Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Vegetables

Beef Pad See Ew

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To Prep
Peel, then mince 2 cloves of garlic. Slice the beef into small bite sized pieces and slice the broccoli into small strips

To Cook
Heat the wok on medium heat and add the peanut oil. Wait until the oil is hot and then fry the garlic for about 10 sec, making sure it sizzles in the hot oil.
Add the chopped beef to the wok and stir fry until browned and almost cooked through.
Turn down the heat and toss in the rice noodles, the Chinese broccoli, the carrot, the light soy sauce, the dark soy sauce and the sugar.
Cook the noodles for 1-2 mins folding them gently.
After the noodles are well mixed, move them to one side of the wok and proceed to crack an egg into the empty side. Crank up the heat and scramble the egg.
Fold the noodles onto the egg and cook for thirty more seconds then turn off the heat and serve it out!

Pomelo, Prawn & Green Mango Salad Bowl

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To Cook
Marinate prawns in mixture for 1 hour.
Assemble salad in 4 bowls and stir through salad dressing.
Stir fry prawns for 2-3 mins in batches in a hot wok with peanut oil. Place on top of each bowl.
Garnish with some toasted coconut flakes, sliced red chilli (optional) and remaining mixed herbs.
Enjoy with cold beer!

Cantonese Stir-fry Chicken

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To Cook
Heat oil in a wok on high heat, add chicken and stir-fry until cooked through for 3-4 mins.
Add vegetables and sauce to pan and stir-fry until sauce thickens for 1-2 mins.
Garnish with sesame seeds, green onions and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Kindai Ramen Noodle Soup

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To Cook
Mix stock, garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ginger, 5 spice, chilli powder and 300 ml water in large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 mins. Taste the stock, adding soy or sugar to your preference.
Put 500ml water in a pot and bring to a boil. Put noodles in and boil for 2.5 mins until ready.
Drain noodles and divide into bowls. Share spinach and pork equally between bowls.
Strain stock into a clean pan then bring to a boil once more. Take the pan off boil and divide between bowls.
Place nori sheet behind pork and add spring onion to bowl once the spinach has wilted. Serve.

Mini Cantonese Stuffed Tofu Tagine

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To Cook
Soak the shiitake mushroom in hot water for 20 mins until the mushrooms have softened and finely chop. Keep the water for making the sauce.
Meanwhile, cut the tofu into 8 squares, and use a measuring spoon to make a deep hole in the center.
For the stuffing, mix together the pork mince, mushroom, spring onion, garlic and ½ tbsp potato starch, a little salt and white pepper for taste.
Use the teaspoon to fill up the tofu with stuffing, heat up the oil in the fry pan with medium high heat.
Put the stuffed tofu into the fry pan , cook until golden brown, arrange them in the tagine.
For making the sauce, mix the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, cooking sake and the mushroom water together. Pour the sauce mix into tagine, cover with lid, cook with low heat for 15 mins.
Mix ½ tbsp potato starch with 1 tbsp cold water, pour over the tofu, cover with the lid and cook for a few more minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Garnish with chilli, spring onion and broccoli just before serving.

Malaysian Bak Kut Teh Herbal Soup

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To Cook
Prepare a pot of boiling water and blanch the pork belly and pork ribs for 5 minutes. Remove pork and discard the water.
Fill pot with 2.5lt water, allow it to boil over high heat. Add whole garlic and 2 inner sachets of store bought Bak Kut Teh prepacked herbs. Bring to boil on high heat for 10 minutes.
Once boiled, add in pre blanched pork belly and pork ribs, soy sauce, Malaysian thick caramel soy sauce and let it boil on high heat for a further 10 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer for at least 1 hour. Taste test and add salt to your liking.
Add in any of the following optional ingredients – enoki mushrooms, fried beancurd sheets, beancurd puffs and shiitake mushrooms into the pot. Let it boil for another 5-10 mins.
Scoop Bak Kut Teh soup into a serving bowl, along with a few pieces of each ingredient. Top with some cos lettuce pieces and coriander and it is ready to be served with a bowl of steamed rice.
Bak Kut Teh is typically served with a side of Chinese doughnuts that are cut up. The Chinese doughnuts are then dipped into the piping hot soup for a couple of seconds and then consumed immediately. Chopped fresh garlic and sliced red chillies are also served in a small saucer with some thick caramel soy sauce and soy sauce.

Malaysian Nyonya Style Deep Fried Whole Fish

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To Begin
Combine all spice paste ingredients to blend in an electric blender.
Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a wok over low heat, saute the spice paste until the oil separates from the paste, approximately in 5 minutes.
In a bowl, combine tamarind paste with the water, mix well and strain for the tamarind juice. Add the juice to the spice paste in the wok and bring to boil.
Add in tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Then add in the daun kesom, bunga kantan salt and sugar. Stir occasionally while allowing to simmer until sauce thickens. Salt and sugar may be adjusted according to taste.
Meanwhile, heat enough oil in a deep wok over high heat. Deep fry fish until well cooked through. Drain oil and place on a serving dish, set aside.
Pour sauce over deep fried fish and serve immediately with steamed rice.

Braised Pork Trotters with Eggs

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To Cook
In a pot, bring water to boil. Blanch the pork trotters until they are no longer pinkish in colour. Discard the water and set aside pork trotters.
In a separate pot, heat oil in medium heat, saute ginger, garlic, shallots and spring onions until fragrant.
Prepare all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl, then add in to the pot with sautéed ingredients. Mix sauce well and then add in the pre blanched pork trotters. Next add in 1lt of water and bring to boil. Add in shitake mushrooms and deshelled hard boil eggs. Cover the pot with lid, turning heat down to low and allow to simmer for at least 2 hours.
Discard the spring onions and ginger before serving the braised pork trotter with steamed rice.

Vietnamese Meat Pies (Banh Pate So)

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To Prep
In a large bowl, place the shredded dried black fungus and dried bean thread noodles and cover in boiling water to soak for 10 mins or until softened. Drain and rinse with cold water, and then drain well. Cut the fungus and noodles into short lengths with scissors.

To Cook
Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking sheet.
Place the pork mince, sugar, salt, pepper, fish sauce, coriander, spring onions, carrot, fungus and noodles into a large mixing bowl. Use a spoon or your hands to combine the ingredients well.
Using a round cookie cutter, cut rounds from the puff pastry to desired size.
Place a ball of the meat mixture it in the middle of a pastry round, leaving a 1.5-2 cm border. Brush the egg around the border and place another pastry round on top, stretching the pastry to meet the sides of the bottom. Press the edges down with a fork and place on baking sheet. Repeat until meat mixture is finished.
Cut a small slit on the surface of each pastry, and brush the top with egg wash.
Bake for 20 mins or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly and serve.

Korean Napa Cabbage Kimchi (Poggi Kimchi)

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To Prep
Wet the cabbage in salted water. Sprinkle some salt into each layer of cabbage leaves, especially into the white parts. Repeat for all the cabbage quarters.
Place salted cabbage quarters in a large bowl and let sit for at least 5 hrs.
When the cabbage is well wilted, wash cabbage 3 times and drain very well. Set aside.
Combine chilli powder with fish sauce and mix well into julienned Korean radish in a large bowl. Blend garlic, ginger and salted shrimp, add to the chilli radish mixture. Add in sugar and spring onions, mix well.
Spread chilli radish mixture into each layer of cabbage (mainly on the white part of the cabbage), rubbing the chilli well into the cabbage leaves. Repeat with all the cabbage quarters. Make sure you proportion the chilli radish mixture so that all cabbages are filled.
Place cabbage quarters carefully into a clean good quality container and let kimchi ferment at room temperature for 2-3 days, or longer in cold weather. After fermenting to you liking, keep kimchi in the fridge.

Northern Thai Dip (Nam Prik Ong)

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To Make the Paste
Pound the salt and soaked chillies with a mortar and pestle until smooth.
Add shallots, lemongrass and garlic, pound until smooth.
Add the rinsed beans and tomatoes, pound until most tomatoes turn into paste.

To Cook
In a frying pan, heat 1-2 tsp of oil on medium-high, sauté garlic until light golden colour. Add the paste mixture and cook for 2-3 mins.
Add in the minced pork and cook until done. Adjust the taste with the seasonings.

To Serve
Scoop a spoonful of warm dip onto a slice of cucumber, then garnish with lotus root chip and fried basil leaf.

Korean Radish Kimchi (Kkakdugi)

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To Prep
Cut radish into 2cm cubes and place in a large bowl. Add salt and sugar and mix well. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hr.
To make the kimchi base, blend together the brown onion, red apple and the fish sauce.
In a microwave-safe bowl, mix the water and rice flour together. Microwave for 1 min, or until the mixture is similar to a mildly runny porridge in texture. Then in a medium-sized bowl, combine the two mixtures along with the minced garlic and ginger.
Return back to the radish after sitting for 1 hr. Rinse the radish in a colander under cold water for a couple of times, leave for a few mins to drain any excess water.
In a large mixing bowl, add the radish and mix through 2 tbsp of Korean chili flakes. Add in the chopped spring onions and the prepared kimchi base. Stir through and mix well.
Spoon the radish kimchi into an air tight glass container and leave to stand at room temperature overnight, then move the jar into the fridge.