Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Vegetables

Fried Vermicelli Noodles

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To Prep
Soak dried vermicelli noodles in warm water to soften.
Marinate prawns in oyster sauce and light soy sauce with a dash of pepper.
Peel and chop the garlic, and set aside.

To Cook
In a wok or saucepan, add oil then fry and scramble 2 eggs. Set aside.
Add a little bit more oil, half the chopped garlic and fry marinated prawns.
Mix together oyster sauce, sesame oil, light and dark soy sauces together with water.
Drain water from softened noodles and add the sauce mixture. Toss noodles in seasoning to evenly coat them.
Using the same wok or saucepan, add more oil and stir fry garlic until golden.
Add seasoned noodles and toss for 3-5 mins until cooked. Add pepper to taste.
To plate up, first place noodles on bowl. Top with scrambled eggs and prawns.
Garnish with fried shallots and chopped up spring onion before serving.

Summer Black Rice Salad

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To Cook
Place the dressing ingredients in a small jug and whisk to combine.
Combine the rice, chopped veggies, picked coriander leaves and dressing in a large bowl. Transfer to a platter to serve and garnish with chopped peanuts and watercress sprigs.

Sichuan Chilli Fish

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To Prep
In a large pot add the rice and water. Simmer on stove top for 12 mins until cooked. Leave covered until serving, then fluff with a fork.
While the rice is cooking, cut the fish into similar sized chunks. Lightly coat in cornflour and set aside.
Finely slice the spring onions and long red chilli into strands.

To Cook
Heat the vegetable oil in a work on medium/high heat. Once hot, cook the fish in 2 batches (approximately 3 mins each batch), until crispy. Remove from work and set aside.
Pour out half of the oil, then add the dried chillies, cook for 1 min and remove from the oil.
Add garlic cloves and half of the Sichuan peppercorns, stir until fragrant.
Return the fish to the wok, then add soy, Shaoxing wine, vinegar and chilli oil. Toss gently to combine.
Remove from wok, then sprinkle on remaining Sichuan peppercorns and top with finely sliced spring onion and red chilli.
Serve immediately with rice to enjoy the crispy coating.

Watermelon and Prawn Salad with Thai Dressing

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To Cook
Roast pine nuts in pan until golden. Set aside.
Combine dressing ingredients in a jar. Taste for balance, then set aside.
Place watermelon in a large bowl with fried shallots, snow peas and mint leaves.
Shake sauce, then dress salad and lightly mix.
Scatter with pine nuts and fried onion flakes.
Decorate with extra prawns (optional) and serve immediately.

Shiitake & Asparagus Nori Rolls

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To Make Filling
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a wok over a high heat. Add the shiitake mushrooms in a single layer and fry for 2-3 mins until golden. Turn and fry other side. Repeat with other batches.
Remove from the heat and add soy sauce to each batch while it is still hot.
Toss to coat mushrooms. Allow to cool and drain excess fluid.
In a small bowl, mix Kewpie Mayonnaise with sriracha sauce and set aside.
Lay out chilli mayo mix, mushrooms, asparagus, sliced carrot, Thai basil, chives and spinach in a row ready to make your rolls.

To Roll
Have the short edge of the nori closest to you, the long edge away from you.
Spread a small amount of chilli mayo across the nori sheet 1cm in from the near edge.
On top of the mayo strip, lay a small amount of each vegetable and herb evenly across the width of the nori.
Pick up the edge of the nori closest to you and roll up the vegetables and herbs as tightly as you can in the nori, leaving both ends open.
Take a spring roll skin, placing a corner in front of you and a corner away from you.
Place the nori roll on top of the spring roll skin close to your nearest corner. Roll the spring roll skin around the nori, stretching it slightly as you go and folding in the side edges like an envelope to enclose the nori roll.
Repeat until your vegetables have been used. (A damp tea towel will stop your spring roll skins from drying out.)

To Cook
Heat the oil in a large pan. The width of the pan must be greater than the length of the rolls.
Shallow fry the rolls over moderate heat.
Drain on absorbent paper and cut diagonally.
Serve immediately with two sauces: Kewpie Dressing Sesame Soy Sauce and Kewpie Dressing Roasted Sesame or sweet chilli sauce and Kewpie Dressing Sesame Soy Sauce.

Crispy Vietnamese Vegan Crepes with Tempeh and Fried Tofu (Bánh Xèo)

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To Prep
Soak mung beans in hot water for at least 1½ hours or overnight.
Drain soaked mung beans and transfer into a blender then add coconut milk and 1 cup of sparkling mineral water and puree until mung beans are very smooth.
Transfer mung bean puree into a large bowl and then add rice flour, potato starch, cornflour, turmeric powder, salt and remaining sparkling mineral water. Mix all ingredients together until smooth and allow the batter to rest for at least 45 mins (or overnight in the fridge).
Add garlic, chilli, sugar and 2 tsp of salt into a mortar to make the dipping sauce. Use pestle to crush garlic and chilli until smooth.
Transfer to a bowl, add hot water and mix all ingredients until sugar and salt dissolve.
Add vinegar and lime juice, then season to taste. Set aside.

To Cook
Take batter out from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature. Add sliced spring onions into the bowl and gently stir all batter until mixed through.
Add 1½ tbsp of vegetable oil into a wok. Add mushrooms in the wok and cook for a few mins, then transfer to a large bowl.
Add fried tofu and tempeh into the bowl. Add soy sauce, sesame oil and black pepper to taste.
Add 1½ tbsp of vegetable oil into a cast iron pan, then heat on medium low.
Using a large ladle, pour in enough of the batter into the pan to cover the surface.
Swirl the batter until it covers all of the pan’s surface in a thin layer.
Reduce the heat to low and cook the pancake for 3-4 mins until the edges begin to crisp and pulls away from the pan.
Add half a handful of beansprouts onto the pancake, then cover the pan with the lid for about 40 secs.
Open the lid and allow some water to evaporate and then add tofu and tempeh and then fold the crepe in half and put it onto a serving plate.
Serve the crepe with lettuce, Vietnamese herbs and dipping sauce, and garnish with coriander and sliced chillies.

Tempura Mushroom Bao with Pickled Radish and Miso Mayo

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To Make Fillings
Place all pickled radish ingredients in a bowl and massage the salt, sugar, vinegar and chilli into the radishes. Leave in the fridge for 5-10 mins.
Place tofu, miso paste, rice vinegar and rice malt syrup in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Set the blender on high speed and drizzle in the oil so it emulsifies. Store the mayo in the fridge.
Mix sake, sugar, mirin, soy sauce, and water in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
Add mushrooms and cook for 5 mins or until tender. Remove and pat dry with paper towel.
Return half the liquid to the heat and reduce by half.
Heat the oil in a large wok. Mix the corn flour, plain flour in a large bowl, add soda water and mix quickly.
Add mushrooms and turn them to coat. Lift one mushroom at a time to let the excess tempura batter drip off, then lower into the hot oil. Repeat until all mushrooms are golden brown. Drain them on paper towel.

To Make Bao
Place the milk, flour, baking powder, yeast and sugar together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix the oil and water together.
Make a little well in the middle of the bowl with the dry ingredients and add the water oil mix.
Stir with a spoon and use your hands to knead until the dough comes together.
If the dough is too sticky add a little more flour and keep kneading. Knead for about 5-8 mins or until it is smooth. Cover and leave it in a warm place for 90 mins to rise (roughly double its size).
Once the dough has risen place on a floured surface and knead for a further 5 mins to get the air out. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough about 1 cm thick.
Grease the top with oil then use a glass or rough cutter that is roughly 8 cm in diameter to cut out 12 circles. Remove the excess dough.
Fold the circles in half and slightly roll with a rolling pin. Place each bun on a square of baking paper and pop in bamboo steamer to rise for 30 mins.
Fill a third of a wok or saucepan with water and heat on high.
Place the bamboo steamer on top and steam buns for 12 mins.
Then turn off the heat and let it sit for 4 mins before taking the lid off.

Assembling the Bao
Take your bao bun, open it up and fill with shredded wombok, green onions and pickled radish.
Place your tempura mushrooms on top, then add a drizzle of the reduced mushroom liquid and a dollop of miso mayo. Enjoy!

Jicama Carrot and Shiitake San Choy Bow

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To Cook
Heat wok over medium heat, cooking oil and gently sauté chopped garlic until it turns golden.
Add sliced shiitake mushrooms into wok and stir fry until fragrant.
Add shredded carrot, jicama and stir fry for 1 min.
Reduce heat, add Lee Kum Kee Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce and water. Gently stir through, then cover wok to simmer for a couple of mins.
Remove from wok to serving bowl, garnish with spring onions and fried shallots.
Serve with fresh lettuce, with hot chilli sauce and hoisin sauce.

Chicken Laksa

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To Prep
Prepare vermicelli noodles according to packet instructions. Place in bowl.

To Cook
Heat coconut oil in a wok and cook chicken until sealed.
Reduce heat and add laksa paste. Cook for 1 min.
Add TCC Premium Coconut Milk, water, sugar, carrot and pak choy to the wok. Simmer for 5 mins.
Ladle soup over noodles and serve topped with bean sprouts.

Crispy Chinese Savoury Pancakes (Jian Bing)

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To Cook
Using a small pot, heat 2 cups of oil to medium heat. Gently place in 1 wonton wrapper at a time, flipping after 30 secs, then flipping again until golden brown. Remove from pan and drain. Repeat for the remaining wonton wrappers and set aside.
In a medium bowl, place plain flour, mung bean flour, ½ tsp salt and water. Mix well to make a thin batter.
Using a crepe pan, heat ½ tsp of vegetable oil to medium-low heat. Pour in approximately ½ cup of the batter mixture, rolling it around the pan to make a thin layer. Cook for 2 mins.
Whilst cooking the batter, mash together the silken tofu, cornflour and ½ tsp salt, until fairly smooth.
Spread a thin layer of the silken tofu mixture onto the pancake (for texture and as an egg replacement), top with a pinch of sesame seeds and spring onion, then cook for 1 min. Flip the pancake over.
On the cooked side, spread a thin layer of dou ban jiang paste followed by Lee Kum Kee Hoisin Sauce (about 1 tsp each, or to your liking).
Add sesame seeds, spring onion, lettuce, coriander and top with the crispy wonton wrappers cooked earlier.
Once the pancake is cooked, fold the bottom side up to the middle, right side in, left side in and finally roll the jian bing over to have all folds underneath.
You can enjoy the pancake whole or cut in half to serve.

Mushroom Chilli Dumplings with Chinese Broccoli (Lai Jiao Jiaozi)

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To Prep
Combine salt and flour on a bench and make a well in the centre.
Add water to the middle and turn in the flour to mix until dough is formed.
Knead the dough for 8-10 mins by hand or with a stand mixer until the dough is beginning to become smooth, cover and rest for 15 mins.
After resting, re-knead the dough for 2-3 mins to make it very smooth. Cover and rest for 1 hr.

To Make the Dumpling Filling
use a large bowl and combine Shaoxing cooking wine, Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and white pepper.
Follow by adding ¼ cup water chestnuts, spring onion, bok choy, carrot and mix well.
Add 1 tsp cornflour along with the firm varieties of mushrooms first, king brown, shiitake, wood ear mushrooms and mix well.
Finish the dumpling fillings by gently combining the oyster and enoki mushrooms to the mix and set aside.

To Make the Sauce
Combine all dressing ingredients and mix until sugar is dissolved.

To Cook
Cut dough into 5 equal portions. Using a rolling pin, roll each out to a thickness of approximately 1mm.
Using a knife, cut the rolled dough into squares of approximately 8 to 9cm in size. Keep the work surface dusted with flour throughout.
To make the dumplings, begin by wetting the outer edges of the square wrappers with a little water to help them stick.
Take a wrapper in the palm of your hand and place a little more than a teaspoon of filling in the centre.
Fold the edge over to form a rectangle and seal all around leaving no air inside the dumpling. Finish by wrapping the two short edges around the rounded bump and join to form the delicious dumpling shape. Repeat until all wrappers and content has been used.
Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil, place in the dumplings and cook for approximately 5 to 6 mins.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to the boil and place in the full broccoli stems for approximately 2 to 3 mins.
While the broccoli is cooking, combine garlic, Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and mix until the sugar is dissolved and set aside.
Using a small saucepan, heat the vegetable oil and sesame oil for 30 secs and take off the heat.
Drain broccoli and cut into four or five equal segments and place on serving plate.
Pour the combination of vegetable and sesame oil over the broccoli, then pour over the oyster sauce mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.
Divide the dumplings into bowls, liberally drizzle the chilli sauce over the top and dress with finely sliced spring onions.
Serve and enjoy immediately.

Ma Po Mushroom Tofu (Ma Po Mogu Doufu)

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To Cook
Chop the shiitake and king oyster mushrooms into similar sized cubes (about ½ cm).
Cut 2 spring onions into 3cm batons. Finely slice the remaining spring onion for serving.
Cut the tofu into 3cm cubes, being careful not to break the tofu.
Heat oil in a wok to medium heat. Then add in ginger and garlic, cook for 1 min until fragrant.
Add all of the mushrooms to the wok, cooking for 3-4 mins until soft.
Turn the wok heat to low and put in doubanjiang paste, Sichuan peppercorns and Lee Kum Kee Peppercorn Chilli Oil, stir for 1 min.
Gently place tofu into wok with salt, soy and water. Cook on a low heat for 3-4 mins.
In a small bowl add 1 tbsp of water and cornflour to make a slurry. Pour into the wok, stirring to combine well, until the sauce begins to thicken.
Put tofu and mushroom mixture into a dish, top with finely sliced spring onion and serve with rice.