 1cm of the edge.
Add the desired amount of wasabi along the middle of the rice.
Add your preferred fillings in the middle and on top of the rice.
Begin rolling up the mat over the ingredients – stop when you get about 2.5cm from the edge of the nori. Lift the mat and roll forward again to join the edges of the nori – keep applying a gentle pressure to make the roll firm.
Use a sharp knife to cut the completed rolls in half, place the halves side-by-side and cut into thirds. Each roll makes 6 pieces of nori maki.

Mushroom Rice Tomato Pots

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To Cook
Preheat oven to 180°C. In a wok, heat oil over high heat before adding in sambal oelek and stir-frying for 1 min or until fragrant.
Add cooked rice and mushrooms and stir-fry for a further 2 mins. Turn off heat and add in the sweet soy sauce, coriander and pine nuts, mix well.
Spoon mixture into tomatoes. Place tomatoes in a heat-proof dish and bake for 5-10 mins. Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves and drizzled with more sweet soy sauce.

Tip: Serve as a light meal or as part of a bigger meal. Also try stuffing with eggplants, zucchini or capsicum.

Japanese Chicken & Egg Rice Bowls (Oyakodon)

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To Cook
Cut the onions in half lengthwise, from top to bottom. Cut each half into ¼ inch slices and cutting lengthwise.
Combine the onions, mirin, chicken, soy sauce, sake and dashi in a saucepan and place over high heat. When the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Mix the ingredients occasionally as they cook.
To prepare the oyakodon one serving at a time, break 2 eggs into a bowl, and lightly beat the eggs. You want part of the yolk and whites to be lightly mixed, while the other parts are still separated.
Transfer one fourth of the chicken mixture (about 1½ cups chicken, onions and broth) to a small skillet. Place the skillet over high heat. When the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat so the broth is simmering.
Pour three-fourths of the egg mixture over the chicken, onions, and broth, Do not mix. Cook for about 1 minute, and then add the remaining one-fourth egg over the ingredients in the skillet. Cover the skillet and cook for 30 seconds more. Turn off the heat, and let the oyakodon rest, covered, for 1 minute.
While the oyakodon is resting, scoop the cooked rice into a serving bowl. When the oyakodon is ready, uncover and slide the entire contents out of the skillet to rest over the rice. Tilt the skillet and use a spatula if necessary as the oyakodon should slide out easily. Garnish with nori, mitsuba and scallions. Add shichimi togarashi to accentuate the taste. Serve immediately and repeat this preparation for the remaining servings.

Ants Climbing on a Tree

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To Prep
Marinade the minced beef or pork with pinch of salt. Soak vermicelli as per instructions on packaging, drain and set aside.

To Cook
Heat oil in wok and fry the ground pork until aromatic. Set aside.
Add doubanjiang, minced garlic, sliced ginger and chopped shallot in wok and stir-fry over medium fire until the oil turns red and aromatic. Return pork to wok and add soy sauce. Mix well.
Pour water and bring everything to boil. Add soaked vermicelli and sugar, and stir-fry to mix everything well. There is no need to cook off all the liquid as the vermicelli continues to adsorb liquid after transferring out of the wok.
Sprinkle chopped green onions and serve hot.

Potato Croquettes (Potato Korokke)

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To Cook
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Arrange the potatoes on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes, until a knife goes through the potatoes easily. When the potatoes have cooled, peel and set aside.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion for about 1 minute, until they turn translucent. Add the pork and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until the pork cooks through. Transfer to a large mixing bowl when cooked.
Add the potatoes to the pork and mash together until just combined. Add the soy sauce, sugar pepper and mash together. Add the heavy cream and mash until all the ingredients are just combined.
Transfer the potato mixture to a sheet pan and spread it out to make a flat disk about ½ inch thick. Place in the refrigerator uncovered to cool and firm up for about 1 hour.
While the potato mixture is cooling, prepare 4 plates. Pour the flour onto the first plate, beaten eggs, panko into the subsequent plates separately. Pour the beaten egg onto the second plate and pour the panko onto the third plate. On the fourth plate, leave it empty as this plate will hold the breaded korokke.
Place a cast-iron skillet on a burner. Fill the skillet with vegetable oil to a height of at least 1 inch. Attach a deep-fry (or “candy”) thermometer to the side of the skillet. On a work surface near the skillet, set up a tray lined with paper towels to drain the cooked korokke.
When the potato mixture is ready, remove from the refrigerator and cut into 8 even pieces. Form 8 korokke patties, one at a time. Wet your hands, then place one of the pieces of the cooled potato mixture onto your palm. With both hands, gently form it into a flat, oval patty. Repeat for the remaining patties.
Turn on the heat under the skillet to high. Heat the oil to 170°C.
While the oil is heating, bread the korokke patties one at a time. First, dredge a patty in flour on both sides and shake off the excess flour. Second, dip the patty in the egg, coating both sides. Finally, lay the patty on the panko crumbs. Pile panko on top of the korokke with your fingers, then gently press the panko onto the patty so a generous layer of panko sticks on both sides. Be careful to handle the korokke very gently so it doesn’t break apart. Place the completed korokke on the empty plate. Repeat with the remaining patties.
When the oil has reached 170°C, carefully slide the korokke into the skillet. Deep-fry to korokke in batches. Regulate the heat to maintain a constant 170°C oil temperature. If the oil is too hot, the korokke will burn; if too low, the korokke will come out soggy and greasy.
Cook the korokke for about 3 minutes, until they heat through and turn golden brown (they’re already cooked inside). When they’re ready, transfer the korokke to the paper-lined plate to cool.
Serve immediately, with tonkatsu sauce.

Indonesian Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng)

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To Cook
Prepare the optional accompaniments – Javanese Fried Chicken, Beef Satay, Crispy Fried Shallots, Sambal Kecap, Krupuk and Mixed Vegetable Pickles.
Lightly grease a non-stick skillet with a little oil and fry the eggs sunny side up. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat the wok and add oil over medium heat and stir-fry the shallots, garlic, minced chilli and dried shrimp paste until fragrant for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the prawns and stir-fry until almost cooked and then add the cabbage and leftover cooked meat and continue to stir-fry until the cabbage is slightly wilted. Increase the heat to high, add the rice, salt and sweet Indonesian soy sauce and stir-fry until all the ingredients are mixed well and heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Transfer the fried rice to a serving platter, top with the fried eggs and arrange the accompaniments at the side, around the plate. Garnish with cucumber and tomato slices and serve with the accompaniments on the side.

Spicy Fish Stomach in Coconut Sauce (Lemak Perut Ikan)

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To Prep
Grind the spice paste ingredients until fine.
Soak the tamarind in water. Squeeze the soaked tamarind in the water to release the flavour, until the water turns a creamy brown. Remove the pith and set the tamarind water aside.

To Cook
Add the spice paste and tamarind water to a pot, bring to a boil and stir well. Lower heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Add in ingredients A to the pot and cook for 6 minutes.
Add in ingredients B, seasoning and herbs and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
Garnish with sliced torch ginger flower and serve with rice.