Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Vegetables

Vegetarian Japchae

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To Prep
Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
Season the sliced shiitake mushrooms with 1 tbsp of the sauce.
Prepare the sweet potato noodles as per the packet instructions and mix in 3 tbsp of the sauce.
Blanch the spinach in boiling water until it has just started to wilt before removing it from the water and shocking it with cold water to stop the cooking process.

To Cook
In a non-stick pan, stir fry the noodles over medium heat until they become translucent.
Transfer the noodles to a large mixing bowl before adding the vegetable oil to the pan and stir frying the onions.
Cook the onions until they start to become translucent, then adding the spring onions and continuing to cook for another minute.
Transfer the onions and spring onions into the mixing bowl.
Cook the carrots on the pan for about 2 minutes or until they softened and transfer them into the mixing bowl.
Finally, stir fry the marinated mushrooms in the pan for roughly 2 to 3 minutes before once again transferring them in to the mixing bowl.
Before serving, add the spinach to the mixing bowl and gently mix the all of the ingredients. Season with soy sauce or sugar to taste and serve!

Vietnamese Summer Salad

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To Make Dressing
Combine all ingredients in a screw top jar and shake.

To Make Salad
Place noodles in a small heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 5 mins to soften. Drain well.
Reserve 12 prawns for garnish. Roughly chop remaining prawns. Combine vermicelli, chopped prawns, snow pea sprouts, carrot, cucumber, radish, peanuts, shredded mint and coriander in a bowl.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add rice paper sheets one at a time, cook until puffed and white. Drain on paper towel.
Add dressing to salad, toss gently to coat. Place rice paper sheets on a plate, fill with salad, top with reserved prawns, garnish with extra mint and coriander leaves.

Mini Japanese Pancakes

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To Cook
Sift flour, baking powder, chilli powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Lightly whisk eggs and Obento Sushi seasoning together. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, add eggs and seasoning; stir until smooth batter forms. Add cabbage, shallots, daikon and carrot. Stir to combine.
Heat oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Working in batches, drop ⅓ cup of batter into the pan and cook for 3-5 mins each side or until golden and cooked through.

To Serve
Top each pancake with strips of Kewpie Mayonnaise, micro herbs and serve with Obento Pickled Ginger.

Asian-style Ocean Trout Salad

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To Prep
Combine the marinade ingredients together and transfer half of it in to a zip lock bag with the trout.
With the remaining marinade, add the oil, lemon juice and the soy sauce and mix to make the dressing.

To Cook
Preheat an oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the trout on top. Place slices of lemon on top of the trout and then cover the baking tray with foil.
Place in the oven and bake the fish for 20 mins. Once the fish has cooked, remove from the oven and rest for 10 mins.
Cook the rice noodles in boiling water before draining and rinsing in cold water.
Toss the sliced bok choy in the dressing.
To serve, arrange the noodles and bok choy before topping with the slice of seaweed and the trout. Garnish with lemon slices, radish and sesame seeds.

Teriyaki Tofu and Broccoli Stir Fry

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To Cook
Add the soy, mirin, sugar, ginger and garlic to a small saucepan and place over a medium heat. Bring to boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer to thicken slightly, approximately 6-7 mins. Taste and adjust seasoning if required. Set aside to cool slightly.
Dice the tofu into large bite-sized pieces.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a wok or fry pan over high heat until shiny. Fry the tofu in batches until golden and crisp along the edges, approximately 3-5 mins. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towel to absorb excess oil. Return the wok or fry pan to the heat, add two shallots thinly sliced and 1 large chilli chopped.
Next add the broccoli stalks and florets with 2 tbsp of water to help steam the greens, stirring continuously until fork tender, approximately 3 mins. Add the snow peas and toss to warm through for a further 1 minute.
Return the tofu to the pan, along with remaining teriyaki sauce and stir until warmed through. Remove from the heat, add the sesame seeds and toss to combine. Divide into serving bowls, add a garnish of fresh coriander and serve with rice if preferred.
If you have a deep fryer at home – Set the fryer to 180°C and wait until hot. Lift up the basket to avoid splashing into the oil to place in diced tofu, lower the basket into the hot oil. Leave for approximately 4-5 mins or until golden and crisp along the edges. Remove from the basket and set aside on paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Okra in Nyonya Sauce

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To Prep
Finely blend the Sauce ingredients altogether.

To Cook
Pour sauce mixture in a wok and stir-fry until the oil rises. Add the Seasoning ingredients and stir-fry until sauce is well mixed.
Add okra and continue stirring for 30 secs. Remove from wok and serve.

Bulgogi Beef

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To Cook
Marinate beef in Ottogi Bulgogi Sauce & Marinade for at least 1 hr.
Meanwhile, place vinegar in a pan with the sugar. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 mins. Remove ¼ cup. Add all vegetables to the saucepan, except beetroot. Place beetroot in a bowl with reserved ¼ cup. Set aside to cool. When cool, combine all vegetables.
Pre-heat a barbecue flat plate or frying pan on medium-high heat, brush with olive oil. Cook beef for 4-5 mins on each side, or until cooked to your liking. Rest for 10 mins.
Serve beef with pickled vegetables and garnished with coriander.

Nyonya Style Chicken

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To Cook
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3-5 mins or until soft. Add 2 cloves garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Add curry paste and cook for a further 5 mins, stirring. Add coconut milk, cook for 5 mins.
Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook uncovered for 8 mins or until golden and crisp. Turnover and cook for a further 8 mins or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and set aside for 5 mins.
Cook the Brussels sprouts in a large saucepan of boiling water for 5 mins or until just tender. Drain well.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and add 2 cloves crushed garlic and chilli flakes. Cook for 1 min, stirring until mixture is aromatic. Add the Brussels sprouts and stir to coat sprouts. Add lemon juice, stir to combine.
Serve chicken with sauce and Brussels sprouts.

Thai Pork Salad

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To Cook
Heat oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat. Add mince and cook, breaking up lumps with a wooden spoon for 7-8 mins, or until cooked through. Remove pork to a large bowl. Set aside to cool.
Place uncooked rice in a separate dry frypan and cook, stirring over medium heat for 7-8 mins or until a dark golden. Transfer to a mortar and pestle, grind into fine powder. Set aside.
Place onion, lemongrass, 1 chilli, Squid Fish Sauce, lime juice, Mae Ploy Sweet Chilli Sauce, mint, coriander and pork in a bowl, toss to combine.
Finely slice remaining chilli. Arrange radicchio leaves on serving plates, pile pork on top. Garnish with extra coriander, chilli, peanuts and rice powder.

Rice Vinegar Simmered Chicken (Toriniku No Suni)

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To Cook
Sprinkle salt over chicken and leave for 10-15 mins then pat dry with kitchen paper.
Heat up a pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot enough, place the chicken fillets on the pan skin-side down. Press on the fillets to maximize the contact of the skin on the hot pan and cook until the skin is a golden brown.
Reduce the heat to medium low and flip the fillets to cook the other side for about 5 minutes. Remove the fillets from the pan and set aside.
Clean up any oil or juices from the pan and add the chilli, sake, vinegar, mirin, soy sauce and water. Turn the heat to medium then add the chicken fillets into the pan and bring the sauce to a boil.
When the sauce begins to boil reduce the heat so that the sauce is only at a simmer. Add the spring onions then simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, steam the cauliflower and sugar snap peas until they are done.
When the chicken is done, remove the chilli and spring onions from the pan and remove the pan from the heat.
Plate the chicken on a serving dish and arrange the vegetables over the chicken.
Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with cooked white rice.

Simmered Beef and Potatoes (Nikujaga)

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To Make Dashi Stock
Wipe kombu with a damp paper towel to clean off any impurities, then make a few shallow cuts into the kombu.
Add the water to a pot and add the kombu to and the pot. Allow it to soak for about 30 minutes before turning on the heat.
Turn the heat on medium and let it boil slowly. Remove from heat just as the water begins to boil.
Add the bonito flakes and return to the heat. Allow the water to simmer for another 1 minute. Be careful not the let it boil over.
Strain the dashi stock into a bowl and reserve for later.

To Cook
Blanch the snow peas in boiling water for half a minute, then soak in ice water.
Cook the shirataki noodles for a minute in boiling water.
Heat the vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat, then add the onions and stir fry for a minute.
Next add the beef and cook until they are done.
Add the potatoes, carrots, shirataki noodles, and dashi stock.
Add all the seasoning ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil.
Turn down the heat when the soup begins to boil, and slowly simmer the soup from here on out. Skim off any scum that has risen to the top of the soup.
Use a otshibuta, a Japanese drop lid, if available. An otshibuta will help prevent vegetables from breaking apart. Simmer the stew for about 15 minutes on medium heat.
Remove the pot from the heat and take off the otshibuta and add the blanched snow peas. Serve when the snow peas are warmed up.

Vegetarian Mapo Tofu

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To Prep
Softened the shiitake mushrooms by soaking for about 10 mins. Keeping the water for later, remove the mushrooms, discard the stems and chop the caps finely.
Soak eggplant in cold water 2-3 times and drain. This helps to remove bitterness.
Heat water in a saucepan in medium-high to just before boiling. Add the tofu cubes and turn the heat to medium-low when the tofu begins to sway. Simmer for 2-3 mins and drain.
Combine all sauce ingredients with the shiitake water and mix well.

To Cook
In a wok, heat the sesame oil along with the garlic, ginger, leeks, shiitake, eggplants and chilli bean paste. Stir-fry for 3 mins.
Add the sauce mixture to the wok and bring to boil. Turn the heat to medium and add in the tofu. Stir gently without breaking the tofu, then summer for about 5 mins before turning off the heat.
Sprinkle some sansho or Sichuan pepper and garnish with spring onions. Serve with rice.