To Cook
Slice eggplants into quarters. Slice slits into eggplant quarters. Dress with olive oil and salt and place on a baking tray. Bake at 180°C for 20 mins until eggplants are brown on the outside.
Whisk together miso dressing ingredients. Once the eggplants are ready, spoon or brush miso dressing over the eggplants. Then continue to bake for another 5 mins in the oven. Keep a lookout as sugar burns easily.
Dish out and garnish with scallions and roasted sesame seeds.
Vegetables
Sesame Teriyaki Salmon Salad
To Prep
In a small foil BBQ tray or baking tray lined with foil, lightly coat the bottom with sesame oil. Place the 2 salmon fillets on the oiled tray. Cut a grid pattern onto the top of the salmon with a knife and pour the teriyaki marinade into the cuts and around the salmon. Place the tray into the fridge and leave for 15 mins while heating up the BBQ to medium.
Meanwhile, prepare the salad dressing. Squeeze the juice out of 2 limes into a small jug. Grate palm sugar into the lime juice. Keep stirring the dressing until the palm sugar dissolve. Use a bit less palm sugar if a sourer taste is preferred. Add fish sauce and give it a good stir. Give the dressing a taste, it should taste noticeably savoury as well as tangy and sweet. Add more fish sauce a little at a time until perfectly savoury according to your taste. Add diced fresh chillies and give the dressing a final stir. Leave the chillies out if spicy flavour is not preferred.
To Cook
Take the salmon out of the fridge and place the tray on the BBQ and close the lid. It should take about 12-15 mins to cook, depending on how soft you like your salmon and how hot your BBQ is. Check on it after 10 mins to see how it’s going.
While the salmon cooks, prepare the salad. For a delicious (and photogenic) salad, use a spiralizer to thinly slice the daikon, cucumber, carrot and red onion into ribbons. Alternatively, you can grate the vegetables or finely slice them in a food processor. Put all the vegetables into a large salad bowl and cut any long ribbons into smaller pieces with a clean pair of kitchen scissors. Rinse the fresh herbs, pat them dry and then tear them into the salad. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss thoroughly. Garnish the salad with sesame seeds and divide into 2 bowls.
Once the salmon is nearly cooked, take the tray off the BBQ and leave it for 5 mins on the bench. The salmon will keep cooking for a few minutes. Once slightly cooled, flake the warm salmon over the top of the salad in each bowl. Pour the remaining marinade from the BBQ tray over the salmon for extra Teriyaki deliciousness. Garnish each bowl with more sesame seeds and a few sprigs of fresh coriander if desired.
Grab your chopsticks and dig in, yum!
Veggieful Soba Noodle Salad
To Cook
Heat a pan and spray with preferred oil. Fry the tofu until lightly golden brown. Slice into ½ cm slices and set aside. In the same pan, add asparagus, carrot and zucchini and pan fry until they have some colour but not too soft. Put aside.
Place a saucepan of water to boil. Then add in edamame to the boiling water for a few mins. Remove the edamame and place into a bowl of cold water, reserve the hot water. Shell edamame once cooled and set aside. Reserved hot water can be used to cook the soba noodles to save time if preferred. Cook soba noodles according to packet instructions. Refresh under cold water.
Mix together soy sauce, mirin, grated ginger, garlic, red chillies, lemon juice and rice vinegar.
To assemble the dish, put noodles in a large bowl and add in coriander, shallots and mixed sauce. Combine thoroughly. Add in cucumber, zucchini, carrots and shelled edamame. Mix well, distribute fried tofu and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Drizzle some sriracha according to taste. Serve immediately.
Vegetarian Japanese Curry with Noodles
To Prep
In a pot of boiling water, cook the somen noodles according to the packet instructions.
When the noodles have finished cooking, drain the water and then rinse them in cold water to stop them from over cooking, as well as to remove some of the extra starch.
To Cook
Heat a pan over a medium heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Allow it to heat up before adding in the onions and cooking until they become translucent.
Add the water in to the pan and bring it to a boil. When it begins to boil reduce it to a simmer, add the carrots and cook until they become tender.
Add in the cauliflower, broccoli and green beans.
After about 2 minutes have passed, add in the curry roux and stir the roux until the curry thickens.
To serve, plate the somen noodles in to a bowl or dipped plate and spoon over some of the curry.
Korean Army Stew (Budae Jjigae)
To Cook
Assemble the main ingredients (except for instant ramen noodles, rice cakes, green onion and cheese) in a shallow pot. Add the sauce in the middle. Pour the stock in the corner of the pot. Close the lid and boil it on medium high heat until the stock starts to boil (about 8 mins).
Add the remaining ingredients – instant ramen noodles, rice cakes, green onion and cheese on top of the pot and boil uncovered until the noodles are cooked (about 2 to 3 mins). Reduce the heat to low (if you’re cooking on a portable burner and sharing the food at the dining table).
Start dishing out soup, protein and vegetables onto your own soup bowl. Serve with steamed rice.
Braised Teriyaki Tofu with Steamed Broccolini and Sprouts
To Cook
Cut tofu into ½ – ¾ inch thick. In the frying pan, put 1 tablespoon of frying oil in high heat and put the tofu in.
Pour 1 sachet of Lee Kum Kee Teriyaki Sauce and turn to boil and turn down to low heat until the teriyaki sauce well absorbed into the tofu. Put aside.
Blanch the broccolini and snow peas sprout. Mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and sesame oil for the vegetable sauce.
Prepare the teriyaki tofu on the plate and add the blanched greens and pour the sauce over the vegetables.
Drizzle with sesame seeds.
Sizzling Ginger Pork
To Prep
Chop ingredients. Hint: Half freeze the pork fillet for easy slicing!
Mix sauce in a bowl.
To Cook
Heat a wok over high heat.
Add the oil and stir fry the ginger, garlic, chillies and onion for 1 min.
Add the pork and stir fry for 2 mins.
Stir in the garlic shoots, pepper, sauces and stock and stir fry until all ingredients are cooked.
Sprinkle the spring onion over and toss for 1 min.
Gangnam Wagyu Beef Bulgogi
To Cook
Whisk the garlic, ginger, 1 tsp sesame oil, soy sauce, and honey in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat the remaining 1 tsp of sesame oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
Once heated, add the onion and sprinkle with salt. Cook for 4-5 mins until softened.
Add the wagyu beef to the pan. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to break up the meat into small chunks.
Add soy sauce mixture to the pan. Stir to incorporate.
Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add capsicum and cook for 5-7 mins until the meat is cooked through.
Serve with warm rice in a bowl and finish off with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Perfectly Timed Asian Noodles
To Cook
Lightly season the beef with ground pepper and set aside.
In a jug, mix together the sweet soy sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, ginger and chilli. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, cover the udon noodles with boiling water and set aside. Remember to drain after 3-4 mins.
Heat oil in a wok or large pan.
Stir fry beef in batches ensuring that the meat sizzles when placed in the wok. Remove each batch and set aside on a plate loosely covered with foil to rest.
Add the garlic and mushroom to the wok and stir fry until the mushroom starts to brown in colour.
Add the remaining vegetables and cashews to the wok and stir fry for about 2-3 mins.
Reduce the heat of the wok slightly.
Add the noodles and sauce mixture to the wok, toss through until all the noodles are coated. (Rinse the noodles in hot water before adding if required.)
Finally, add the beef back to the wok and toss through.
Bow to the awaiting crowd before serving.
Sticky Beef Stir-Fry
To Cook
Heat a frypan over medium heat and spray with oil.
Cook garlic for 1-2 mins until lightly golden and set aside.
Add beef and stir-fry for 5 mins until browned. Add pineapple juice, oyster sauce and mirin. Simmer and stir often for 10 mins or until sauce reduces and the mixture is dark, golden and sticky.
Add beans and stir often for 1-2 mins.
Stir through coriander and mint, sprinkle with chilli and garlic and serve with rice/noodles.
Sashimi Poke Bowl
To Cook
Combine the grated ginger, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil in a bowl
Remove skin from salmon. Cut salmon and tuna into bite-size cubes, and add to marinade mixture. This can be left to marinate for longer if desired, or just until everything else is prepped.
Put edamame beans into a bowl and add boiling water. Let it sit for 5 mins, then drain and add to pokē bowl.
Assemble bowl with rice as the base and all other ingredients as toppings.
Quantities can be adjusted as desired.
Prawn Omelette with Bean Sprout Salad
Salad
Place salad ingredients in a bowl. Whisk the dressing ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved, then pour over salad. Toss to combine.
Omelette
Place prawns and rice flour in a plastic zip-lock bag. Season. Shake to coat the prawns.
Combine the eggs, spring onion, sugar and fish sauce by whisking the ingredients.
Heat oil on a medium-high heat. Add prawns and fry until almost cooked. Reduce heat slightly and add egg mixture. Cook for a few minutes until the edges are firm and the center is almost set, then fold the omelette over. Cook for another minute or so. Cut into slices.
To serve
Place salad on plates. Top with warm omelette slices.
Drizzle with a little Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Chilli Oil. Sprinkle with fried shallots, fresh chilli and herbs.