Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Vegetables

Prawns in Soybean Paste (Ssambap Doenjang Bokkeum)

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To Prep
Combine aromatics, mix well and set aside.
Combine sauce ingredients, mix well and set aside.
Mince onions, green pepper and red pepper and set aside.
Chop shrimps into bite sized pieces and mince the mushrooms.

To Cook
Heat a pan over medium heat. Add shrimp, mushrooms, and aromatics. Lightly saute. Then, add water ½ cup and sauce mixture. Bring the pan’s contents to boil.
Stir the pan’s contents for several minutes. Then, simmer to reduce the broth to a paste-like consistency making the sauteed soybean paste.
Transfer the paste to a small sauce dish. Garnish with chopped spring onions and peppers to serve.

Sauteed Zucchini (Ae-Hobak Namul)

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To Prep
Combine the seasoning ingredients. Mix well and set aside.
Cut zucchini into half and thinly slice the zucchini into half-moon shapes.

To Cook
On a hot pan, add the sesame oil and sliced zucchini. Saute until al dente.
Next, add seasoning ingredients to the pan. Saute and mix well with the zucchini.
Add the julienned red pepper to the pan mixture and saute; making the squash ban chan. Transfer to a serving dish and serve.

Minced Pork Noodles (Zha Jiang Mian)

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To Prep
In a small bowl, combine water, sweet bean paste and soybean paste well and set aside.

To Cook
Heat up around ½ tbsp cooking oil in wok, stir fry finely chopped ginger, green onion, pork, mushroom and scallion until almost cooked(when the pork starts to change colour). Transfer out.
Heat up 1 tbsp of oil again; pour the sauce prepared in step 1. Bring all the content to a boiling. Return stir fried pork.
Slow down the fire to simmer for around 10 mins. Turn up the fire to thicken the sauce. Stir occasionally during the process.
Cook carrot shreds in boiling water for around 1 min. Transfer out;
Cook fresh noodles in boiled water for 5 mins or follow the instruction on the package.
Transfer the noodles to serving bowls and lay side vegetables firstly and then the sauce. Garnish with some green onions and serve immediately.
Mix well with the gravy before enjoying.

Dan Dan Noodles

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To Cook
Toast peppercorns in a small frying pan over low heat for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Using a mortar and pestle, grind until ground.
Mix pork with crushed peppercorns, mustard greens and 1 tbsp light soy sauce until combined.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over high heat. Add chillies and stir for 30 seconds. Add pork mixture and stir for 4 minutes. Set aside.
Clean the wok and heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add spring onions and garlic, and stir for 1 minute. Add sesame paste, remaining light soy sauce , dark soy sauce, chilli oil and 250ml water. Cook and keep stirring for another 2 minutes.
Cook noodles according to the instructions on the packet and drain.
Divide among bowls and spoon over sauce and pork mixture.
Scatter with spring onion to serve.

Braised Beef Short Ribs (Galbijjim)

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To Cook
Boil the short ribs in boiling water for 7-8 mins, drain and rinse the meat, set aside.
Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
Take a large pot, put the clean beef ribs and add in the sauce mix. Boil it over medium heat for 20 mins.
Add in onions, potatoes, carrots and jujubes and simmer for about 50 mins. Stir the beef and vegetables in between.
Add the remaining ingredients, ground pepper and sesame oil, add in salt if you want saltier. Cook for another 10 mins.
Serve with plain rice.

Korean Fried Rice (Kimchi Kibokum Bap)

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To Cook
Add 1 tbsp oil and butter (or sesame oil) to a heated pan. Add kimchi and carrots and cook until kimchi starts to soften, about 5 mins.
Push cooked kimchi to one side of the pan and add meat and cook quickly until meat is cooked, seasoning the meat with salt and pepper, should take about 2 mins. Stir kimchi and meat together to combine.
Add rice to the meat and kimchee mixture and fry quickly over high heat until rice is well combined with fish sauce and spring onions, continuously stirring with a wooden spoon. Season the rice with salt and pepper.
Pour 1 tbsp oil to another heated frying pan and fry eggs sunny side up.
Serve eggs on top of kimchi fried rice.

Korean Noodle Soup (Guksu)

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To Cook
Put the water, radish, onions, green onion roots, anchovies, and kelp in a large pot, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 30 mins.
Turn down the heat to low and boil another 20 mins.
Turn off the heat and strain. You will get about 8 cups of soup. Stir in the salt and pepper.
Beat 2 eggs in a bowl, once mixed well, pour in a hot non-stick pan, cook one side for 1 min and flip over continue to cook for another minute, once done, remove from pan, let it cool down, and cut the egg in thin strips.
In another pot, bring water to boil, add the noodles cover and cook over medium heat for 5 mins or follow the instructions on noodle pack.
Test the noodle and make sure it is not hard.
Strain and rinse the noodles under cold water a couple of times. Divide the noodles into 2 portions and put each portion into a serving bowl.
Pour in the anchovy soup, top the noodles with zucchini, carrots, egg, seaweed and spring onions.

Chinese Scallion Pancakes

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To Cook
Dissolve salt in hot water.
Prepare a large mixing bowl. Stir water slowly to flour. And wait to cool down and then knead to get smooth dough. Continue kneading around 3-5 mins. Place the dough aside to rest for at least 10-20 mins.
Knead the dough for around 2 mins and roll out to a large circle.
Brush some cooking oil on the surface circle and then sprinkle chopped scallions and five spicy powders.
Roll up the circle into a cylinder. And further roll into the shape of a snail. Roll the snail out to another thin circle.
Brush some cooking oil on the pan and move the circle into the pan. Use middle fire to pan-fry until the surface becomes brown around 2-3 mins. And turn over to fry for another 1-2 mins. Use a spatula to press the circle from time and time especially the central part to ensure the circle is evenly fried.
Remove the circle out and cut into wedges.

Osaka Style Japanese Pancake (Osaka Style Okonomiyaki)

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To Prep
Mix 100g okonomiyaki flour with 100ml water together and set aside.
Finely chop cabbage and spring onion and add to batter mix. You could add in your chosen fillings.
Add egg and mix the ingredients together. Do not over mix.

To Cook
Heat up a frying pan, add in 1 tsp oil and spread evenly. Pour okonomiyaki mixture into a round pancake shape in the centre of the pan. If using meat, cook the meat separately so it is ready to add into the pancake.
Once the underside of the pancake is brown in colour, add the cooked meat to the top, flip over and cook the other side. Press down on pancake with a spatula to make it an even thickness.
When both sides of the okonomiyaki are golden brown, flip on to a plate and cut into slices like a pizza.
Lashing the pancake with okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise, sprinkle with bonito flakes, aonori seaweed, tenkasu tempura flakes and server with a portion of pickled ginger.

Tips
If you do not find Okonomiyaki Flour, use 100g of plain flour mixed with 75ml of dashi or water and 1 tsp of baking powder.
While the first side is cooking, try frying up some yakisoba noodles and flipping the pancake on to these when cooking the other side.
Try laying streaks of bacon on the top before flipping sides.

Fish-Flavoured Eggplant

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To Prep
Place the eggplant strips in a colander set over a plate and sprinkle lightly with salt. Leave for 30 mins to draw out moisture.
Rinse and pat dry with paper towel.

To Prep Batter
To make the batter, whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.

To Prep Fish-fragrant Dressing:
Gently fry the chilli bean, pickled chilli, garlic and ginger in vegetable oil until the oil is red and fragrant.
Add sugar and fry for 20 secs and then add both vinegar.
Reduce gently until sauce thickens enough to coat the eggplant.
Taste and add sugar if too salty/sour or add vinegar if too sweet.

Garnish
Gently toast the Sichuan pepper in a pan until fragrant and grind to a fine powder (save for garnish later).

To Cook the Eggplant
Heat the deep-frying oil to 180°C.
Working in batches, lightly coat the eggplant strips in corn flour then the tempura-like batter.
Place one at a time, in the hot oil and deep-fry for 4 mins, or until golden and crispy.
Drain oil on paper towel.

To Serve
Transfer the deep-fried eggplant to a bowl and gently toss with dressing.
Arrange on a serving plate. Sprinkle spring onion and Sichuan pepper to taste and serve.

Ramen Noodles with Spiced Tofu and Chilli Lemon Sauce

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To Cook
In a small saucepan combine the sweet chilli sauce, lemon rind and juice. Bring to the boil and then remove from heat. Set aside.
Cook noodles according to packet instructions. Drain, then refresh under cold running water. Drain well, set aside.
In a bowl, combine five-spice powder with the flour. Add the tofu cubes and toss to coat. Heat half the oil in a wok. Add the coated tofu (in small batches) and cook until browned on all sides. Set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in the wok. Add chopped onion, garlic and capsicum and stir-fry until onion softens. Add peas and half the chilli lemon sauce and stir-fry until peas are tender-crisp. Add noodles and gently toss to combine. Remove from heat.
Divide stir-fry between 4 deep serving bowls. Top with spiced tofu and a sprinkling of spring onion. Drizzle with the remaining chilli lemon sauce. Serve immediately.