Asian Inspirations

Discover the authentic in Asian cuisine food

Dessert

Musang King Durian Cake

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To Prep
Blend the 120g of durian flesh with the 2 tbsp of milk, making sure the durian flesh are soft.
Lightly grease and flour a loaf cake tin, set aside.
Sift flour and salt, set aside.
Preheat the oven at 170°C.

To Bake
Beat butter and sugar till light, creamy and fluffy at high speed.
Add in eggs one at a time, mix well.
Stir in blended durian and mix to combine.
Divide the sifted flour into 4 portions. Fold in 1 portion into the batter and mix well, scraping from the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl.
Mix in 2 tbsp of buttermilk.
Repeat again twice, ending with the 4th portion of flour.
Pour a thin layer to the cake pan, sprinkle sliced durian chunks, then pour another layer of batter. Repeat until all batter is transferred to the cake tin.
Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 mins (baking time is longer as this cake contains durian flesh). Test with a skewer until it comes out clean. Let cake cool in mould for about 5-10 mins, before removing onto a wire rack to cool.

Yuzu Sorbet

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To Make
Heat yuzu juice and sugar in a pot gently until the sugar dissolves completely and the liquid becomes clear.
Stir in water. Then, pour the liquid into a bowl. Submerge the base of the bowl into another bowl of iced water to allow to cool below room temperature.
Pour cooled liquid into an ice cream maker and churn for about 90 mins.
Remove and serve. Store remaining sorbet in the freezer.

Warabi Mochi

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To Prep
On a clean and dry baking tray, dust some soybean flour to cover the surface. Set aside.
Combine warabiko, sugar and water into a medium saucepan, mix well.

To Cook
Bring the mixture to boil over medium heat.
Lower the heat, stir fast and hard with a wooden spatula, making sure to stir through the bottom of the saucepan. Stir for about 10 mins or until the mixture is translucent and bubbles popping (boiling).
Remove from heat and transfer the mochi onto the floured baking tray. Dust more soybean flour over the mochi to cover the surface. Let cool.
Add more soybean flour to the baking tray.
Cut the mochi into cubes and toss in the soybean flour to make sure all surfaces are covered.
Transfer to a serving plate and serve with kuromitsu.

Valentine’s Nama Chocolate

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To Cook
Mix cream and honey in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat.
Pour cream and honey mixture over dark chocolate, mix well until it is smooth.
Add butter and mix well.
Pour mixture into a heart shape silicone mould. Put into freezer for at least 3 hrs or until set.
Carefully remove from mould and dust with strawberry powder.

Osmanthus Jelly

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To Prep
Combine gelatin powder with 100ml water, mix well and set aside.

To Cook
Pour 600ml water and dried osmanthus, if using, in a pot and bring to boil, then lower to medium heat.
Optional: use a mesh strainer to remove some of the osmanthus for a smoother texture.
Mix in the rehydrated gelatin and stir until dissolved.
Pour in the rock sugar and stir until dissolved.
Add in the goji berries and osmanthus jam or honey. Mix well and remove from heat. Let cool.
Pour into a mould and refrigerate for at least 4 hrs.

Thai Egg Custard-Filled Pumpkin

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To Prep
Carve out a hole around the stem of the pumpkin.
Scoop out the pumpkin seeds from the hole.
Rinse the pumpkin both outer and inner parts. Dry the pumpkin on a rack.
Repeat with second pumpkin.

To Cook
Add palm sugar, coconut milk and corn flour into a mixing bowl and mix well.
Squeeze the pandan leaves to extract the juice and add into mixing bowl with the pandan leaves.
Add eggs and mix well.
Strain the mixture with a cheesecloth and colander in order to get a smooth custard texture.
Fill ¾ of the pumpkin with the custard batter.
Repeat for second pumpkin
Steam the pumpkins over low heat for 40-45 mins.
Place egg custard-filled pumpkins into the fridge and leave them to set overnight.
When the custard has set, cut each egg custard-filled pumpkin and serve.

Sweet Osmanthus Taro

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To Cook
Boil water in a steamer or wok, place the taros over a rack and steam for about 10 mins. Remove and peel the skin, then cut into 2cm cubes.
In a small pot, boil 1L water and add in the taro cubes. Cook for 1-2 mins and add bicarbonate soda, rock sugar and brown sugar. If you are using the dried osmanthus, add them in too. Stir gently until the sugar are dissolved, about 1-2 mins.
Dilute the lotus root/potato starch in a small bowl of cold water, about 200ml, mix well. Add the solution into the soup, stir quickly for 1 min.
Add in the sweet osmanthus jam or honey, stir to mix well and turn off the heat. Serve in a small bowl, garnish with some dried osmanthus.

Shiratama Dango

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To Prep
In a mixing bowl, mix shiratamako and sugar evenly. Add 2 tbsp water and mix with a spatula until well combined.
Press the mixture with your hand to knead into a ball. Slowly add more water to form the ball or wet your hand slightly to incorporate the water into the dough.
Use the dough to pick up the crumbs and knead until soft and smooth, like “earlobe”.
Roll into a ball and form a log. Pinch off dough to make 2cm balls. Flatten the balls slightly into disks and press to make an indent at the top center.

To Cook
In a pot of boiling water, cook the shiratama dango for 2 mins or until they start to float.
Remove and soak in ice water to let cool.
Serve within 30 mins. Alternatively, store in water and keep in the fridge. To serve, cook in boiling water again to soften.

Hong Kong Style French Toast

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To Prep
Spread the peanut butter on a slice of bread, stack the other slice on top.
Mix the vanilla essence into the beaten egg and mix well.
Dip the bread into the egg until all parts are soaked with egg.

To Cook
Heat oil in a pan on medium, pan-fry the French toast about 1 min for each side or until all sides are golden brown.
Transfer onto a serving plate and place a slice of butter on the center. Drizzle your favourite syrup over the French toast and add ice-cream (optional) on top. Serve immediately.

Thai Style Butterfly Pea and Coconut Jelly

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To Make Butterfly Pea Jelly
Boil the butterfly pea water, add sugar and agar-agar powder. Mix well until the sugar is dissolved.
Pour 50 ml of each syrup into different mixing bowls. Set aside.

To Make Coconut Jelly
Boil the coconut milk in a pot over low heat. Add sugar, salt and agar-agar powder into the pot. Stir continuously until the mixture is well mixed.
Pour the coconut jelly on the top of butterfly pea jelly.
Place the filled jelly moulds in the fridge until the jelly is set. Serve.

Grilled Banana Wrapped in Sticky Rice (Chuoi Boc Nep Nuong)

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To Prep the Bananas
Peel bananas and place in a bowl. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of sugar and toss to coat. Chill in the refrigerator for about 30 mins.

To Prep the Rice
Drain the soaked glutinous rice and toss in a pinch of salt.
Cook the glutinous rice with 60ml coconut milk, 60ml water and 2 pandan leaves. The liquid amount should just barely cover the rice.
When the rice is cooked, add 1 tbsp sugar and mix well.
While the rice is still hot, divide into 4 equal portions, transfer each portion onto a cling wrap-lined cutting board and knead the rice with a rice ladle until they stick together.
Layer another piece of cling wrap on top and press until rice is about 10×10 cm in size and 0.5 cm thick. Remove the top layer of cling wrap and sprinkle some shredded coconut on rice.
Place a small banana in the center of the rice. Lift up the edges of the cling wrap and carefully roll rice around the banana. Twist the cling wrap edges and shape into a log. Then, wrap around the parcel lengthwise with a pandan leaf.
Grill the rolls over a barbie or in the oven at 250°C for about 20-30 mins.
To make the coconut sauce, add 1 cup coconut milk, 1 tbsp sugar, a pinch of salt and ½ tsp cornstarch. Stir to combine well and bring the sauce to boil.
When the glutinous rice layer is lightly golden, remove the pandan leaves and cut into bite-size pieces. Drizzle with coconut sauce and serve.