Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Vegetables

Tempura Prawn Hand Roll

by Leave a Comment

To Prep
Add the sushi vinegar to the cooked sushi rice and gentle fold in to the rice until well incorporated.
Combine 125 g of tempura flour and ice water together in a mixing bowl and lightly stir them together. Don’t over mix as pockets of flour will make the batter airy. Pour the remaining 50 g of flour in to a separate bowl.

To Cook
Heat the oil to about 180°C, then dredge the prawns one by one in the tempura flour, then into the batter and fry in batches till golden brown. Let cool on paper towels to drain the excess oil.

To Make the Roll
Halve the seaweed sheets. Place sushi rice and then the lettuce, cucumber and prawn onto one side of nori.
Fold the nearest corner of the nori over the filling and start to shape.
The hand roll should be shaped cone shaped to stop any rice from falling out.
Serve with teriyaki sauce or eel sauce on top!

White Pork Bone Soup for Yin Yang Hot Pot

by Leave a Comment

To Cook
In a deep pot, submerge pork bones and chicken carcass in water. Boil for 10 mins and discard the water. This is to remove scum.
Fill in 2.5L water and bring to a boil. Add in brown onions, ginger, sugar and Shaoxing wine. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer over medium fire for 2 hrs or until the soup turns milky white in colour. While simmering, stir occasionally to help break the meat off the bones and speed up the cooking process. Also remove any floating scum.
Once the soup is ready, season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in goji berries, red dates and spring onions for garnishing.
Ladle some soup into a steamboat pot / hot pot and begin cooking your choice of meats, veggies, fish fillets and noodles.

Shio Ramen

by Leave a Comment

Preparing the Chicken stock
Place all the chicken bones, onions, carrots, and onions in a large stock pot and cover with water You want at least 3cms of water covering all the ingredients.
Start to boil the water and skim off any scum that rises to the top. Skim until no more scum rises to the top.
Add the sake and mirin to the stock.
Lower the heat to the point right before the stock boils. If you have a thermometer, this should be 80°C. Maintain at this temperature for at least 6 hours.
Strain the stock and set aside for later use.

Preparing the Dashi
Add the water and kombu to a pot and let it soak for 30 minutes.
Next, place the pot onto medium heat and let it slowly come to a boil.
Just before the water boils, remove it from the heat and add in the bonito flakes.
Return to the heat and let it simmer for a minute or two. Take care not to let it boil over.
Strain the dashi stock into another pot.
Add the salt, soy sauce, mirin, and sake to the dashi stock. Let the soup boil for a minute or two and remove from the heat.

Preparing the Tare
Soak the kombu in the mirin and sake overnight.
When done soaking, place all the contents into a small pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Take care to not let the liquids boil over.
Remove the kombu and add the chicken stock and ground chicken meat.
Allow the stock to boil until the meat is cooked. Turn off the heat and then let the ingredients soak for at least 30 minutes.
Strain the liquid into another pot. Begin seasoning with salt by adding at least 50gms of salt to the tare. Keep tasting and adding salt until the tare is salty, but not unbearably salty. Let it cool and store for later use.

Preparing the Ramen
Make sure your eggs are at room temperature. Then add them to boiling water for 6 minutes.
At the end of 6 minutes, remove the eggs from the boiling water and immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water.
Once the eggs have cooled, peel the shells off.
Cook the corn kernels by boiling in water for 5-10 minutes
Then, in a pot, add 150 ml of dashi and 150 ml of chicken stock and heat up over medium heat. This is soup for 1 serving or Shio ramen.
Start off by mixing in 1 tbsp of the tare to the soup, and add more to adjust the saltiness and flavor.
Cook the ramen noodles as per packet instructions and place in a bowl.
Add the corn kernels, and 6-minute eggs to the bowl of ramen noodles and pour the soup over.
Garnish with nori seaweed and serve.

Chinese Hot Pot

by Leave a Comment

For Soup
Prepare a big pot and bring water to a boil. Boil the chicken carcass and pork bones for 5 mins and discard the water. This is to remove scum.
Fill in 2.5L of water into the pot and bring it to boil. Add in goji berries and red dates, simmer for 2 hrs. Season with salt according to taste.

To Enjoy
Once ready, transfer broth into a steamboat pot / hot pot, about half full. Place it on a portable electric stove. Add in your own combination of meat, veggies and fish. Let it boil and cook. When ready, dish out into individual serving bowls with small wire strainer or ladle. Dip cooked food into condiments and enjoy.
Repeat the same process by adding in meat, veggies and fish into the hot pot and allow to boil and cook once the first batch of cooked food have been distributed. Top up with broth when needed.
Noodles and eggs are usually added towards the end when broth is most flavourful after cooking all the ingredients.

Mala Sichuan Spicy Hot Pot

by 2 Comments

To Cook
Gather all dried spices ingredients and cook with butter on low heat in a pan for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover with lid and allow to cook for another 15 minutes. Strain butter into a mixing bowl and set aside.
Return the strained spices back to the pan. Add in Shaoxing wine and bring to boil over medium heat, then cover with lid and turn heat down to low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. to the saucepan and add the wine. Turn heat off and set the pan aside, leaving the spices and wine in the pan.
In a separate pan, heat the strained spiced butter, add in minced ginger. Saute for about 5 minutes before adding in the chopped spring onions and minced garlic. Saute until fragrant then add in the cut dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes and add the chilli bean paste. Allow to cook over low heat for approximately 10 minutes. Then gently strain the pan of Shaoxing wine into this chilli bean pot and discard the cooked dried spices. Add the rock sugar and allow the pot to cook for a further 30 minutes. The Sichuan spicy hot pot paste is completed here.
Prepare all of the fresh ingredients and plate them around the dining table.
Prepare the an electric hot pot or a hot pot over induction cook top, and place in the middle of the dining table. Turn heat on and add in the chicken stock. Scoop out half of the prepared Sichuan spicy hot pot paste and add to the chicken stock. Then add in the dried shitake mushrooms and dried chillies. Cover with lid and allow to boil. Once boiling, turn heat down, remove lid and add in any of the fresh ingredients, in batches. Cover the pot again with lid and bring it to a boil again. The ingredients should be cooked now and ready to be served. Add water when required as the hot pot will evaporate from cooking overtime.

Vietnamese Style Tom Yum Hot Pot (Lau Thai)

by Leave a Comment

To Cook
Start by preparing the soup. Place all the ingredients of the soup into the hot pot, mix well and bring to a boil. Turn heat off and set aside.
Next, combine all the dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
Place hot pot on the dining table and turn heat on to bring to a boil. Prepare and arrange all the other ingredients around the hot pot. One hot pot starts to boil, place a little of every ingredient in to the cook. Cover pot with lid and allow to boil, this is to ensure all ingredients are cooked.
Remove lid, turn heat down and eat fresh from the hot pot with some soup base and the dipping sauce.

Japanese Soy Milk Hot Pot (Tonyu Nabe)

by Leave a Comment

To Cook
To make the soup base, bring the kombu dashi, sake and mirin in a claypot, and bring to boil. Then turn heat down to medium and add in the warm soy milk. Allow it to simmer while stirring occasionally. Add in miso paste and grounded sesame seeds. Mix well to make sure miso is properly dissolved. Add salt to taste if necessary. Bring the soup to a boil and then turn off heat and set aside.
Peel the daikon and carrot using a vegetable peeler into long paper-thin form. Set aside.
Return the soup base to medium heat. Start placing the napa cabbage leaves first, then carefully arrange half portion of some of the prepared ingredients enoki mushrooms, shimeiji mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, white raddish and carrot. Becareful not to put too many ingredients into the pot to avoid from overflowing, the remaining ingredients can be saved for the next batch.
Next add in all the other vegetables – leek, shungiku, spring inions and the pork loin as well. Wait for the soup to come to a boil, then turn heat down to the lowest setting to keep it warm. The first batch of ingredients are now ready to be served.
Once the first batch of cooked ingredients is cleared from the pot, repeat the same with the remaining ingredients.

Vietnamese Seafood Hot Pot (Lau Do Bien)

by Leave a Comment

To Cook
Prepare all fresh ingredients on separate platters around the dining table. Place electric hot pot or hot pot over induction hob in the middle of the dining table.
Prepare dipping sauce by adding sliced chillies into light soy sauce in a small platter.
Combine the stock, salt, sugar and fish sauce in a large pot and bring to boil for about 10 minutes. Transfer half of the stock into the electric hot pot or a hot pot over induction hob. Turn heat on and allow stock to boil again. Once boiling, add in fresh ingredients according to preference, in batches to avoid overflowing. Place lid back on and allow to simmer.
More stock may be added as and when needed.

Stir-Fried Cos Lettuce with Garlic

by Leave a Comment

To Cook
Heat wok over high heat and swirl in the cooking oil.
Add the minced garlic, and sauté for about 5 secs.
Add the lettuce and stir-fry for about 30 secs.
Add in all the sauce ingredients, stir-fry for 30 secs, or until the lettuce is just tender and still bright green.
Transfer to a serving plate, drizzle the sesame oil and serve immediately.

Blended Kabocha Miso Soup

by Leave a Comment

To Cook
Heat a large pot on medium, coat the bottom with oil. Add in the onion and squash, stir for 10 mins or until onion is translucent and fragrant and squash starts to soften.
Add in the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
Pour in the water and bring to boil over high heat.
Lower to simmer for about 10 mins, until the squash are tender.
Transfer to a blender in batches, blend roughly and return to pot.
Reheat the soup over medium heat until warm.
In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp miso paste with 1 tbsp hot water, add into the soup. Taste test and add more diluted miso paste if desired.
Ladle the soup into a serving bowl, top with fish (optional), coriander and cracked black pepper. Serve

Vietnamese Broken Rice with Grilled Pork (Com Tam)

by Leave a Comment

To Make Dipping Sauce
Place all dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well until sugar is dissolved.

To Cook the Pork Chops
Tenderize the pork chops until even thickness.
Mix the remaining ingredients until well-combined. Coat the pork chops with the sauce and marinade for at least 1 hr or overnight.
Heat a grill or frying pan with oil. Grill the meat until done, about 1-2 mins on each side. Remove and set aside.

To Make the Meatloaf
Set 2 egg yolks aside, add the remaining eggs into a bowl and beat well.
Add the rest of the meatloaf ingredients and mix well.
Grease a square or loaf tin and place the mixture into the tin. Spread evenly and steam covered for 30 mins.
Spread reserved egg yolks on the top of the meatloaf and steam uncovered for 5 min. Remove and let cool before slicing.

To Serve
In a serving plate, place the broken rice, grilled pork chop, meatloaf slice, fried egg, shredded pork skin, cucumber slices and pickled carrot and radish slices. Garnish with sautéed spring onion and serve with dipping sauce.

Claypot Chicken with Bitter Melon

by Leave a Comment

To Cook
In a clay pot, heat sesame oil and stir-fry soybean paste and fermented black beans for 30 secs or until fragrant.
Add in the garlic, ginger, chicken and bitter melon, stir-fry until the surface of the pork turn white.
Add in the sauce ingredients and simmer covered for 15 mins.
Season with soy sauce or salt to taste. Add the Shaoxing wine before removing from heat. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot.