Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Vegetables

Thai Red Curry Pumpkin Soup

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To Prep
Begin by combining all of the paste ingredients together in a food processor and blending until a
a thick paste forms. This produces more paste than needed but the rest can be stored for another dish.
If you don’t have a processor that is large enough to fit all of the ingredients in one go, blend them in stages until you have used all of the ingredients.
Set the curry paste aside.

To Cook
In a large bowl, combine 2 tbsp of oil, the pumpkin pieces and salt and pepper and mix till the pumpkins are well coated.
In a roasting pan lined with baking paper, place the pumpkin pieces on top and roast in an over until the pumpkin is soft.
When the pumpkin has cooked to the desired level of softness, remove from the oven and let cool.
When the pumpkin has cooled, place it in to a food processor and blend until the pumpkin has a puree consistency.
In a deep pan over a medium high heat, add in 1 tbsp of oil and then 2 tbsp of the curry paste. Cook the paste until it becomes fragrant before adding in the pumpkin puree and the vegetable stock and stirring till any clumps are gone.
Bring the soup up to a boil before reducing to a simmer and letting cook for another 10 minutes.
Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and add in the coconut milk. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes before taking it off from the heat.
To serve, spoon a serving of the soup in to a bowl and drizzle with extra coconut milk, pepper and chilli oil for some extra kick! Finish with some coriander leaves.

Wagyu Beef Bowl

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To Prep
Take the steak out of the fridge and allow to reach room temperature. Season with generously with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil.

To Cook
Heat up a pan or skillet over a medium-high heat. Place the steak in to the pan and let cook without touching for about 1 min.
Flip and brown the other side. Cook to the desired level of doneness before setting aside to rest.

To Serve
When the steak has rested for at least 5 mins, slice it thinly at an angle and against the grain of the meat.

In a bowl, spoon your desired amount of rice and furikake and mix till they’re well combined. Top with the sliced steak, cooked edamame beans, tsukemono and an onsen egg. Top with extra furikake if desired.

Tofu Bowl

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To Prep
Cut the tofu in to small squares that are about half an inch in height. In a bowl, pour in the potato starch and lightly coat the tofu. Shake off the excess starch and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and mix well.

To Cook
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat before adding in the tofu. Cook the tofu on one side until the skin becomes golden brown before swapping to repeat on the other side.
When both sides have cooked, pour in the sauce mixture. Allow the sauce to thicken and coat the tofu.
Remove the tofu from the pan. If you wanted the sauce to thicken, continue to cook it over a low heat until it has your intended consistency.

To Serve
Over a bowl of rice, arrange the tofu. Spoon the remaining sauce over the top and garnish with edamame, bonito flakes, tsukemono and furikake. Serve!

Salmon Teriyaki Bowl

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To Prep
Prepare the fish by removing the scales and rinsing with water before drying with a paper towel and lightly seasoning with salt and pepper.
Combine all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.

To Cook
Heat up a frying pan over a medium heat and add in drizzle of oil. When the oil has heated up, place the fish fillets in skin side down.
Cook the fish fillets skin side down for about 2 mins or until skin has browned.
When the skin has cooked, turn the fillet on to its side and cook for about 30 secs to a min before swapping to the other side to repeat.
After both side have been cooked, flip the fish so that the top side of the fillet is facing the pan and add in the sauce mixture.
Allow the sauce to reduce and thicken slightly before and turning off the heat and removing the fish from the pan.

To Serve
Spoon the amount of rice you want in to a bowl and top with the salmon, furikake, edamame, tsukemono and an onsen egg. Finish with chilli strands and more furikake.

Oriental Fried Rice

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To Cook
Heat oil in a large wok over a medium heat and cook onions for 2 mins.
Add the spring onions to the wok and stir fry for 1 min, remove and set aside. Return the wok to the heat along with the onions, diced pork and rice,m then stir fry for 4 mins; drizzle over the combined sauces and heat through.
Toss through the sliced omelette and serve garnished with fried shallots.

Chicken Karaage Bowl

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To Prep
In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken, soy sauce, sake, egg, ginger and garlic cloves and mix well. Allow to marinate for approximately 30 mins.

To Cook
Heat up a pot of oil over medium heat until it reaches 180°C.
Transfer the marinated chicken into the bowl of potato starch in batches depending on the size of the pot.
Remove the excess starch from the chicken and then fry in the oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels to remove remaining oil. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

To Serve
In a bowl, combine your desired amount of rice and furikake together and mix till well combined. Top the rice bowl with the karaage, edamame, tsukemono and an onsen egg.

Grilled Beef in Betel Leaf (Bo La Lot)

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To Prep
In a bowl, combine the minced meat, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, curry powder, fish sauce, sugar, pepper and salt. Mix until well incorporated.
Lay out the leaves with the glossy side facing down and place a tablespoon of the filling on to the back. If the leaf is bigger or smaller, adjust accordingly.
Roll up the leaf to wrap the filling and set aside. Repeat with the remaining filling.

To Cook
Over a barbecue, grill the rolls. Continue to cook them until the fillings have cooked through and the leaves have lightly charred.
Remove the wraps from the grill and serve hot with sweet chilli sauce!

Grilled Scallops

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To Prep
In a sauce pan over a medium heat, fry the onions until they become soft. Add in the crushed garlic, chilli sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar and stock stir well.
Allow the mixture to simmer until most of the stock has evaporated from the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly.
When the sauce has cooled slightly, spoon a portion of the sauce on to each of scallops and set aside.

To Cook
Heat a grill or barbecue and place the scallops on to it. Continue to grill until the scallops have cooked through. Remove them from the heat and let cool.
Garnish with herbs and serve!

Vietnamese Beef and Watercress Salad (Bo Xao Sa Lat Song)

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To Prep
Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients together and mix well.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the watercress, onion, tomato and pour in the vinaigrette. Mix well and set aside.
Season the sliced beef with the salt and pepper and set aside.

To Cook
Heat a pan over a medium-high heat and add two tablespoons of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add in the garlic and cook till fragrant.
Add in the sliced beef and stir fry until the meat has browned. Addition seasoning can be applied at this point if necessary.
Remove the beef from the pan and add them in to the salad mixing bowl. Stir well and transfer to a plate to serve.
Garnish with sliced chilli.

Soft Shell Crab Som Tum

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To Prep
In a mixing bowl, combine the fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind juice and lime juice and mix until the sugar has dissolved.
Using a pestle and mortar, mash the chilli, garlic and shrimps together until the shrimps break in to smaller pieces. Add them in to the mixing bowl and mix well.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the snake beans, shredded papaya, tomatoes, carrots and dressing together. Mix well before adding in the dressing and then mixing again.
In another bowl, pour enough flour to coat the crabs. Season the flour and mix well before coating the crabs and setting aside.

To Cook
Heat enough oil to fry the crabs with in a pot over a medium-high heat. Cook the crabs until they are golden and crunchy.
When the crabs have cooked, remove them from the oil and let drain over paper towels.

To Serve
Plate the salad and place the deep fried crabs above it. Garnish with more crushed cashew nuts and more chilli.

Sashimi Salad

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To Prep
Slice the tuna and salmon in to thin strips and set aside.
Mix soy sauce, lemon juice and wasabi paste for dressing.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the salad leaves, grated carrots and the dressing sauce. Mix until well combined.

To Serve
Plate the salad and layer the tuna and salmon above it. Garnish with the avocado, sesame seeds and more dressing sauce.

Japanese Rice Balls (Onigiri)

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To Prep
Blanch white radish leaves in water seasoned with salt.
Cool down the leaves in icy water then squeeze excess liquid out.
Combine wasabi with soy and mix well.
Combine mixture from step 3 with radish leaves and leave for 5 mins to infuse.

To Make Rice Balls
Take out the leaves and mix with bonito flakes and rice.
Shape into onigiri style and serve with nori sheets.