Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Dessert

Egg Tart

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To Prep
Soften butter by placing it at room temperature. If it is cold where you are, preheat oven until warm and turn off the heat. Let butter sit in the oven for 1-2 mins until softened. Using an electric mixer over medium speed, cream butter and sugar until fluffy and smooth. The mixture should be pale yellow.
Over low speed, add in half the whisked egg and beat into the mixture. Add the other half and continue to beat until combined. Add a dash of vanilla extract and beat to mix well. Then, slowly sift in flour while scraping the sides. Mix all ingredients well and knead them into a dough.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to ½ cm thick. Then, using a round cookie cutter that is slightly smaller than your tart tin size, cut out the dough. Place a round, cut-out dough in the centre of a tart tin and gently press the dough in at the bottom. Next, lightly press the dough at the sides while turning the tart tin clockwise. This is to ensure the tart shell is even. Trim off any excess dough. Repeat with remaining round, cut-out dough.
To make the custard, mix sugar into hot water and stir to dissolve completely. Place eggs, evaporated milk and vanilla extract into a bowl and whisk. Then, mix in the earlier sugar water until well combined. Sift the egg mixture into a jug then, carefully pour the mixture into each tart shell.

To Cook
Place rack at the lower third section of the oven. Preheat to 200°C. Place the tarts in and bake for 10-15 mins until edges are lightly browned. Then, turn the heat down to 180°C and watch the tarts. The moment the custard starts to puff up slightly, open the oven door slightly and continue baking for another 10-15 mins until the custard is cooked. To check if the custard is cooked, insert a toothpick into the centre of the custard. If the toothpick stands, then the custard is ready.
Remove from oven and leave to cool slightly. Serve warm. This recipe makes 14-16 egg tarts.

Aloe Vera Sakura Raindrop Cake

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To Prep
Soak some of the pickled Sakura flowers in a bowl of water.
In a small saucepan, add agar agar powder and Yoosh aloe vera drink and stir it with a spatula a few times, until the agar agar powder dissolves into the water.

To Cook
Turn your stove top to medium heat and bring the agar agar water mixture to a boil. Maintaining a medium heat level, allow mixture to boil (without a lid) for one minute, then turn off heat.
Pour mixture into moulds.
Drain the Sakura flower and use paper towel to dry the flower. Put some into each mould.
Refrigerate to set the raindrop cake.
When it’s ready, serve with the Kuromitzu sauce (dark sugar syrup) and sprinkle with some Kinako (soy bean powder).

Steamed Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Ice Cream (Putu Ayu)

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Preparing Coconut Ice Cream
Add all the ingredients together and mix them in a large bowl. Transfer the mixture into an ice cream machine. Churn and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Preparing Putu Ayu
Mix the grated coconut, corn flour and salt. Pack 2 tsp of the mixture tightly into each of the moulds.
Using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat eggs and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Fold in the coconut milk and flour alternately. Add in 1-2 tsp pandan flavouring into the mixture and fold. Pour the mixture into the cake moulds until full.
Prepare a steamer. Bring water to a boil and place cakes in. Steam for 10-15 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. When the cakes have cooked, leave them to cool for 10 mins. Using a knife, ease the cakes out of the moulds.
Serve with a scoop of coconut ice cream. Top with coconut flakes if desired.

Pandan Gula Melaka Layer Cake

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Preparing Pandan Sponge Cake
Line bottom of an 8-inch cake round pan with 1 layer of parchment paper. Do not grease cake pan. Preheat oven to 180°C. Whisk castor sugar and egg yolks till well combined. Mix in melted butter. Add milk. Whisk thoroughly. Add and mix pandan paste. Add sifted cake flour and baking powder into mixture. Add salt. Whisk till all combined.
With an electric mixer, whisk egg whites till frothy. Add cream of tartar. Whisk till thick foam forms. Gradually add castor sugar. Continue to whisk till firm peak stage. Gently fold in egg white mixture to the yolk mixture in 4 batches. Mix till all is well combined.
Gently pour batter into the 8-inch cake pan. Shake cake pan from side to side till the batter is level, tapping the pan against table top. Place on lower rack of the oven bake till golden brown, about 20 mins or till a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove pan from oven. Leave to cool. Using a butter knife gently slice through the side of the cake pan to loosen it. Unmould cake to a cake board and remove parchment paper. Peel off the top skin layer of the sponge cake.
Repeat twice, so you get 3 layers of pandan sponge cakes.

Preparing Pandan Juice
Slice off 5cm from the roots. Trim into 4cm lengthways. Grind in a juice blender with 40g of water until fine. Pour through a sieve into a container.
Pandan juice can be stored in a refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Preparing Pandan Kaya Layer
Use a 8-inch round removable bottom loose cake pan (not spring form pan).
Place water in a small pot that retains heat well. Add sugar, unsalted butter, pandan juice and salt till the butter and sugar melts. Turn off heat.
Place coconut milk in a bowl. Add hun kwee flour. Stir thoroughly. Add coconut milk mixture to the pandan mixture through a sift and stir thoroughly until there are no lumps. Add pandan paste and mix well. Add agar-agar powder and stir thoroughly.
Turn on heat to medium-low. Cook and stir mixture till thick enough to coat sides of pot thinly. Turn off heat. Stir till residual heat dissipates. (Mixture should now be thick enough to coat sides of pot thickly but thin enough to flow smoothly).

Preparing Gula Melaka Kaya Layer
In a saucepan, bring water, butter, gula melaka and salt to a boil while stirring until completely dissolved. Turn off heat.
Pour coconut milk into a bowl. Add hun kwee flour and stir thoroughly. Add coconut milk mixture to the gula melaka mixture through a sift and stir thoroughly until there are no lumps. Add agar-agar powder and stir thoroughly.
Turn on heat to medium-low. Cook and stir mixture till it is thick enough to coat sides of pot thinly. Turn off heat. Stir till residual heat dissipates. (Mixture should now be thick enough to coat sides of pot thickly but thin enough to flow smoothly). This mixture thickens faster than the pandan kaya.

Assembling cake and pandan kaya layer
Pour a thin layer of pandan kaya into the base of the cake pan. Tilt pan from side to side and swirl kaya to form even layer. Wait till the kaya layer has cooled slightly, about 60 secs (less if it’s cold where you are).
Place 1st layer of sponge cake in the middle of the cake pan. Make sure there is a little space in between the entire edge of the cake and the cake pan to allow the pandan kaya mixture to flow smoothly around the sides.
Pour a thicker, even layer of pandan kaya on top of the 1st sponge cake into the sides of the sponge cake. Wait 30 seconds or so.
Place 2nd sponge cake layer and pour thick, even layer of pandan kaya on top and into the sides of sponge cake. Wait 30 seconds or so. Place 3rd sponge cake layer. Do not apply any pandan kaya layer for this 3rd layer as it is for the gula melaka layer.
Leave assembled cake to cool down.

Assembling Gula Melaka Layer to the 3rd Sponge Cake
Pour gula melaka layer onto the 3rd layer of sponge cake, flowing to the sides.
Leave the cake to cool to room temperature before storing into the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
To serve, unmould cake by pushing the base of cake pan upwards carefully. Place a cake board on top of the cake. Flip it over. Now the pandan layer is at the top. Use another cake board. Flip it over again so the gula melaka layer is right back on top.
Slice and serve chilled.

Additional Notes:
Ensure each kaya mixture is cooked till thick in texture but not overly thick, otherwise it will not set completely even after refrigeration. If kaya is too thin, your sponge layer will start floating. If kaya is too thick it will not flow evenly.

Bubur Cha Cha

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To Cook
Steam diced yam, golden and purple sweet potato in a wok over high heat, until softened, about 20 minutes. Test with a sharp knife or toothpick. They should be very easy to prick through.
Use a large deep pot. Add 1 litre of boiling water with the rock and fine sugar. Bring it to boil. Add pandan leaves. Reduce heat to simmer for 10 min.
Pour in coconut cream. Once it boils again, drain up and discard the pandan leaves.
Add the sweet potatoes. The rock and fine sugar should dissolved completely.
Taste and add more sugar if needed. Served hot. Or let it cool down and chill in fridge if you like it served cold.

To Make Tapioca Flour Cubes
Sift tapioca flour if lumpy flour is found in it. Then, place tapioca flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir-in hot boiling water and combine well until mixture turns dough-like texture. When mixture is cooled, form it into dough on a well-floured table top.
Dust some flour on your palm and divide dough into 4 parts. Mix each portion with 3 different colouring prepared and leave one portion as ‘white‘ original colour (no colouring added).
Knead to combine well and until it becomes a non-stick dough. Then, roll and shape each portion out into long and squarish thin stripes. Thereafter, dice into small cubes.
Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. When boiled, reduce heat, and put in tapioca flour cubes to cook for about 30 min, or until all the cubes float up. Texture of cooked tapioca flour cubes should be chewy, bright in colour with a little translucent appearance.
Dish up and plunge cubes into a bowl of iced water for few seconds. Drain and remove cubes from iced water. Reserve for later.

Chia Later Alligator Pudding Tropical Chia Seed Pudding

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To Cook
Cook’s note: This recipe should be made at least two hours in advance, or the night before.
Empty contents of TCC Light Coconut Milk into a medium sized bowl.
Spoon 8 tbsp of chia seeds into the light coconut milk. Mix well until all of the seeds are coated.
Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hrs.
Prior to serving, slice the mango, lychee and young fresh coconut.
Remove the chia seed and light coconut milk pudding from the refrigerator give it a quick mix with a spoon.
Spoon chia seed and light coconut milk pudding into individual bowls.
Top with tropical fruit and serve.

Thai Black Sticky Rice Popsicle with Coconut and Mango

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To Cook
Purée mango with juice of ½ a lime in a blender.
Fill popsicle moulds ⅓ high with mango purée and place in freezer to set.
Drain black rice of soaking liquid and rinse until water runs clear.
Place in a pot with pandanus leaf or vanilla pod and 2½ cups water. Bring to a boil, then gently simmer for 30 mins until rice is tender and most water has been absorbed. Cover and leave to steam for 15 mins. Remove pandanus leaf or vanilla pod.
Place coconut milk, sugar and salt in a pot and heat only until sugar has dissolved.
Mix half the coconut milk into the rice and stir together. Allow to cool.
Fill popsicle moulds with sticky rice mixture until ⅔ full. Gently spoon remaining sweetened coconut milk into popsicle moulds until filled.
Place a popsicle stick into each mould and freeze overnight.

Japanese Jelly Flower Pots

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To Make the Yoghurt Jelly
Add thickened cream and coconut milk in a saucepan and heat until almost boiling. Remove from heat and stir in second batch of gelatin, mixing in well until completely dissolved.
Mix together the yoghurt, maple syrup and lemon juice in a large bowl. Pour in the cream mixture and mix together well.
Pour the yoghurt jelly mixture into your mould, filling them up halfway. Set aside in the fridge to set.

To make the sake jelly
Heat the sake in a saucepan until almost boiling. Remove from heat and sprinkle over caster sugar and add in one portion of the bloomed gelatin. Stir mixture until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Add in water and mix well.
Pour the sake jelly mixture over the yoghurt jelly, leaving room at the top. Working quickly, press blueberries and flowers until the surface of the jelly. Place back in fridge, leaving to set for a minimum of 1 hour, depending on the size of your mould.

Japanese Cheesecake

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To Prep
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 23cm baking pan (non-springform) with baking paper.
Line a baking tray larger than the baking pan and pour 1-inch-deep of hot water. Place in oven.
Separate egg yolks and egg whites and keep the egg whites in the fridge.

To Make the Cake
In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, unsalted butter, thickened cream and caster sugar. Place the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water, mash and mix the ingredients until they are melted and well combined, then remove from heat.
Add the egg yolks one by one into the warm mixture, whisking until well combined before adding the next.
Sift the cake flour into the batter, then whisk and blend well. With a mesh strainer, pour the mixture into a clean large bowl to make a smoother batter.
Add the lemon zest and juice into the batter, whisk and combine well. Set aside.
In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites in medium speed for about 2 mins or until a foamy form. Without stopping the mixer, add the 100g caster sugar slowly into the egg whites in ⅓ portions. Increase mixer speed to high and beat the egg whites until soft peaks.
With a whisk or spatula, mix ⅓ of the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture until well combined. Gently fold another ⅓ of the egg whites into the mixture, then pour the mixture into the last ⅓ of egg whites. Fold very gently until well mixed.
Pour the batter into the lined baking pan, and tap on benchtop for a few times to release air pockets.
Put the cake pan onto the baking tray in the oven. Lower the temperature to 160°C and bake for 70-75 mins. Then lower the temperature to 150°C and bake until the surface is golden brown, about 10 mins. Use a skewer to check if the cake is cooked. If the skewer comes out clean, turn off the oven.
Cool the cake by leaving the oven door ajar for 15-20 mins before taking it out. Remove the cake from baking pan and glaze the top with apricot jam mixture. Let cool to room temperature and chill in fridge for 1-2 hrs. Serve cold.

Cantonese Steamed Custard Buns (Nai Wong Bao)

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For the Filling
Heat about 5cm deep of water in a pot which is large enough to accommodate the mixing bowl. When the water boils, turn the heat to down to a simmer.
In a large heatproof mixing bowl, crack the eggs in and add icing sugar. Beat for a minute on low using an electric mixer. Add in milk and thickened cream, beat to combine well for a few seconds. Then sift in the all-purpose flour, starch, and powdered milk. Mix everything in until the mixture is smooth without any lumps. Then add in the melted butter. Stir to combine.
Place the mixing bowl into the heated pot of water carefully, stir the egg mixture quickly and continuously until it solidifies into a thick custard. Remove bowl of custard from the heat. Set aside and leave it to cool entirely. Cover the custard to prevent it from drying out.

For the Dough
Dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup of warm water in a large mixing bowl. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until you see yeast bubbles floating on the surface of the water.
Now add in the all-purpose flour, icing sugar, salt, and coconut milk. Using the electric mixture with the dough hook attachment, set it to low. Then slowly add in the fresh milk, one tablespoon at a time until a dough is formed. A perfect dough should be smooth and will not stick to your hands or to the bowl. Cover the dough with a dry kitchen towel, set aside and let it proof for at least 1 hour in a warm setting.

For the Custard Bun
Set up a large wok or steamer on high heat.
Cut out twelve 10cm x 10cm pieces of baking paper. Set aside.
Divide the prepared egg custard filling equally into 12 pieces, then roll them to form small round balls using your palm. Keep the custard balls covered to prevent them from drying out.
The proofed dough should now have doubled its original size. Using your hands, knead and press the dough until there are no more air bubbles and surface becomes very smooth. Place the dough on a clean and lightly floured surface, divide the dough equally into 12 pieces. Cover the dough with a dry kitchen towel while the buns are assembled.
Take a dough ball, using a rolling pin, roll dough ball out into a round shape with 10cm in diameter, edges thinner than the centre. Place a portion of the ball of custard filling in the centre of the dough and seal the top of the bun. Place each custard bun on a piece of pre-cut 10cmx10cm baking paper and place on steaming rack. Repeat the process until all buns are completed.
Turn wok or steamer’s heat down to medium. Put the buns in the steamer, lid on. Steam for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn heat off and let sit in the steamer for a further 5 minutes without uncovering the lid, this is to allow the bun to cool and set.