Inspired with Anna Olson

Get inspired with Anna Olson as she shows you how to cook delicious sweets, main dishes and more. Inspired from her travels and meet ups with various chefs, these are the recipes that reminds her of them and the delicious flavours.

Get the Recipes

Easy to cook, delicious recipes from Anna's series of inspired dishes from all over South East Asia.

Recipe

Episode 1: Lime Créme Caramel

This dessert is inspired by a decadent treat I always search out when I am in the Philippines: Tocino del Cielo. If you’ve never had one, it’s like a sweet Spanish flan or crème caramel, and I add lime zest to this recipe, since I’m also such a fan of the Calamansi lime from the Philippines. The original Tocino del Cielo tend to be small, since they are made of egg yolks & sugar, so are very rich. My recipe below is justas rich, so a small-sized dessert is just the perfect amount.

Episode 1: Maple and Vinegar Glazed Chicken Wings

Try this spice rub mixture on other of your favourite grilled foods: chicken breast, pork tenderloin, or even mixed into ground beef for burgers.

Episode 1: Salmon Tartare on Cassava Cakes

Delicious and easy, it's a fast party favourite with its tender chunks of salmon and crunchy cassava base.

Recipe

Episode 2: Chicken Paprikash

Deliciously fragrant and easy, chicken paprikash leaves you satisfied till the last bite.

Episode 2: Crepes

This is a variation on Crepes Suzette, a classic French dessert where the crepes are prepared tableside in an orange sauce. Here I warm the crepes in a caramelized pineapple sauce and top them with ice cream and fresh raspberries.

Episode 2: Kaya with French Toast

A Singaporean breakfast classic, Anna Olson puts a twist on this delicious breakfast. Coconut flakes, for the extra crunch.

Recipe

Episode 3: Rosette Cookies

Delicious, with the right amount of crunch. The rosettes are best enjoyed the day they are made.

Recipe

Episode 3: Sweet Chilli Grilled Steak on Artichoke & Radicchio Salad

Tender juicy grilled steak with a deliciously spicy and refreshing artichoke radicchio salad.

Recipe

Episode 4: Coffee Braised Beef Stew

A delicious, strong and nutty flavour with tender chunks of beef, this coffee braised beef stew inspired by the Filipino Adobo is delicious and worth the time to cook.

Episode 4: Picked Squash Marmalade

This condiment is tart and sweet, and is perfect to serve like a chutney or atchara, to cut the richness of a braised dish like beef stew. It can also be served as part of a cheese plate or worked into a salad.

Episode 4: Roasted Garlic and Apple Steamed Mussels

Deliciously stewed, these mussels are stewed to perfection with tart apples. Aromatic, fragrant with the perfect crunch, these mussels are a perfect appetiser. Pro tip: use the shells as a spoon to slurp up all that delicious gravy.

Recipe

Episode 5: Beet & Grapefruit Salad with Herbed Goat Cheese Crostini

This delicious light snack is a party favourite and easy to recreate at home for any occasion.

Episode 5: Espresso Granita with Coconut Cream

This iced treat is immensely refreshing on a hot day.

Episode 5: Inspired Beef Carpaccio

This starter course takes inspiration from Beef Pho, and the refined flavoursand additions used. To capture the spices that are within the broth, an easy homemade hoisin sauce includes these aromatic additions.

Mushroom

Episode 6: Claypot Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms

Roasted chicken with mushrooms is such a comfort food for me. Cooking it in a claypot makes for a fantastic flavor and moist, tender chicken.

Recipe

Episode 6: Maple Waffles with Sweet & Salty Peanuts

Deliciously sweet with a nice salty crunchy finish, these maple waffles are easy to make, fluffy, crunchy, with all the right textures and flavours.

Easy

Episode 7: Atlantic Lobster Chowder

Easy, thick and slurpalicious. Fragrant sweetness from lobster tails with soft lobster meat, this chowder will be a family dinner favourite.

Episode 7: Spring Herb Steamed Fish with Almonds

Steamed fish is healthy, mild but also flavourful. By making parcels from parchment paper, the fish steams but also the added flavours infuse into the fish subtly.

Episode 7: Steamed Carrot Cake

My inspiration for this dessert isn’t actually a dessert at all, but a name. When visiting the hawker centres in Singapore, I would enjoy eating “carrot cake” which in fact a steamed daikon radish side dish and about as far from a dessert that you can get. I love the idea that what I know of as carrot cake is completely different from the hawker version, so I’ve created a dessert where the carrot cake is closer in taste to the dessert I’ve grown up with, but with inspiration taken from the steaming technique, and a little savoury spice addition.

Above 60 mins

Episode 8: Eton Mess Torte

I was fascinated by the Sansrival Torte of the Philippines, with its meringue layers and buttercream. This reminded me of the Eton Mess dessert that I enjoy made from meringue crumbled into whipped cream and served with strawberries, so I’ve adapted it so that the meringue, cream and fruit is layered in a torte.

Above 60 mins

Episode 8: Rosemary Venison Rack with Balsamic Blueberry Sauce

Delicious, flavourful tender lamb racks that are easily roasted and full of herby goodness.

Fruits

Episode 9: Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

These sweet cookies are not the French style or macarons made from egg whites and ground almonds. These macaroons are almost candy-like, crispy on the outside and chewy and sweet inside, and are packed with grated coconut.