Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Vegetables

Salt and Pepper Prawns (Tom Rang Muoi)

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To Prep
Clean the prawns and then cut off the whiskers and horn.
Without removing the shell, take out the veins by using a toothpick placed under the shell and then slowly pulling up.

To Cook
In a dry frying pan, roast salt and pepper until fragrant. Remove from the heat and add sugar, mix and set aside.
In a pot, heat oil to 180°C.
Coat prawns in corn starch and shake off the excess before frying in the oil. Fry the prawns for about 1-2 minutes, then transferring to a plate with paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
In a wok, heat up 1 tbsp oil and add the chilli, onions and garlic.
Sauté until fragrant before adding the deep-fried prawns and the salt and pepper mix.
Toss lightly until combined and then serve.

Homemade Thai Red Curry Paste (Prik Gaeng Ped)

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To Prep
Soak the chillies in hot water for 5 mins to hydrate, before draining and cutting in to sections.
Slice the shallots, coriander roots, galangal and lemongrass into small sections.
Add the chillies in to the pestle and mortar and grind lightly to break the chillies up. When the sections have begun to break down, add the salt and continue to grind.
Add in the lemongrass and grind till the sections have broken down. Repeat this process next with the galangal, garlic, kaffir lime zest, cilantro roots and lastly with the shallots.
Continue to grind all of the ingredients together until the mixture turns into a fine paste.
At this point, add in the shrimp paste and continue to grind until shrimp paste has been fully incorporated in to the paste.

Miso Grilled Vegetables

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To Prep
Cut the vegetables into bite sized chunks to be skewered.
Finely grate the zest of the lime in to a bowl. After this, juice the lime in to the same bowl.
Combine the lime juice, zest and the rest of the marinade ingredients in to a small bowl and whisk together until combined.
Thread the vegetables on to either a metal or bamboo skewer and then place in to a large container. (If using bamboo or wooden skewers, allow them to be soaked in water prior to using them.)
Once the vegetables have been skewered, pour over the marinade and let marinate for at least an hour.

To Cook
Remove the vegetables from the container and shake off any excess marinade.
Grill the vegetables, basting once every few minutes and turning over occasionally to ensure that the vegetables are cooked evenly.
Continue to cook until they become soft and tender.
Season the skewers to taste and serve!

Fried Shallots

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To Cook
Place the shallots in to a saucepan and fill with enough oil to cover the shallots.
Turn on the stove and set it to a high heat, stirring occasionally.
Once the shallots start to turn brown, reduce the flame to low and continue to cook them until they turn golden brown.
Once the shallots have turned golden brown, remove them from the oil and allow them to drain on a plate with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
Season lightly with salt and serve.

Rainbow Rice Paper Rolls

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To Cook
In a small saucepan, add the hoisin sauce, peanut butter, sesame oil and garlic and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Stir through a little water at a time until sauce appears smooth and glossy, with a slight runny consistency. Set aside to cool.
To make the rice paper rolls, fill a large bowl with warm-hot water. Working quickly, carefully dip the rice paper into the water, making sure to wet the whole sheet. Move the rice paper onto a plate.
Arrange equal amounts of capsicum, carrots, takuan, cucumber and red cabbage, with 2-3 mint leaves towards the bottom of the rice paper, being careful not to use too much filling.
Starting from the bottom, fold the rice paper over the vegetables. Tuck in the sides of the rice paper, and then roll the rice paper tightly to complete the rice paper roll. Continue with remaining ingredients.
To serve, cut rice paper rolls in half to reveal colours and serve with peanut hoisin sauce.

Char Siu Barbecued Lamb Chops

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To Prep
Combine all of the marinade ingredients and mix well.
Transfer the marinade into a resealable bag and add the lamb. Mix the lamb to coat with the marinade, seal and marinate for at least 3 hrs.
Once the meat has marinated, cut the bok choy in half lengthwise.

To Cook
Prepare the barbecue to cook.
Remove the lamb from the bag and transfer to the barbecue.
While the lamb is cooking, add the halves of bok choy to the barbecue to cook.
Grill the lamb chops until lightly charred on both sides.
When the lamb has been cooked to the desired level of doneness, remove from the barbecue and let the meat rest for at least 5 mins.
While the meat rests, in a small bowl combine the honey and water together.

The leftover marinade can also be used to make a savoury sauce for the lamb chops. To do this:
Transfer the leftover marinade in to a small saucepan and add about 4 tbsp of water.
Bring the mixture to a light boil and continue to cook for about 5 mins to ensure that the sauce has cooked through.
Serve with the lamb chops and bok choy.

Chinese-style Barramundi

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To Prep
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Cut the vegetables as instructed.
Remove the skin from the Barramundi fillets and set aside.

To Cook
Roll out a large piece of foil, big enough to fit all fillets.
Arrange the fillets in the centre of the foil and evenly top with the cut vegetables, garlic and ginger.
Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar and vegetable oil together and pour over the fish and vegetables.
Cover the ingredients with another large piece of foil, ensuring that all the edges are sealed.
Place the sealed ingredients in the oven for about 15 mins or until the fish would be just cooked through.
While the ingredients are in the oven, dry the leftover fish skin with a paper towel and season with salt.
Heat up a small saucepan with enough oil to deep fry the skin. Deep fry the fish skin until golden brown in colour.
Remove the fish from the oven and unwrap from the foil.
Arrange the fish meat, skin and vegetables to serve.

Sichuan Braised Lamb

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To Cook
Boil the lamb in a saucepan for about 5 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a wok until hot, stir fry the garlic, ginger, leek and chilli until fragrant.
Add the lamb and continue to stir fry. Add the cooking wine and soy sauce to the wok.
Transfer the lamb to a stewing pot. Pour in 400ml of water and add the cumin, star anise, cinnamon, and Sichuan peppercorns.
Cover with a lid and simmer the lamb over low heat for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the lid and continue cooking until the sauce has reduced.
Toss with coriander andserve.

Hunan-style Lamb Ribs

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To Prep
Combine the marinade ingredients and set aside.

To Cook
Combine the water, Shaoxing wine, sliced ginger, soy sauce, star anise, sugar and the cinnamon in to a large saucepan and bring to a simmer before adding the lamb ribs.
Reduce the heat to low and cook the lamb until the meat is starting to become tender. Roughly 90 mins.
Remove the ribs, drain and place in a fridge for 180 mins to become firm.
Add the firmed lamb to the marinade and coat well. Return to the fridge to marinate for another 60 mins.
In a large wok, heat 5 tbsp of oil and transfer the marinated lamb to the wok to cook.
Cook the lamb in batches to ensure they are evenly cooked. After frying the ribs, remove them from the wok to drain off the excess oil.
Once the lamb has been cooked, fry the finely chopped ginger, chillies, garlic, spring onions and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant before returning the lamb back in to the wok to finish.
Coat the lamb with the mixture and then transfer to a plate to serve.

Thai Spicy Corn and Salted Egg Salad (Som Tum Khao Pod)

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To Prep
In a pestle and mortar, lightly pound the garlic and chillies. Add the sugar, lime juice and fish sauce, pound again until well combined. Set aside.
Remove the husks off the corns and cut the kernels off the cobs.
In a large salad bowl, add tomatoes, corn kernels and salted egg. Pour dressing over the vegetables and toss them in the dressing. Check the salt, spice and sugar levels and adjust to suit your taste. Serve as an appetizer.

Vegan Tempura Sushi Burger

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To Cook
Add sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix together until fully combined. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring to avoid burning. Take off heat when sauce is reduced by half. Set aside to cool.
Add sushi seasoning to cooked brown rice, mix and sit for 15 mins.
Add vegetables into a large mixing bowl. Add in ½ cup flour and salt, and toss until coated thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, prepare the tempura batter by incorporating the remaining plain flour, potato starch and ice water. Then add the batter with vegetable mix, tossing to combine.
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok. Spooning bits of the vegetable batter into the oil, using a chopstick to shape it into a round form.
Remove from oil when golden and place on wire rack or drain on paper towel.
To shape sushi buns, spoon 2-3 tbsp of sushi rice into an egg ring and press to mold into shape. Place sushi buns on heated pan to sear the surface.
Assemble the burger by adding wasabi, pickled ginger, cucumber and desired amount of sauce before topping off black sesame seeds on top of sushi bun.

Pork and Kimchi Stir Fry

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To Cook
Combine the sake, oyster sauce, gochujang, sesame oil and mirin together.
Heat up a pan and add some vegetable oil. Add some garlic and fry until the aromas are released.
Add the sliced pork and stir, ensuring that the slices are separate.
When the pork is cooked thoroughly, add the kimchi. Stir-fry for approximately 1-2 mins.
Push the pork and kimchi to one side of the pan and cook the sauce mixture from earlier on the other side of the pan. When the sauce sizzles, combine it with the pork and kimchi.
Add in the green onions before turning off the heat. Coat everything well in the sauce. Remove the pan from heat.