Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Vegetables

Asinan Betawi (Jakartan Pickled Salad with Spicy Lime Dressing and Mie Crackers)

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To Prep
In a saucepan, boil water with 2 tsp turmeric powder and add the tofu and cook until they begin to rise to the surface. Drain and then cut into cubes. Set aside.
Blanch the savoy cabbage in boiling water for 30 secs, drain and set aside. Repeat with the bean sprouts.

To Make Peanut Dressing
Dissolve the dark palm sugar in ¼ cup water and simmer on a stove top for 5 mins.
Heat oil in small fry pan over medium-high heat.
Stir fry garlic and chilli for 1 min. Add Lee Kum Kee Vegetarian Stir-fry Sauce and stir for a further min.
Add all other ingredients, except salt, sugar, extra water and lime juice. Bring to boil and lower heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened.
Remove from heat and cool. When cool, blend until mostly smooth (you still want some chunks of peanut).
Add more water if needed, to make dressing a thick but somewhat runny custard-like consistency. Add lime juice.
Taste and add salt and sugar if needed. Serve warm over prepared salad.

To Make Asinan Salad:
Arrange lettuce leaves on plate. Mix all other vegetables together. Pile on top of lettuce. Tumble over turmeric tofu. Drizzle with Peanut Dressing.
Serve with Mie Crackers.

Quorn & Asparagus in Mushroom XO Sauce

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To Make Mushroom Sauce
In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil on a low to medium heat. Add the shallots, Lee Kum Kee Chilli Garlic Sauce, red chilli and dried chilli flakes. Stirring until the shallots are tender.
Add the button, shiitake and re-hydrated shiitake mushrooms. Cook until the the moisture from the mushrooms has released and evaporated.
Pour in the Lee Kum Lee Premium Soy Sauce, balsamic vinegar and reserved shiitake mushroom liquid. Reduce heat and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated and the sauce has thickened.
Remove from the stove, and allow to cool completely before storing in jar.

To Cook
Drizzle the Quorn fillets in a little oil and fry on a grill until lovely chargrill marks appear on both sides. Remove and slice. Set aside.
In a wok heat the vegetable oil and fry the shallots, garlic and ginger until soft and fragrant.
Toss in the button mushrooms, Quorn and asparagus. Stir until asparagus becomes a little tender.
Add the Mushroom XO Sauce and stir through well. Toss in the Enoki mushrooms and spring onion.
Mix the cornflour and water together in a small bowl before pouring into the wok. Stir to combine and to coat everything in the pan.

To Serve
Serve with traditional rice, konjac rice, cauliflower rice, traditional egg noodles or even konjac noodles. Garnish with a wedge of lime and spring onions. Enjoy!

Tofu Katsu Don

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To Cook
Cut the tofu into 4 large square steaks, place into a shallow dish, cover with 4 tbsp of soy and set aside.
Using a saucepan, bring vegetable oil to medium heat, then add in onions, cooking for 4-5 mins. Add in water, ginger, mirin, rice wine vinegar and soy. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer for 10 mins.
In a container, mix together the water and cornstarch to make a slurry. In a separate container, add the panko crumbs.
Lightly coat a piece of tofu in the cornstarch, then cover in panko crumbs, ensuring the whole piece is coated well. Repeat for each piece of tofu.
In a fry pan, add in 1 cup vegetable oil over a medium heat. Shallow fry the tofu until golden brown (about 2-3 mins each side). Remove from the fry pan and drain on a wire rack.
Place S&B Golden Curry Sauce cubes into the water mixture, stirring constantly for 5 mins whilst the sauce starts to thicken.

To Serve
Divide rice between 4 bowls, sprinkle with furikake, add in curry, tofu, sliced radish and top with finely sliced spring onion.
Enjoy!

Thai Sweet & Spicy Fried Sweet Potato Fingers

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To Cook
Prepare 3 bowls for the Sweet Potato coating.
On the first bowl, add flour, chilli powder, salt and pepper. On the second bowl, beat the egg. And on the third bowl, put the panko breadcrumbs.
Heat pan with oil in medium heat.
Dredge Sweet Potatoes in the flour mixture. Then dip it in egg wash and finally coat with panko.
Repeat with all the Sweet Potato Fingers then it’s ready to be fried. Fry for at least 5 mins or until golden brown.

To Serve
Serve with Sweet Chilli Sauce for the dipping.

Soba Soy Salad

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To Cook
Chop all the ingredients and cook the noodles as per the instructions on the packet, then combine.
To make the dressing, combine vegetable oil, sesame oil, and crushed red peppers in a small saucepan.
Whisk over heat for 3 mins, then add the honey and soy sauce, stir until combined and then allow to cool before dressing salad.

Dan Dan Tofu Noodles

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To Prep
To start the noodle sauce, in a bowl combine together 4 tbsp soy sauce and the sesame paste, stir until fully combined. Then add in vinegar, garlic, ginger, sugar and spring onions. Mix thoroughly.
Add the Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Chilli Oil, white pepper and Sichuan peppercorns to the sauce, stir until combined. Set aside.
Using a food processor, pulse king oyster mushrooms, 3 spring onions and garlic until finely chopped . Add in tofu pieces and pulse the mixture again, until all ingredients are finely chopped, (not a paste!).

To Cook
In a wok, add in vegetable oil until medium-high heat. Add in the Sichuan preserved vegetables and cook for 2 mins.
Reduce the heat, add the tofu and mushroom mixture, cooking for 2 mins, stirring very gently.
Pour 1½ tbsp LKK Premium soy and Shaoxing wine into the wok. Continue to cook for 7-8 mins, gently turning the mixture over so it does not stick to the pan. It should become lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cook the fresh wheat noodles according to packet instructions. Place pak choi into boiling water for 30 secs.
In 4 separate bowls, divide the cooked noodles, then ¼ of the sesame noodle sauce mixture to each, stir through lightly to combine.
Top noodles with a generous spoonful of tofu mixture, then add pak choi, finely sliced spring onion and peanuts.

Nasu Chips

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To Cook
Prepare 3 bowls for Eggplant coating.
On the first bowl, add flour, chilli powder, salt & pepper. On the second bowl, beat the egg and on the third bowl, put the panko breadcrumbs.
Heat pan with oil in medium heat.
Dredge eggplant in the flour mixture. Then dip it in egg wash and finally coat with panko breadcrumbs.
Repeat with the rest of the Eggplant. Fry for at least 5 mins or until golden brown.

To Serve
Mix mayo, lime, salt and wasabi in a small bowl for the dip and serve together.

Vegan Jackfruit Baos

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To Prep Baos
Combine flour, instant yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl.
Add about ½ cup of warm water and 1½ tbsp of oil. Mix it together with a wooden spoon then start combining the dough with your hands. You will need to add another 2 or 3 tablespoons so it’s not too dry or too sticky, but do this a tablespoon at a time.
Knead it for 10 mins until elastic and smooth. Form the dough into a ball and rub a small amount of oil on the dough’s surface to prevent it from drying. Place in a clean bowl covered with a kitchen towel and place somewhere warm for about 1-2 hrs or until it doubles in size.

To Make the Filling
Open the can of jackfruit and drain it. Remove the firm pointy ends off each triangular piece of jackfruit and squash each piece of jackfruit gently so that it separates into individual strands and soaks up more of the cooking sauce. Set aside.
Heat up 2 tbsp of oil in a medium size pan. Fry spring onions until softened. Add chopped garlic and ginger and fry gently until soft and fragrant.
Mix in Chinese five spice and fry gently for 1 min.
Now add the remaining sauce ingredients: soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar and sugar. Mix them around well and allow sugar to melt. Finally add in jackfruit and mix well to allow it to warm up and soak up the maximum amount of sauce.

To Make the Baos
After the dough has doubled in size, tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and press the air out with your fingertips. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and form small balls. Place the balls on a lightly floured surface, cover with a kitchen towel and leave for another 30 mins.
Using a rolling pin, roll the balls out into ½cm thick oval shapes. Fold each shape in half and insert bamboo steamer paper (you can buy these at the Asian grocers) or baking paper between the bun halves.
Line your bamboo steamer with bamboo steamer paper and place folded up buns inside for another 30 mins of proving. If your steamer is too small, rest the remaining buns on baking paper and lightly dusted tray until you are ready to steam. Fill a pot/wok (which the steamer can comfortably sit on) with water and place the steamer with the buns on top.
Turn heat to medium-high and let the water come to a simmer; don’t be tempted to peek inside or you will ruin the buns. Once you can hear the water simmering vigorously, put the timer on for 10 mins.
After the time is up, take the pot and steamer off the heat and rest the buns for another 5 mins.
After 5 mins, lift the lid off and remove the buns gently. Repeat the process to cook the other buns.

To Serve
Fill each bun with pulled jackfruit, pickled veggies, coriander, Sriracha and some extra hoisin sauce and crushed peanuts.

Tofu & Okra Rendang with Asian Greens

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To Cook
Fry the tofu until crunchy.
Add the onion and okra and toss for 2 mins.
Add the rendang paste and coconut milk and cook a further 2 mins.
In a separate pan, throw in the water spinach with a few sprinkles of water and toss for a couple of mins until bright green.

To Serve
Remove from the heat, dish and pour sesame oil and sweet soy. Serve curry with fresh coriander, chilli and jasmine rice.

Panko Crumbed Tofu Salad

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To Prep
Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder and black sesame seeds in the panko crumbs. Add a pinch of salt into the whisked egg.
Dip the tofu slices in the flour and remove the excess flour. Then dip the tofu slices into the egg wash and finally coat them in the seasoned panko crumbs. Put aside on a plate until all tofu slices have been coated.

To Cook
Heat some oil in a frying pan. Once your oil is hot, slowly put in the coated tofu.
Let each side of the tofu cook for about 1-2 mins. Do not stir or toss. Once the tofu is golden brown, remove from the pan and set aside on a paper towel.

To Cook
Assemble your salad bowl by mixing the salad components; lettuce, cucumber, onions, corn kernels, nori sheets and any additional ingredients of your choice.
Top the salad bowl with the crispy tofu and add in dressing of your choice; taste best with a roasted sesame Japanese dressing or a wasabi soy dipping sauce!

Veggie Tempura Tasting Plate with Spicy Dipping Sauce

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To Prep Sauce
Mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Taste and alter accordingly.

To Prep Vegetables
Top and tail vegetables if necessary. Cut capsicums, carrots and cucumbers into ½cm pieces.

To Cook the Vegetables
Mix cornflour, plain flour and baking soda with 2 chopsticks held together, in large bowl.
Mix egg yolk and soda water together till frothy.
Mix soda mixture and flour mixture together with chopsticks until all mixed; a few lumps don’t matter.
Place the bowl onto an ice bath to keep the batter cool during the cooking process.
Heat oil till it starts to slightly bubble.
Place veggies in batter one variety at a time and skim off the excess batter.
They should sizzle as soon as they enter. Let them cook till just golden, before taking out and placing on a paper towel. Repeat for the rest of the veggies.

To Serve
Plate the tempura on to a plate and add edible flowers, chilli and preserved Asian ginger to garnish. Enjoy!

Bun Ga Thom (Vietnamese Fragrant Chicken Vermicelli)

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To Prep
Prepare the marinade in a large bowl: Mix the marinade ingredients thoroughly to ensure the sugar has dissolved.
Add the chicken and mix well to fully coat with marinade. Set aside to marinate for a minimum of 1 hr, preferably longer if you have time. (For food safety, marinate in the fridge for longer periods).
After chicken has marinated, place the vermicelli into a bowl and pour over boiling water until it covers the noodles. Loosen the noodles with a fork and set aside for 5 mins. Rinse noodles under cold water and drain well. Divide noodles between 4 bowls.
In a small bowl, add in the sauce ingredients, continue stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved.

To Cook
Heat a large fry pan with oil to medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until it is cooked through, it will start to caramelise (approximately 3 mins per side). Remove from the heat and set aside for a few mins to rest.
Prepare the chicken for serving by slicing into strips (about 1cm wide).
Prepare each bowl of vermicelli with a generous amount of mint and Thai basil leaves and Thai mint along with the vegetables. Add the sliced chicken, spoon over some of the sauce and finally top with peanuts, lime and chilli to taste.
Enjoy!