Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Vegetables

Korean Pickled Radish with Chilli

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To Prep
Place the radish slices, onions and chillies loosely into a mason jar (or divide into a few smaller jars).

To Cook
In a saucepan, mix the Pickle ingredients, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Heat on high and bring to boil, then remove from heat.

To Pickle
Immediately pour the mixture into the jar(s) and use a heavy spoon to sit on the vegetables to ensure they are fully submerged. Let cool to room temperature and cover to sit overnight.
Place the jars in the fridge and serve after 2-3 days, up to 6 mths.

Hakka Yong Tau Foo

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To Make the Broth
Dry-fry the anchovies until dried, placed into a stock pouch.
Heat the water in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the soybeans and anchovies soup pouch and bring to boil for 30 mins or more. Add in the salt and sugar last.

To Prepare
Combine the stuffing ingredients, mix well and set aside.
Puffed tofu – Make a slit at the center of the puffed tofu with scissors.
Firm tofu – Scoop out a hole at the center of the tofu.
Chillies and okras – Make a slit from the top, stop at 2-3 cm from the end. Remove the seeds.
Eggplants – Slice in from the side to about ¾ of the way, allow the eggplant to open up like a shell.
Bitter melons – Remove the core and seeds.
With a spoon or butter knife, add the stuffing into the vegetables and spread them out to avoid falling out as they will shrink when cooked.

To Cook
In a frying pan, heat oil over medium-low heat. Pan-fry the stuffed firm tofu, meat facing down first, until browned on all sides and place them into the soup.
Pan-fry the remaining stuffed vegetables and puffed tofu covered until all sides are browned and meat are cooked.
Serve the stuffed vegetables and tofu with the soup.

Japanese Stew (Oden)

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To Cook
Place dashi stock ingredients and seasonings into a claypot.
Place all ingredients, except nerimono (long fish cake tubes with white ends) and enoki mushrooms, into the claypot and simmer covered for at least 2-3 hrs.
Add the nerimono and cook for at least 30 mins over low heat.
Add the enoki mushrooms and cook for a final 1-2 mins. Serve with hot mustard.

Pan-fried Chicken Breast with Thai-style Noodles

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To Cook
Mix the chicken breast in 2 tbsp of the oil, sliced garlic, chilli and lemongrass and marinate for 15 minutes.
Place 2 tbsp of the oil in to a pan and cook the chicken skin side down so that it becomes crispy. Once it has become crispy, sear the remaining sides of the chicken breast and then transfer into an oven for 10 minutes at 180℃.
Add the last of the oil in to the pan and fry the onions till they start to brown. Add the coconut milk to the pan and let the sauce reach a simmer.
Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, tamarind and palm sugar. Stir and continue to simmer until the palm sugar has dissolved fully.
Remove the pan from the heat.
In a separate bowl, blanch the vermicelli noodles.
To serve, spoon the sauce mixture onto a plate, place the vermicelli noodles on top of the sauce, and finish with slices of the chicken. Garnish with basil and chillies.

Chinese Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)

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For the Soup Jelly
Add the pork rinds to a pot of cold water and bring to the boil. Cook until rinds become slightly transparent before removing from pot and rinsing to remove any impurities.
Cut rinds into smaller strips and then add to a pot with the slices of ginger, spring onions, Shaoxing wine and enough water to cover. Cook for about 90 mins before allowing to cool down. Transfer to a blender, then blend for 30 secs.
Strain blended mixture to remove any large pieces before pouring into a container and allowing to set.

For the Dumpling Fillings
Soak minced ginger with spring onions in ½ cup of water for 10 mins before combining with minced pork in a large bowl. When mixing the water and meat, pour water in a quarter at a time to ensure that the water is well incorporated.
Add soy sauce, salt, oyster sauce, sesame oil and sugar, and mix well before setting aside for 30 mins to marinate.
Mince the soup jelly and mix in with the dumpling filling.

For the Dumpling Wrappers
Add the flour and water into a mixing bowl and knead until the dough becomes smooth but is still stretchy. Cover dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 20 mins.
Dust your working surface with flour and knead dough again for 5 mins before rolling it into a long cylinder.
Cut the roll into smaller sections and form balls of dough weighing 5g each. Roll out these balls into round wrapper shapes about 6.5-7 cm in diameter, to be folded.
Note: Ensure any pieces of dough that aren’t being handled are covered by a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out.

To Make the Dumplings
Place a dumpling wrapper in the centre of your hand and place 1 tbsp of the dumpling filling into the centre.
With your right thumb and middle finger under the wrapper and your forefinger on the top, lift the edge and pinch it to make a pleat. Use your left hand to gather more dough, then pinch with your index finger. Continue doing this all the way around, making sure your thumb never leaves the first pleat.
Pinch the top to seal the dumpling.

To Cook
Set up a bamboo steamer with perforated paper steamer liners over a wok filled with water. Heat the water on high.
Once the water has boiled, place dumplings into steamer with adequate room between each dumpling. Close lid and allow dumplings to steam for at least 8 mins.
When the dumplings are done, carefully remove them from the steamer and serve with freshly julienned ginger and Chinese black vinegar.

Leafy Greens with Minced Meat, Preserved Radish and Mushroom

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To Cook
In a pot of boiling water, add pinch of salt and drizzle some oil, blanch the cos lettuce for 1 min. Remove and drain well. Arrange on a serving plate.
Heat some oil in a wok, sauté the garlic until fragrant, then add in the minced pork and stir fry until cooked.
Add the chilli, mushroom and preserved radish, stir for 1-2 mins or until mushrooms are cooked. Do a taste test and add more salt if needed.
Pour the stir fried minced meat over the vegetable, serve.

Green Chicken Curry (Gang Kheaw Waan Gai)

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To Cook
Heat oil over medium heat, add Valcom Green Curry Paste and stir-fry for 1 min or until oil appears.
Add half of Valcom Premium Coconut Milk and cook for 1 min, stirring frequently.
Add chicken and cook for 1 min, then add carrot and eggplant and cook for another 2 mins.
Pour in remaining Valcom Premium Coconut Milk, sugar and Squid Brand Fish Sauce and bring to boil for 3 mins.
Once boiled, add in sliced chillies and basil leaves, stir through.
Garnish with basil leaves and serve hot.

Thai Green Curry Grilled Beef (Nur Yang Kab Sauce Gang Kheaw Waan)

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To Cook
Combine fish sauce and ground black pepper in a large ceramic bowl. Add beef steak. Turn to coat in marinade and set aside for 5 mins.
Heat a barbecue hotplate or chargrill pan on medium-high heat. Cook marinated beef for 2-3 mins per side until lightly charred or tender, then allow to rest.
Heat oil over medium heat in a frying pan, stir-fry green curry paste, carrot and green beans for 2 mins.
Add coconut milk, water, sugar and fish sauce and bring to a boil. Once boiled, reduce to a simmer for 3 mins.
Add basil leaves and stir through. Pour sauce over beef to serve.

Easy Sushi Roll

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To Prepare
Rinse rice until water runs clear, then drain well in a colander/sieve.
Place rice and water in a pot and bring to a boil, give a quick stir and then turn down the heat to the lowest possible and let it cook by absorption for 10 mins. Remove pot from heat, cover with a lid and let it stand for 10 mins.
When the rice is slightly cool, use a pair of chopsticks to gently fluff up the rice while stirring in the sushi seasoning. Let the rice cool before assembling the sushi.

To Assemble
Place a nori sheet onto the mat.
With damp hands, spread ¾ cup rice over the nori sheet, spreading it to the left, bottom and right edges of the sheet, leaving a 2cm gap of nori at the top.
Place sushi fillings of choice in the middle of the rice, horizontally.
Using the mat as a guide, bring the bottom of the nori sheet to the top edge where the rice ends and press firmly, and give it a slight roll to the top to enable the nori to seal itself.
Repeat with the other remaining nori sheet and ingredients.
Cut into 1.5cm slices and serve with Obento Sushi & Sashimi Soy Sauce and S&B wasabi.

Potato Pancake (Gamjajeon)

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To Make the Batter
Cut the peeled potato into more manageable pieces and blend the pieces using a mixer or a blender.
Remove any excess water from the potato and set it aside for a few minutes, keeping both the water and potato.
Cut the peeled onion into more manageable pieces and blend.
Combine the blended potato and blended onion into a bowl and add a sprinkle of salt.
Use the drained potato water from earlier and add it to the potato and onion mixture, ensuring that the new mixture is combined well.

To Cook
Put a pan on high heat and add oil.
When the pan feels hot enough, place a ball of mixture into the pan and quickly flatten out the batter on the pan. Turn the heat down to medium.
Before one side is fully cooked, throw a preferential amount of chilli slices into the pancake.
Flip the pancake.
Remove the pancake when the consistency is right for you.
Finish cooking the remaining mixture.
Plate up and serve with the homemade Korean pancake sauce.

Stir Fried Clams with Ginger

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To Prep
In a large container, combine the clams, 1 tbsp of salt and enough water to cover the clams.
Let the clams soak in the water for at least 2 hours before draining them and rinsing them.
After the clams have been rinsed, boil some water and pour them over the clams to open them slightly so that they release any of the dirt within them.

To Cook
In a large pan or wok, heat up about 2 tbsp of oil and stir-fry the ginger, chilli, garlic and white parts of the spring onions until they become fragrant.
Add the clams in to the frying pan and season with the salt and Shaoxing wine before tossing the clams until all of the ingredients have combined.
After the ingredients have been thoroughly combined, remove the clams from the pan and serve garnished with the rest of the spring onions.

Sichuan Seafood Noodles

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To Prep
In a small bowl, combine the Chilli Sauce ingredients and mix well. Cover with a wrap and set aside.

To Cook
Heat the oil in a pot, sauté garlic until fragrant, then add in the chilli bean paste, pickled vegetables, soy sauce and sugar. Stir for 1-2 mins until fragrant.
Pour in the soup and bring to boil.
Add in the seafood and cook until done. When the seafood are almost done, add in the enoki mushrooms. Turn off the heat.
Boil water in another pot and cook the noodles according to packet instructions. When the noodles are almost done, add in the chrysanthemum garlands. When everything is cooked, remove and drain well.

To Serve
Place noodles into serving bowl and arrange the vegetables and seafood on top. Ladle in the soup and serve with chilli sauce added to the bowl or at the side.