Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Dessert

Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread)

by Leave a Comment

To Make Yudane
In a bowl, mix bread flour with boiling water. Mix well until well combined.
Cover with cling wrap and set aside or refrigerate for 4-8 hours. This is best prepared the day before you intend to make the bread.
Remove yudane from the refrigerator and set aside for about 30 mins or until it reaches room temperature before using.

To Make Shokupan
Add all ingredients (except butter) into the stand mixer bowl. Tear yudane into small pieces and add into the bowl as well.
Using a dough hook, knead the dough for 3 mins on low speed to bring all ingredients together.
Add in butter and continue to knead for another 20-25 mins, stopping a few times in between to scrape down the dough from the sides of the bowl and dough hook to make sure everything is evenly mixed and kneaded.
To see if the dough is ready, do the windowpane test. Pinch a small amount of dough and hold it between both your thumbs and first two fingers, and gently stretch the dough apart. If the dough is properly kneaded, it should stretch (without tearing or breaking) into a thin membrane that you can see through.
Place the kneaded dough into greased bowl and cover for first proofing. Set aside to let it rise for 45-60 mins or till double in size.
Use your knuckle to make a depression in the middle of the dough. Then, remove dough from the bowl and transfer to a floured surface. Divide into 3 portions and roll them into balls.
Roll out one dough ball with a rolling pin into a long strip and roll it up like a “Swiss roll” and seal the seam. Roll out the dough again vertically to another long strip and roll dough up like a “Swiss roll” again. Seal the seam at the end and place the sealed seam at the bottom of the bread pan. Continue with the other 2 dough balls.
Let the dough rise again for another 50-60 mins or until it reaches the pan’s rim.
Preheat oven at 190˚C for 15 mins prior to baking.
Brush beaten egg on dough surface before baking bread for 30 mins or till the top turns golden brown.

Lemon Mochi Chicks

by Leave a Comment

To Make Lemon Mochi Chicks
Combine all ingredients except cornflour in a microwave-safe mixing bowl.
Stir the mixture till no lumps remain. Scrape away any excess liquid that has been sloshed around the bowl.
Microwave the mixture on high for 2 mins. Remove and stir well. Return to microwave and microwave on high for another 2-3 mins. The mixture will turn into a sticky dough.
Sprinkle cornflour generously on the cutting board. Scrape dough from the bowl and pat some cornflour on the top of the dough.
Let the dough cool for a minute or two before flattening with your fingers or with a rolling pin.
Cut dough into 12 to 14 portions.
Lift up a portion and pinching the corners together till you form a round ball. Place seam side down.
With a clean pastry brush, brush away excess cornflour from the surface.
Decorate with beaks, flower sprinkles and nonpareils.

Salted Egg Yolk Custard Bao (Liu Sha Bao)

by Leave a Comment

To Make Salted Egg Yolk Custard Filling
In a large mixing bowl mix salted duck eggs and sugar and beat with an electric mixer till smooth.
Add in all the other ingredients and beat till everything is well combined.
Refrigerate overnight.
Scoop up about 25-30g onto a cling wrap and shape into a round ball. Keep chilled.

To Make the Dough (Using a Breadmaker)
Add all ingredients except the dry active yeast into the bread machine bowl. Add yeast last.
Set bread machine to dough mode.

To Make the Dough (Without Breadmaker)
Mix all ingredients together to form into a smooth dough about 20 mins. Let it proof for an hour or till it rises double in size.

To Shape the Custard Baos
Once the dough is ready, remove it from the bread bowl and divide the dough into 10 portions. Roll dough into balls and cover with a damp towel as you work.
With a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into 1cm thickness but thinner on the edge before filling with a salted egg yolk custard ball. Holding the dough on your palm, start to pleat the edges of the dough together to seal the salted egg custard ball in.
Place completed bao onto baking paper squares,
Arrange completed bao into a bamboo steamer with adequate space around.
Steam bao on medium heat for 12-15 mins. Do not steam on high heat as it will cause the custard to erupt. Remove from steamer and serve immediately.

Pandan Soft Steamed Bao

by Leave a Comment

To Make Kaya Filling
In a large heat-proof mixing bowl add eggs and sugar, and stir with a balloon whisk till well combined.
Prepare a pot of boiling water and place mixing bowl on the pot to double boil. Continue to whisk.
Toss pandan leaf tied into a bundle into the egg mixture, stir under medium heat till sugar dissolved.
Add in coconut cream and keep stirring to avoid overcooking on the sides of the bowl.
When the mixture starts to curdle, add in cornflour slurry and mix well.
In a separate saucepan, heat up sugar till it caramelises.
Pour in caramelised sugar into the mixture and mix till all well combined.
When the mixture turned into a thick paste, remove from heat and set aside to cool. Discard pandan leaf.

To Make Pandan Juice
Cut pandan leaf into small sections.
Blend leaf with water and filter using a fine sieve. Squeeze as much of the juice out.

To Make the Dough (Using a Breadmaker)
Add all ingredients except salt into bread machine bowl.
Set bread machine to dough mode.
Once dough is formed, add in salt and let it continue to work in the bread machine.

To Make the Dough (Without Breadmaker)
Mix all ingredients except salt into a big bowl and knead for about 10 mins, add in salt and knead till dough is smooth.

To Shape the Pandan Baos
Once dough is ready, remove from bread bowl and pinch 30g of dough for the crosses and divide the balanced dough into 15 equal portions.
Roll dough into balls and cover with a damp towel as you work.
With a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into 1cm thick but thinner on the edge before filling with a big tablespoon of kaya paste.
Holding the flatten dough on your palm with kaya in the centre of the flatten dough, start to pleat the edges of the dough together to seal.
Place completed bao onto cut out baking paper.
Divide the 30g of dough into 30 portions to roll out into strips for the crosses.
Let bao proof for 20 mins or until double the original size.
Arrange completed bao into a bamboo steamer. Leave enough room around each bao as it will expand when steaming.
Steam bao on medium heat for 15 mins.

Matcha Soft Steamed Bao

by Leave a Comment

To Make Red Bean Filling
In a pot of boiling water enough to cover red beans and boil for 5 mins.
Drain and return rinsed red beans back into pot, cover with enough water and boil for 1 hour till they are soft and mushy.
Drain red beans again and return to pot on medium heat. Add in sugar and cook beans till they form into a paste. Set aside to cool.

To Make the Dough (Using a Breadmaker)
Add all ingredients with dry yeast as the last item into the breadmaker machine bowl.
Set bread machine to dough mode.

To Make the Dough (Without Breadmaker)
Simply add all ingredients into a big mixing bowl and mix till all ingredients are well combined.
Remove onto floured surface and knead for 15 to 20 mins till dough is smooth and non sticky. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it proof for 40 mins to an hour.

To Shape the Matcha Baos
Once dough is ready, remove from bread bowl and roll out into a round disc on a floured surface.
Cut dough into 8 equal pieces or weigh with a scale for accurate measurement and form them into balls. Cover with a damp towel as you work.
With a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into 1cm thickness but thinner on the edge before filling with a big tablespoon of red bean paste.
Holding the flatten dough with the red bean paste with your palm, start to pleat the edges of the dough together to seal.
Place completed bao onto cut out baking paper.
With some excess dough, pinch a small amount of dough and roll it into a long strip. Arrange a ‘+’ strip onto bao.
Arrange completed bao into a bamboo steamer. Leave enough room around each bao as it will expand when steaming.
Steam bao on high heat for 18-20 mins.

Creamy Red Bean Popsicles (Kacang Merah Potong)

by Leave a Comment

To Make
Rinse red beans and soak with 250ml water overnight.
Strain away soaking water and put into a soup pot. Cover soaked red beans with 5 cups of water.
Boil on medium heat till bubbling and turn to low and let it simmer for 45 mins.
Strain cooked red beans into a bowl and set aside to cool.
In a milk pot, heat up coconut milk and sugar till it starts bubbling. Set aside to cool.
Keep ¼ cup of cooked red beans aside and toss the rest into a blender.
Pour in cooled coconut milk mixture into blender and blitz till fine and creamy.
Toss in the remainder ¼ cup of cooked red beans into the blender and blitz for 2 secs.
Fill the mixture into popsicle moulds and spoon the bigger chunks of red beans into mould with a teaspoon.
Freeze overnight.

Asian Banana Bread

by Leave a Comment

To Make
Preheat oven to 160°C.
Sift plain flour, baking powder and soda bicarbonate powder, set aside.
Beat butter, brown sugar and caster sugar with a mixer till light and fluffy.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GMBC-4-Large.jpg
Add in beaten eggs in 4 additions.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GMBC-5-Large.jpg
In a small sauce pan heat up water and shaved palm sugar (Gula Melaka) to melt.
Add in mashed bananas into the egg mixture, followed by melted palm sugar (Gula Melaka).https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GMBC-7-Large.jpg
Fold in flour in 3 additions.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GMBC-8-Large.jpg
Pour batter into lined loaf pan and bake for 70 mins on the second lower rack of the oven. Check for doneness with a cake tester before removing from oven.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GMBC-10-Large.jpg
Let cool and serve.

Vietnamese Banana Bread Pudding (Banh Chuoi Nuong)

by Leave a Comment

To Make
Peel bananas and cut some into coins and some into halves length wise. Marinate them with sugar and rum for at least 8 hours or overnight.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/VBP-3-Large.jpg
In a big mixing bowl, mix together coconut cream with milk, condensed milk, egg, salt, vanilla extract and melted butter. Stir till well combined.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/VBP-13-Large.jpg
Add the bread chunks together with the rum infused bananas into the custard mixture and let them sit for 20 mins.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/VBP-17-Large.jpg
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Grease a 9”x5” loaf pan and gently layer the bread and bananas custard.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/VBP-18-Large.jpg
Arrange the halved bananas on top.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/VBP-19-Large.jpg
Bake for 70 mins until the bread and bananas surface turned golden brown and well caramelised. Cover with an aluminium foil if any parts are starting to burn.https://asianinspirations.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/VBP-21-Large.jpg
Let it cool and keep in the fridge overnight before serving.

Crispy Panko Banana Fritters

by Leave a Comment

To Cook
Heat up oil to 170°C in a pot for deep frying.
Mix all purpose flour, rice flour and salt together. Add in vanilla extract and followed by cold milk. Mix all into a thick batter.
Cut bananas into halves. From about 2.5cm from the tip, slice each piece into 3, and slightly spread out to make into fan shape.
Set up breading station consisting of sliced bananas, batter and panko bread crumbs.
Coat bananas in batter then panko. Press the panko slightly to ensure panko stick onto banana securely.
Deep fry till golden brown, about 4-5 mins with medium heat.

Steamed Banana Cupcakes (Apam Pisang)

by Leave a Comment

To Make
Sift plain flour, baking powder and soda bicarbonate powder, set aside.
Heat up steamer with enough water and wrap the cover with a kitchen cloth to absorb water droplets from dripping onto cupcakes.
Blend sugar, egg and condensed milk in a blender for about 2 mins till pale and fluffy. Transfer to a big mixing bowl.
Add cooking oil and mashed bananas. Beat with a whisk for 2-3 mins till smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and beat a further 3 mins.
Add in flour mixture in a few additions till batter is well combined.
Grease cupcake moulds with oil before filling to ¾ full with batter, then place a slice of banana on top of each cupcake.
Steam banana cupcakes on high heat for 20-25 mins. When cupcakes are cooked, remove the steamer’s cover and let it continue to steam for 3 mins to help dries up the surface.
Let cool on cooling rack and serve.

Indonesian Fried Banana Balls (Cekodok Pisang)

by Leave a Comment

To Cook
Heat up oil to 170°C in a pot for deep frying.
Combine plain flour, rice flour, salt and bicarbonate soda powder, mix well.
Add mashed bananas into flour mixture.
Once oil has reached 170°C, add sugar into banana mixture.
Using two dinner spoons, scoop and drop banana mixture into oil.
Use a spatula to gently move banana fritters and fry till golden brown, about 4-5 mins.

Durian Sticky Rice (Khao Niew Durian)

by Leave a Comment

To Prep Thai Glutinous Rice
Soak Thai glutinous rice in cold water for 3 hrs.
Prepare the coconut cream mixture by combining the coconut cream, sugar and salt into saucepan.
On medium heat, stir the coconut mixture to dissolve the sugar without bringing it to boil. Turn off the heat and set aside.
After 3 hrs, drain off excess water from glutinous rice. Steam the rice for 15 mins. Half way through steaming, you may open the steamer to turn the rice once.
Put the cooked glutinous rice into a large mixing bowl, add the coconut cream mixture and stir to mix well. Cover the bowl with a tea towel, after 5 mins stir the rice mixture once more and cover again with tea towel then set aside.

To Prep Coconut Cream with Durian
Add 500ml of coconut cream, palm sugar and salt into saucepan.
Turn on the heat and bring coconut mixture to simmer till sugar dissolved. Remove from heat. Set aside till cooled down to room temperature.
Add fresh durian into coconut mixture. Break durian flesh into chunk piece. Ready to serve.

To Serve
Place glutinous rice portion size into serving bowl, then top with durian coconut mixture, making sure some durian chunks are on top of the rice.
Serve immediately.