Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Vegetables

Claypot Pork Belly with Salted Fish

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To Prep
First combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Make sure all the ingredients are properly combined and there are no lumps.
Add the pork belly to the marinade and mix well, making sure all the pork has a coating of the marinade. Leave to marinade for at least 15 minutes.
In a pan, heat up 3 tbsp of oil and pan fry the cubes of salted fish until golden and crispy. It is important not to use the dried variety of salted fish.
Remove the salted fish from the oil and set aside. Reserve about 2 tbsp of the frying oil for cooking the main dish.

To Cook
In a clay pot, heat up the reserved oil from frying the salted fish over medium heat.
Add the ginger and onions and stir fry. Once fragrant add in the pork belly and sear on all sides.
Add in the dried chillies, and salted fish. Stir well and immediately add in the sweetened dark soy sauce, shao tsing wine and chicken stock.
Mix the ingredients well and cover the clay pot for a couple of minutes.
Remove the lid and stir in the spring onions.
Serve hot with a bowl of steamed white rice.

Nyonya Chicken with Potato Stew (Ayam Pongteh)

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To Cook
Pound onions and garlic until fine. Add in fermented soy bean sauce and mash well.
Fry potato cubes in hot oil until lightly browned. Drain and leave about 50ml oil in wok. Add in the pounded ingredients and stir-fry until fragrant.
Put in the chicken and stir-fry for another 5 mins.
Add in 250ml water, palm sugar and thick soy sauce and bring to boil. Lower the heat and continue to cook until chicken is tender. Stir in potatoes, boil until tender and add in salt to taste.
Serve hot with rice.

Centella Salad (Kerabu Pegaga)

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To Cook
Cut centella leaves (daun pegaga) 1 inch thickness.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the anchovies, shallots and chilies for 3 minutes.
In the mortar, pound the fried ingredients and add some salt and the shredded coconut.
Transfer to the bowl and mix with centella leaves. Serve with hot rice.

Warm Char Siu Salad

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To Prep
Marinate pork in char siu sauce for at least 2 hrs.

To Cook
Bake at 200°C on a rack over a baking tray filled with 2.5cm of water for 20 mins, or until cooked. Allow to rest and slice thinly.
Prepare salad and mix the dressing ingredients.
Arrange salad on a plate.
Top with the dressing and slices of warm char siu, then garnish with chilli slices and spring onions. Serve immediately.

Easter Jelly Eggs

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To Cook
Create a small hole at the top of the egg. Remove all contents, wash and rinse inside of the egg shells. Place them on the egg tray.
Prepare ingredients for the first layer of colour. Combine ingredients in a sauce pan and heat until it boils. Remove from heat. Using a syringe, insert 8-9ml of coloured liquid into each egg shell. Leave it to cool and set for approximately 10 minutes.
Combine milk layer ingredients in a sauce pan. Heat until it boils, then remove from heat. Using a syringe, insert 8-9ml into each egg shell. Leave it to cool and set for approximately 10 minutes.
Repeat the above steps (step 2 and 3) with next layer of colour, followed by another layer of milk, until all the layering is complete. Layers may take quicker to cook and set with the initial 2 layers and may take longer to set as the layers build up. Try to work in a cooler environment and refrain from moving the egg trays until all layers all fully set.
Once all layers are completed, place egg trays into the refrigerator to cool and set firm. Peel off egg shells. The Easter jelly eggs is best served cold, however can be served at room temperature too.

Thai Fried Egg Salad (Yam Khai Dao)

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To Cook
To make salad dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Place saucepan over medium heat and boil until the palm sugar dissolves, constantly stirring. Once palm sugar is dissolved, take saucepan off the heat and set aside, leaving to cool at room temperature.
Place all the prepared salad ingredients into a large mixing bowl and toss well using your hands. Set aside.
Heat oil in a wok over a high heat until it begins to smoke.
Crack and fry each egg individually for approximately 30 seconds, then flip them over to the other side for another 20 seconds. Place cooked eggs onto paper towels. Before cooking the next egg, make sure that the oil is heated up again until it smokes.
Cut the cooked eggs into rough quarters and add to the prepared salad. Slowly pour in the prepared salad dressing and mix thoroughly before placing on a serving platter.
Sprinkle with fried shallots, and serve immediately.

Stir Fried Beansprouts with Tofu

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To Cook
Heat up some oil in a pan on medium high heat. When the oil is hot enough add the tofu slices into the pan and fry until golden brown on all sides. When done, lay them on some paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Using the same pan, add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic. Then add the tofu back to the pan, quickly followed by the beansprouts.
Add the soy sauce and spring onion and stir the ingredients around to mix.
Be careful not to overcook the beansprouts – you don’t want them to be too soft.
Transfer to a serving plate and serve with a bowl of white rice.

Chinese Omelette (Foo Yong Tan)

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To Prep
In a bowl, crack the eggs and beat with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the oil, into the egg mixture, stir thoroughly and make sure all ingredients are combined well.

To Cook
Heat up 3 tbsp of oil in a wok or a pan over high heat. When the oil is fully heated, add the egg mixture into the pan, keeping the diameter of the omelette to about 12cm wide.
The omelette should be thicker in the centre, therefore use a pair of chopsticks to move and gather the beansprouts and other ingredients to the middle of the omelette. Let the omelette set, cooked until golden brown, for about 3 minutes before flipping it over. Fry the omelette until both sides are nicely puffed up.
Use the remaining egg mixture to make a total of 3 omelettes using the same steps. Serve immediately.

Eggs with Fermented Shrimp (Cincalok Omelette)

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To Prep
Drain excess liquid from the 2 tbsp of cincalok. Then thinly sliced the red onion. Deseed the red chilli and thinly slice.
Crack 5 large eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk. Add in the drained cincalok and ¼ tsp pepper. Mix well.

To Cook
In a pan, heat oil and saute chilli and red onions until soft.
Then pour in egg mixture. When the base of the egg is set and firm, flip over to cook the other side.
Dish out when omelette is cooked on both sides. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with lime and sambal belachan.

Vietnamese Squid Salad

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To Prep
Pound chillies and garlic together then add fish sauce, vinegar, lime juice and sugar. Mix well until sugar is dissolved.
Add tomatoes and onion and set aside for 1 hr.
Wash and clean the squid tubes, and cut into 1.5cm rings.

To Cook
Bring 6 cups of water and a pinch of salt to the boil. Add the squid and cook for 5 mins until soft and tender.
Toss with the prepared dressing and garnish with the hot mint leaves before serving.

Spicy Vegetable Soup (Gang Liang)

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To Prep
Pound the white pepper, garlics, shallots and chillies in a mortar and pestle until smooth. Add the remaining paste ingredients and pound until smooth.

To Cook
Pour water into a pot and bring to boil. Add in the paste and simmer for a few mins.
Add in the vegetables, from the longest cooking time to the ones that cook fast. Cook until almost done.
Add in the prawns and cook until all ingredients are cooked through. Add the fish sauce to taste.
Remove from heat, add lemon basils and serve hot.

Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Fish

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To Cook
Place minced pork in large bowl, and mix in ingredients for seasonings. Set aside.
Rinse the salted fish, then pan fry briefly for about 2-3 minutes in a small pan. Remove from heat and cut into small pieces.
Mix in the chopped shiitake mushrooms, chopped water chestnuts, half of the salted fish and 1 tsp of the grated ginger in the bowl of marinated minced pork. Mix thoroughly.
Transfer the minced pork mix on to a shallow plate and level the surface with a wet spoon without pressing the mixture down. Cover with cling wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
Sprinkle the remaining salted fish and 1 tsp shredded ginger on top of the meat patty. Drizzle with fried garlic oil or fried onion oil.
In a wok or steamer, steam on high heat for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until well cooked through.
When done, garnish with chopped spring onions and serve immediately with steamed rice.