Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Vegetables

Honey-Soy Salmon with Rich Coconut Rice & Ginger Veggies

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To Cook the Coconut Rice
In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, water and the salt and bring to a boil over high-heat. Add rice, stir and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to low heat.
Cook for 10 mins, then remove the pan from the heat and keep covered for another 10 mins until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed and the rest of the meal is ready to serve.

To Prep
While the rice is cooking, grate the ginger, thinly slice the carrot into half-moons, roughly chop the bok choy and trim the green beans. In a small bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, garlic and sesame seeds.

To Cook the Vegetables
In a frying pan, add a drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat and add the carrot and green beans. Cook until just tender, 5-6 mins.
Add the bok choy and stir through until wilted, 1 min.
Add the ginger and cook until fragrant, 1 min. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and transfer the veggies to a bowl.

To Cook the Salmon
Return the pan to medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the salmon, skin-side down, to the pan and cook until almost cooked through, 2-4 mins on each side, depending on thickness.
When the salmon is almost cooked through, reduce the heat to medium. Add more olive oil and add the honey-soy glaze. Simmer, stirring, until the garlic is golden, 1 min.
Spoon the glaze over the salmon, then remove from the heat.

To Serve
Divide the coconut rice and veggies between bowls. Top with the honey-soy glazed salmon and spoon over any glaze remaining in the pan.

Mea Culpa Blackened Ocean Trout

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To Prep
Line a tray with foil and turn the oven grill to high.
To make marinade combine Kewpie Japanese Dressing Sesame Soy Sauce, ginger, sugar and Obento Ponzu Sauce.
In rice cooker start cooking rice. When rice is nearly cooked add the green vegetables to steam (about 2 mins until just cooked).

To Cook
Place fish and spring onions on prepared tray. Spoon marinade over both fish and spring onions. Place under high grill for 4 mins.
The fish should be golden-brown to black on top and moist and flaky inside. Remove from oven.

To Serve
Place steamed rice on dish with steamed green vegetables. Top with the grilled fish and spring onions. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with extra ponzu sauce on the side.

Sushi Stack with Egg Floss and Spicy Mango Kewpie

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To Prep Rice
To make 4 sushi stacks heat up 3 cups of precooked short gran rice in the microwave until steaming. (Or cook rice as per packet instruction if you don’t have any precooked rice handy.)
Spread in a wide dish and drizzle 9 tbsp Obento sushi seasoning over rice and fold through. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

To Prep Fillings
Cut 1 large Lebanese cucumber into approximately 1cm cubes.
Peel and finely grate 1 carrot.
Cut 8 crab sticks into rough chunks approximately 1cm. Mix 1 tbsp Kewpie Mayonnaise through crab stick.
Using scissors cut 1 Obento Yaki Nori for Sushi seaweed sheet into 2cm squares.
Mash 1 avocado (if serving is delayed add some lemon juice to keep avocado from going brown, otherwise leave as is if serving straight away).
Slice 2 stalks of spring onion for garnish

To Prep Mango Dipping Sauce
Cut and mash one mango cheek until it has a thin consistency. Mix through 1 tbsp Kewpie Mayonnaise and 1 tsp sriracha sauce

To Cook the Egg Floss.
Whisk 1 egg plus egg yolk thoroughly. Mix 1 tsp cornflour with a small amount of water then whisk into egg. Mix in vinegar and salt.
Heat approximately 2cm deep oil in a deep saucepan. When oil is extremely hot pour half egg through the holes in a wide skimming spoon.
Note: The egg will rapidly expand when it hits the oil so this should be done in a deep saucepan for safety. Toss the egg briefly until golden then quickly scoop out to drain onto paper towel.

To Assemble the Sushi Stack
In a round take away container, place a 1cm layer of the crab mix. Sprinkle a thin layer of grated carrot over the crab.
Add a 1cm layer of sushi rice and use wet hands to push down firmly into the container. Place a layer of sushi squares over the rice then spread a ½cm layer of avocado over seaweed.
Place a 1cm layer of chopped cucumber. Finally add a 1cm layer of sushi rice. Again use wet hands to gently push down the rice and make sure the whole stack is packed tightly

To Serve
Flip the sushi stack inside the takeaway container upside down on your serving plate. Gently squeeze sides and tap top to remove without disrupting the layers.
Top the sushi stack with egg floss and sprinkle with chopped spring onion. Serve immediately with soy sauce and spicy mango Kewpie dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Korean Kimchi Pork

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To Prep
Prepare marinade by combining all marinade ingredients into a small bowl and stir thoroughly.
Add thinly sliced pork to marinade, mix to coat well and marinate for 10 mins.

To Cook
Heat cooking oil in a wok until it just begins to smoke, add marinated pork and toss to stir fry for between 1 to 2 mins.
Add the onion and kimchi to the wok and toss to combine. Add the sugar and cook for a further 3 mins.
Add the gochujang and continue cooking for another min, stirring all ingredients to combine well.

To Serve
Divide cooked rice between four bowls and spoon on the kimchi pork.
Garnish with spring onion, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!

Creamy Chilli Coconut Prawns

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To Cook
In a wok/pan, heat up some oil on high heat.
Add in the prawns and toss for about 30 secs on high heat.
Add in the minced garlic and toss for another 30 secs on high heat.
Add in the salt, pepper and sugar and combine well on medium heat for about 10 secs.
Add in the Valcom Authentic Thai Tom Yum paste and toss well for 30 secs.
Add in the coconut cream and let it cook for 1 min until the sauce thickens a little bit.
Add in the chopped chilli and spring onions and toss for around 20 sec.

To Serve
Remove from heat, top with some fresh basil leaves and squeeze some fresh lime juice. Can be served with steamed rice.

Mixed Seafood Stir-fried With Red Curry Paste

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To Prep
Using a mortar and pestle pound garlic, lemongrass, kaffir lime skin and bird eyes chilli (if using) until a coarse paste.

To Cook
Heat a wok, pour in the oil then add the paste from step one. Fry over medium heat until fragrant; about 1 min. Then add in the red curry paste and fry for about 1 or 2 mins.
Add mussels and calamari, fry them for about a min and then add the prawns and salmon into the pan.
Season with dark brown sugar and chicken bouillon powder then add water. Simmer for a moment until all is cooked.
Add beans and stir a few moments then finish with torn kaffir lime leaves, sliced red chilli and basil leaves.
Serve with Thai jasmine rice. Enjoy!

Fried Shrimp Dumpling

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To Prep
Put pork, carrot, spring onion, salt, soy sauce, sesame oil in a bowl and mix well.
Spoon the pork mix on the dumpling skin and then add a prawn into it before closing the dumpling skin, using two fingers to press it.

To Cook
Heat the pan over a medium heat, add 2 tbsp oil then put the prawn dumpling into the pan and fry the dumpling bottom until golden brown.
Whisk 2 eggs and pour them around the dumplings and continue to cook covered with lid until the egg is cooked.
Sprinkle chopped spring onion and sesame seed to serve.

Okonomiyaki

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To Prep
Combine the plain flour and baking powder in a bowl and stir together with a whisk.
Dissolve the bonito dashi stock powder in the water and gradually add the dashi stock while mixing. This will help avoid pockets of flour.
Add a pinch of salt and the cornflour.
Cut the pork belly slices into 5-6cm pieces. Remove the stalks of the cabbage leaves. Stack the leaves on top of each other and cut into strips, and then coarsely chop into pieces.
Place the cabbage leaves into the bowl of batter. Chop the spring onion into fine pieces and place into the bowl. Chop the beni shoga into about 1cm pieces and add to bowl.
Coarsely chop the prawns and place into the bowl.
Crack two eggs into the bowl and lightly toss all the ingredients to coat.
Try not to mix the batter too much otherwise the texture of the okonomiyaki will become tough.

To Cook
Heat a non-stick fry pan or bbq plate to medium and coat the surface with oil. Place the mixture onto the hot surface making a round shape. Make sure to leave a bit of batter in the bowl for later use.
Quickly place the pork slices onto the mixture. Coat the surface of the pork with the remaining batter. This will prevent the pork from getting tough.
Cover with a lid and cook about 2 mins on high heat.
Turn the okonomiyaki over, cover and cook until the other side is golden brown.
Remove the lid, flip it over again and lower the heat to medium to cook the inside.

To Serve
When it is ready to serve, coat it with the okonomiyaki sauce.
Sprinkle on lots of spring onion leaves and garnish with Kewpie Mayonnaise. Finally, top with the aonori seaweed and dried bonito flakes.

Dubu Jorim

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To Cook
In a medium heated pan, pour the vegetable oil then fry tofu both sides until golden brown then set aside in a paper towel.
In a small bowl, dilute sweet soy sauce, vinegar, water, chilli powder, salt & pepper.
In a medium heated pan, saute spring onions & garlic until shiny but not burnt.
Add the diluted sauce mixture, then allow to it reduce.
Once the sauce is reduced and thickened, add snow beans and fried tofu.
Mix it well then transfer in a bowl, garnish with sesame seeds and sliced red chillies.

Bouquet of Vermicelli

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To Cook
Soak the vermicelli in hot water until soft, drain and cut into 5cm long pieces.
Add 1 tbsp cooking oil into a frying pan and cook the onion for 2 mins before adding in the carrot and cooking until soft.
Add the ABC Sweet Soy Sauce, vegetable stock and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and leave it to cool.

To Serve
Cut the Obento Yaki Nori sheet into 4 pieces, form a cone and scoop the mixture inside the cone. Enjoy!

Everyday Veggie & Tofu Laksa

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To Cook
Heat oil in a large pot over a medium heat and add the laksa paste. Fry for 3-4 mins or until fragrant and it starts to split.
Add the coconut milk, chicken stock and water and bring to the boil. Then turn down and simmer for 5 mins.
Add the kaffir lime leaves and lime juice to the broth and continue to simmer for 10 mins.
Prepare the noodles according to packet instructions.

To Serve
Divide cooked noodles into 2 large bowls. Add the tofu and vegetables then ladle over the broth. Garnish with spring onions, coriander, bean sprouts and lime.

Swordfish Steaks with Zesty Dressing

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To Prep
Place the fish sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and 2 tbsp water in a saucepan, and bring to boil. As soon as it boils, take it off the heat and add in garlic and chilli. When cool, add lime juice and lime leaves. Set aside.

To Cook
Heat a fry pan to hot and spray with a scant amount of oil. Fry swordfish steaks until cooked through (approx 2 mins on each side).
Spoon a 2 tbsp of dressing over swordfish and serve.