Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Dessert

Hokkaido Milk Toast

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To Make Tangzhong
Mix flour and milk evenly until all lumps are well combined. Cook over medium-low heat and stirring consistently to avoid burning and sticking.
Remove from heat when the mixture thickens to a stage where lines are visible when stirring.
Transfer mixture to a clean bowl and cover the surface of the mixture with cling wrap. Let cool to room temperature.

To Make Bread
Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
In a bread maker, add the milk, cream, egg and tangzhong.
Add the salt, sugar and milk powder, then the bread flour, making a well, and add the yeast to the well. Choose the “dough” mode of your machine.
Pour in melted butter when all ingredients are combined. Allow the dough to knead until smooth and elastic, about 30 mins of kneading in total. Rest the dough for 40 mins until double in size.
Remove dough to a clean surface and deflate. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions and cover with cling wrap. Rest for 15 mins at room temperature.
Using a rolling pin, roll each portion into an oval. Fold ⅓ from the longer edge to the middle and press, then fold ⅓ from the other long edge to the middle and press.
Flip over to make the seal face down. Then with the rolling pin, roll along the length to stretch the dough to about 30cm. Then flip over again to make the seal face up, roll the dough with hand from the shorter edge into a Swiss roll form.
With the seals facing down, put the doughs into a loaf tin and allow to proof in warm temperature until double in size.
Use whisked egg to apply egg wash on the surface. Bake for 30-35 mins until the surface is brown. Remove and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool.

Caramelised Potatoes

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To Cook
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Fry the potatoes for 8-10 mins, or until golden.
Scoop out the potatoes onto a plate lined with paper towel and set aside to cool.
In a new frying pan, add 2 tbsp of cooking oil.
Pour the sugar to the pan at medium low heat.
Once the sugar has melted and turned a light golden brown colour, remove from the heat.
Pour in the fried potatoes into the caramelised sugar and stir through until evenly coated.
Scoop out onto a serving plate. Enjoy!

Thai Mock Fruit Mung Bean Dessert (Luk Chup)

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To Make the Mung Bean Paste
Rinse the split dried mung beans 2-3 times in cold water until water is clear. Drain through a sieve, then add to a bowl and soak in cold water for 4 hrs.
Drain through a sieve, then place soaked beans in a cheese cloth. Place in a steamer and cook for 15-20 mins, or until softened.
Carefully remove from the steamer, then spread out on a tray and allow to cool completely.
Place beans in a food processor and process until fine.
Add beans, sugar and coconut milk to a large non-stick pan and stir together until well combined.
Turn on heat to medium-low and cook for 15 mins until mixture becomes a smooth, dry paste.
Transfer the paste to a tray, spreading it out into a single layer. Cover the surface with cling wrap, then allow to cool at room temperature until completely cool.

To Make Luk Chup
Take a small amount of cooled mung bean paste and shape it into a fruit or vegetable of your choice. Slide a toothpick into the paste, then stick this on a piece of foam. Repeat with remaining paste.
Use a clean paintbrush or cotton bud to paint the fruits and vegetables in different colours. Once completely painted, allow to dry for 1 hr.
In a saucepan, whisk together the agar-agar powder, sugar and water. Bring to the boil, then remove from heat and allow to sit for a few mins until bubbles dissipate. Pour into a heatproof cup.
Dip the mung bean fruits and vegetables into the glaze, then allow to dry for 10 mins, then repeat 1-2 times depending on how thick you want the glaze to be. Allow to set completely.
Carefully remove from toothpick, then trim any excess glaze with kitchen scissors.
Enjoy!

Coconut Pudding

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To Prep
Soak agar-agar in 1.5L of warm water for 15 mins. The agar-agar will settle to the bottom of the bowl in a watery paste. Drain the excess water from the top of the bowl, leaving the agar-agar.
Blend corn flour, coconut milk and evaporated milk. Set aside.
Boil 1.5L of water in a saucepan, add agar-agar and sugar and continue boiling until dissolved.
Add corn flour mixture slowly to the boiling water and stir constantly for about 3 mins.
Pour mixture into oiled moulds. Place in refrigerator to chill.
Before serving, cut the pudding into diamond shaped pieces, serve topped with lychees.
Hint: The amount of white sugar can be adjusted to taste.
Other fresh or canned fruit such as strawberries, peaches or mango can be used instead of lychees.

Thai Coconut Ice Cream

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To Prep
In a food processor, combine egg yolks, castor sugar and vanilla essence.
Heat milk until warm to hot, and add to food processor.
Transfer mixture to a stainless steel bowl which will fit tightly over a saucepan ¼ filled with boiling water.

To Cook
Turn the saucepan down to a gentle simmer and whisk mixture continuously until it coats the back of a spoon, or reduces by one-third.
Cool bowl over a sink filled with ice water.
Whip the cream until thick and mix in the coconut milk powder.
Add the ice cream base and combine well. Taste and adjust.
Place in an ice cream maker and churn.
Hint: If you do not have an ice cream maker, place the mixture in a tray in the freezer. When the ice cream starts to crystallise around the edges, place in the food processor and blend for 1 min; then return to the tray and freeze. Let the ice cream stand for 5 mins before scooping.

Glutinous Taro Balls in Coconut Syrup

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To Prep
Combine the taro, rice flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.
Roll into balls about the size of a macadamia nut.
Boil coconut milk, palm sugar and water on low heat.

To Cook
Gently place taro balls into the syrup and cook for 3-5 mins. Serve warm.
Your Glutinous taro balls in coconut syrup is ready!

Cendol

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For Cendol
Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Cook the mixture on low heat, stirring constantly until batter thickens and turns into translucent green.
Have a big bowl filled with water and ice.
Put a small amount of batter into potato ricer or colander and squeeze into iced water. Repeat until all the batter is used up.
Drain cendol and transfer into container and set aside.

For Palm Sugar Syrup
Place palm sugar, pandan leaves, salt and water,  in a small pot and let it simmer until all the palm sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, discard pandan leaves and set aside.
Do the same with the coconut milk, boil the coconut milk with pandan leaves and salt. once boiled, discard the pandan leaves and set aside to cool.

To Serve
In small bowl, layer the gula melaka first, then pack bowl with crushed ice. Add glutinous rice (optional), coconut milk, and top with creamed corn and kidney beans (optional). Drizzle with more palm sugar syrup and serve immediately.

Mango Sticky Rice (Kao Nieo Mamuang)

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To Prep
Wash rice well in running water, then soak in cold water overnight.

To Cook
Strain rice in a colander and place in a steamer. Cover and cook for 45 mins. Remove and allow to cool.
Skim 100ml of coconut milk from the top of the can. Keep aside to finish dish. Add remaining coconut milk to cooled rice, with dissolved pinch of salt. Add sugar syrup. There is no need to chill rice if you are using it on the same day.
If using fresh mango, cut in half and discard seed. Peel each half, slice and ‘fan’ decoratively on plate.
Top with the coconut cream and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Glutinous Rice Balls in Coconut Milk (Kuih Badak Berendam)

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To Prep
Make some pandan leaf extract by blending the leaf in 1 ½ cups of water. Strain the liquid to remove the bits of leaves.
Add the salt to the pandan extract, and slowly add the flour until you get a soft dough.
Dissolve the palm sugar in a pot filled with water over medium heat.
Next, add the grated coconut and stir continuously for about 10-15 mins until the mixture has dried up and then, remove it from heat.
Let it cool down then shape into balls about the size of a marble and set aside.
Combine the coconut milk, rice flour, salt, and pandan leaves for the sauce in a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Stir the mixture continuously for about 10 mins until it thickens. Add salt to taste.
Remove from the heat and set aside.

To Cook
Grab a portion of the dough and flatten it on your hand.
Place a ball of filling into the middle of the dough and bring the edges together.
Roll it in the palm of your hand to get a nice sphere. Repeat until all the dough has been used up.
Drop the stuffed balls into the boiling water.
Allow it to boil until the balls start to float to the surface.
Remove the balls from the boiling water and mix in with the sauce. Serve.

Pandan Glutinous Rice Balls with Palm Sugar (Onde-Onde)

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To Cook
Put 2 tbsp glutinous rice flour (from the 200g) in a pan with 4 tbsp water over heat and stir until transparent.
Mix all the ingredients together except the water and coconut. Slowly mix in the water until dough forms.
Divide into 15gm balls, flatten dough and insert cubed gula melaka. Wrap them into a ball.
Cook the balls into a pot of boiling water and when they float, remove and coat with grated coconut.

Tofu Pudding (Tau Foo Fa)

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To Cook
Remove as much of the skin from the soybeans and rinse.
Using a blender, blend the soybeans with some water until soybeans are finely minced.
Transfer the blended soybeans into a stock pot with 2 liters of water.
Boil the mixture on medium heat. Make sure to stir every now and then so that the soybeans do not stick to the bottom of the pot.
Bring the heat down to medium-low once the mixture boils and allow simmering for about 40mins.
Remove the milk from the heat and filter the mixture through a tea sock or cheesecloth. Squeeze the residue in the tea sock to make as much soy milk as possible. Set it aside.
Add 250g of gula Melaka, 1 cup sugar, 1 knotted Pandan leaf and 1 cup of water into a pot and bring to boil.
Make sure the sugar has dissolved completely and removed from heat once it has achieved your desired consistency.
Next, mix the gypsum with the water in a bowl.
Boil the soymilk and skim off any bubbles or foam. Remove from heat.
Make sure the gypsum has completely dissolved, then add to a large pot.
Gently pour the soymilk into the pot to avoid the formation of bubbles.
Do not stir the mixture/ Cover the pot with a kitchen towel, followed by the lid and allow it to set for about an hour.
Scrape the top layer of the tofu with a shallow ladle and into a bowl. Add a few tablespoons of syrup and serve.