Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Dessert

Balinese Black Rice Pudding (Bubur Injin)

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To Prep
Rinse both types of glutinous rice in several changes of water until the water runs clear, and soak overnight.

To Cook
In a saucepan, bring the glutinous rice, water and pandan leaves or extract to a boil over medium heat and simmer uncovered for about 40 mins, stirring occasionally until the rice is soft and cooked, with porridge-like consistency. Discard the pandan leaves, if using. Add the palm sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 mins before removing from the heat.
Combine the coconut cream and salt in a bowl and mix well.
To serve, spoon the pudding into individual serving bowls and top with the salted coconut cream.

Pan-Fried Sweet Rice Cakes with Edible Flowers (Hwajeon)

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To Prep Syrup
Combine sugar and water in a small sauce pot. Cook on low heat and simmer for few minutes until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove from heat and cool down. Set aside.

To Prep Rice Cakes
Combine sweet rice flour and salt in a bowl.
Slowly add hot water and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough has cooled.
Knead the dough with hand until it became smooth; divide it into 10 equal-sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
Press each rice cake ball into a disc about 6-7 cm wide in diameter.

To Cook
Heat up a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add in vegetable oil, swirl the pan to coat the surface. Once it’s heated up, turn the heat to very low.
Put the dough on the pan and pan fry them for a few minutes. When the bottoms are slightly crispy turn them over and flatten them out with a spatula. Cook for another few more minutes.
Place edible flowers on top of each rice cake, flip them over and press them down for 2 secs so that the flower gets slightly cooked and sticks to the cake. Don’t overcook the edible flowers. Take it out from the pan and serve with syrup drizzle on the rice cake.

Cheese Tart

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To Prepare
Sieve the plain flour and corn flour into a bowl with sugar and salt. Add the cold butter using your hands to mould it into the mixture if you do not have a food processor. The result should be a breadcrumb texture.
Mix the egg in with the mixture. Wipe down your workspace and start kneading the mixture. Once it has been kneaded enough, shape the dough into a mixture and wrap with cling wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 25 mins.
Preheat the oven to 180℃ while waiting for the dough.
Flour your clean workspace and roll your refrigerated dough to a thickness of ½ cm thick. Cut out the shape for your tart tins and line them properly. Fork the bases of your tart. Line the tray with baking paper and put the pastry beads into your shells.
Bake the pastry shells for 10-12 mins or until the edges have slightly browned. Let the shells cool on the wire rack.

To Cook
Combine the milk, sugar, cream cheese, ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese in a saucepan at medium heat. Wait until the cheese has melted and the filling mixture is smooth in consistency. Remove from heat and let it cool down. Stir in the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Let the pan cool fully.
Pour an appropriate amount of filling into the tart shells. Bake for 8-10 mins. Let them cool slightly before garnishing with cocoa powder. Serve while it is still hot.

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.