mmm-yoso – Page 421

The Color for Today – Is Orange

December 7, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking

A few days ago I had a whole half salmon waiting for me when I arrived home. It seems that the Missus decided that she wanted "blackened salmon" for dinner. So I whipped up a real quick rub with Alaea, Sea Salt, Granulated Garlic, Togarashi, Cayenne, Paprika, Oregano, Fresh Cracked Pepper, Onion Powder, a touch of soy sauce, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

The one problem in our household is when you cook over high heat and sear, you'll be smelling the "essence" of what you cooked for several days afterwards floating around the kitchen. Enter the Big Kahuna! In addition to the 55,00 BTU, meaning you'll be able to get a good carmelization, you're outside, meaning the "essence of salmon" won't be floating around the kitchen for the rest of the week.

In addition, it's great for the "flambe-pyro maniac" that resides in me, when I add a bit of sake:

After the towering inferno is done, reduce the heat, and you get a nice crusted salmon, with a medium-well interior. Not to mention no fishy residue floating around the kitchen! To complete this "orange" meal, the Missus's latest obsession is Fuyu Persimmons:

It seems that this is the year of the Fuyu. I've seen posts from Japan to Guam to Hawaii! Usually the Missus enjoys Hachiya Persimmons, but I've been told that this has been a good year for Fuyus. This bunch is from Zion Market, and were a very bright orange, with no sun damage(black spots), and no "cracks".

You'd almost mistake them for tomatoes……..

Ben’s 1615 – Dine and Dish??

December 6, 2005 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants

**** Ben’s has closed

Ya’ know, I’m not really good at all these “blogging event” kind of things – except if Reid or Alan asks me to do something. After all, they may “know somebody, who knows somebody, who knows somebody, who’s related to me”. Maybe I’m really a “Flakey-flake” like Professor Salt says! LOL! But when I saw the subject of the most Delicious Sarah’s Dine & Dish no. 5 – Asian Persuasion, I thought I had it made. After all, a good 70% of what I post is “Asian”, and even more amazing I’m Asian! And so is the Missus! But of course, I have a bad habit of not being able to follow my instructions; so I had to ask Sarah if I could do Filipino:

Kirk said… Sarah – Is Filipino OK?

kirk: ANYTHING asian…though i will be honest i may have to check with some filipina friends because i’ve never been quite sure if filipino is asian. but no FUSION!!
(did i mention i have very strong feelings about asian “f*ew*sion”? LOL!)

Okay, I screwed up again! I ended up eating at a Filipino-Fusion Restaurant, and no it’s not Yi Cuisine in LA. This one is called Ben’s 1615 and is located in National City:

Located on Sweetwater Road, Ben’s is owned by a local Physician and offers a variety of Filipino, and Fusion Filipino dishes. The restaurants decor is a definitive Southeast ASIAN, featuring bright colors and clean lines. There’s even a “waterfall fountain”. The menu is varied and divided into separate sections featuring Soups, Salads, Pasta(???), and Traditional Filipino “Favorites”.

So after looking over the menu, we made our decisions, and were served these “buns”, that really looked like…..well, you know!

Actually these pseudo-Pan De Sal, were nice and warm, but really just plain.

But if there was any doubt; that this was Asian food, this pretty much answered all questions for me. A true monument to all that is Asian! The great pyramid of rice:

At sunset no less! This monument to rice came as part of the Crispy Pata($13.75) that the Missus ordered. For those that don’t know what Crispy Pata is; in short, it’s a stewed pork leg(pata), that is then deep fried.

In this case, the “pata” is actually removed from the bone and chopped, much like lechon kawali. This actually decreased the “pork-fat” guilt. The ~~lechon~~ pata was fried to a perfect crisp and was alot milder in flavor and less greasy then the “normal” pata. I really don’t know if I consider it more refined, but it was definitely alot milder in flavor. A ramekin of tasty adobo-like sauce(not quite lechon sauce) was provided for dipping as well.

I ordered the Chicken Pandan($8.50):

There were three large chunks of chicken, marinated in coconut milk, lemon grass, and sesame oil, then wrapped in Pandan leaves and deep fried. The chicken was very moist, with a nice crust developed from the frying, and a very pleasant mild flavor. The only item that didn’t belong was the lousy sweet chili sauce. Adding the overly sweet sauce to any of the mildly flavored courses would just mask any flavor. The Missus actually enjoyed the chicken alot more then the pata, but the tastes and presentation left us a bit intrigued, and we’ll be back to try other dishes.

Some Notes: As with many “fusion” type dishes “your mileage may vary”, I’ve heard that there are some real “clunkers” on the menu. Specifically, I’ve heard from more then one person that the Pasta dishes are borderline terrible. Especially the “adobo-pesto’s” . I’ve also heard that the “bar” upstairs serves up some pretty good eats (specifically the “spicy seafood”).

I don’t know if this will qualify for Sarah’s Dine & Dish, but I need to send some “gratitude” her way – especially for always being a good sport! LOL Sarah!

Ben’s 1615
1615 Sweetwater Road
National City, CA 91950

Da’ Kitchen – Finally Good Local Kine Grindz in San Diego

December 5, 2005 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

*** Da’ Kitchen is now Mo’s Island Grinds, same great people, the food is also the same!

Every few months or so, I either hear of a new Plate Lunch or "Local"(Hawaiian) style restaurant in San Diego, either through the "coconut wireless" or Emails, that go something like this:

"I just wanted to inform you of a new Hawaiian place that my husband and I ate at that’s soooooooooo good! they have the best Kalbi and loco moco I have ever had……." And while I really enjoy and appreciate the comments and recommendations (keep ’em coming folks), most of them usually end up being L & L knock-offs. Nothing wrong with L&L, but to me, a "real" plate lunch, has a certain vibe, taste, and character. While I do eat at L&L, I kind of equate them to the Starbucks of the plate lunch world. The closest we have to a plate lunch place here in San Diego, albeit mediocre, is Da’ Kines, until now that is.

You see first of all the name of this place was Da’ Kitchen, and years ago I ate at Da’ Kitchen on Maui. So now you’ve really got my attention.

Getting out on the Carroll Canyon Road exit off the 15 Freeway I got to Da’ Kitchen, and parked my car. First thing I noticed was just a simple sign over the entrance. Da’ Kitchen had just been open 2 weeks. I looked over the grease board "menu", and the first thing that struck me were the prices. Kalbi for $9.95? Sheesh! But I went forward and placed an order. While waiting for my order, I had a nice chat with Jocelyn, one of the Owners, along with her Husband who runs the kitchen. If these plate lunches were as good as Jocelyn was nice and friendly, it was going to be a pretty good meal.

Here’s the Kalbi ($9.95):

Well first off, there were 5 pieces of cross cut kalbi, 5 pieces! These were well marinated and fairly tender, which is what you want. Most times they are too tough and rubbery, or over marinated and mushy. The marinade was excellent, just slightly sweet, and the ribs were nicely grilled. The plate came with one large scoop of rice and a macaroni-potato salad, which was kind of bland, and in need of salt. Overall, a good example of "local style" Kalbi, which differs a bit from Korean style.

I also ordered the Hawaiian Plate($10.75):

As a whole this was just okay. The laulau was nice and moist with alot of luau(taro) leaf, but with very little meat. The Chicken Long Rice had too much ginger in it. The Kalua Pork on the other hand was very moist, with a mild smoked flavor, and was the best item on the plate. This plate came with rice and the macaroni-potato salad, which was put in a container of it’s own.

The Fish Tempura($8.95):

Imagine five pieces of fish(I think it was Mahi Mahi??), yes the plate has five pieces of fish. What surprised me the most, was that the fish was still very crunchy and moist after the drive home. The tempura batter has what looks like furikake(Japanese Seaweed condiment) in it that adds to the taste. I wasn’t too crazy about the tartar sauce, and ended up using malt vinegar, which made it delici-yoso!!!

But the plate that brought tears to my eyes was this:

Yes, it’s a Loco Moco($7.75). If you read this blog regularly, you’ll know that I love "loco’s". This was a good one! As explained by Jocelyn, a 10-12 oz. homemade patty, 2 extra-large eggs easy over, brown gravy, topped with mushrooms and onions, rice, and macaroni-potato salad. A true thing of beauty! And they sneaked in an extra scoop of rice under the Burger! So I thought I’d use the infamous Modified Rubio Scoring System developed by James of Big Island Grinds.

Here’s how it measured up:

BURGER: Handmade and moist, and pretty huge. Maybe a bit too much filler, but nicely seared and seasoned. 4.0

EGGS: Cooked well, easy over, and yolks still runny. Could have been more crisp around the edges. But extra large eggs means bonus points. 4.5

RICE: Perfect, not dry. And those sneaky Bugga’s wen stash one scoop unda da burga la’ dat! You gotta love that. 5.0

GRAVY: Very nice color and texture, velvety, deep and dark brown. The taste was mildly beefy, but could have been better flavored. 4.0

STUFFS: Not enough flavor in the salad, actually tasted better with the gravy on it. And I really didn’t think the mushrooms and onions brought anything other then a bit of eye appeal to the dish. 3.0

Overall 20.5 points, the most I’ve ever given a Loco (so far)! How I finished it, I’ll never know.

Today I though I’d try the Chicken Katsu($7.75):

This was a "triple-decker" Katsu monster, fried golden brown, moist and delicious. And best of all, real Katsu sauce, not that runny sweet sour, garbage that L&L serves up. And the macaroni-potato salad tasted better today, just a bit of salt, that brought out the potato flavor. I only made it through 1 1/2 layers. As I was leaving, Jocelyn asked me how I did, so I showed her. She gave me a smile of pitying disapproval; sort of a "you’re a girly-man" sort of smile.

I also got a plate of the Korean Chicken($7.75) to go:

These are pieces of chicken marinated in a sweet soy mixture, then battered and fried. It comes with a mildly spicy and sweet soy sauce concoction. Sweet, salty, crunchy, and slightly spicy, a nice combination of taste and texture(think almost mochiko); this is the Missus’s favorite by far. In fact, I think I’ll get the dipping sauce for the Fish Tempura next time!

The restaurant, though sparse, gives off a laid-back vibe. And I get the feeling that no matter how crowded it might be here, it would still feel very relaxing.

As you can tell, Da’ Kitchen has been added to our rotation. So bring your appetite and give them a try!

By the way Jo, they have a branch in Mountain View!

Da’ Kitchen
9823 Carroll Canyon Rd.
San Diego, CA 92131

Open Mon-Sat 10am – 8pm

Santana’s Mexican Grill – Hillcrest

December 4, 2005 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** This location of Santana's has closed and is now Tony's Mexican Food

Santana's is part of the "rotation" at the office, along with El Cuervo and ~~Chi-Poodles~~ Chipotle. We usually order from one of these three places about once a week.

Doesn't it look like Santana's is having a little cerveza there? Once one of my favorites, I've been rethinking that designation based on 3 "surprises" on my recent orders.

I really only get two items from Santana's; either a Carne Asada Burrito(CAB) or my favorite cholesterol bomb; a California Burrito(Cali). The Burritos that Santana's serves is relatively large, and wrapped in the usual flour tortilla:

Well here's the first surprise. Santana's had raised their prices 50 cents since our last visit, and the Cali now costs $4.25. Not really a big deal. For those who don't know what a California Burrito is; in San Diego, it's a burrito that contains at minimum Carne Asada(marinated and grilled beef), Cheese, and most importantly, French Fries. Santana's version also has pico de gallo(tomato, onion, cilantro, and chile garnish).

This burrito had a pretty good amount of carne asada, and fries and cheese are always great, right? But here's the next surprise, the carne asada was extremely salty. So salty, that all the other flavors were eliminated. It had become a "salt lick" burrito……The usual starchy, meaty, cheesey, and mildly spicy burrito was utterly ruined.

Well, two weeks later the office decided that it was time for another Santana's run. This time I decided on a Carne Asada Burrito($4.25). I had believed that my previous experience was just a blip on the Taco Shop radar, I opened up my burrito:

First thing I noticed was that my burrito was somewhat "swollen", in a water balloon like way. Sorry to say that this is the only photographic evidence that I have of my Xiao Long(soup) Burrito. For as soon as I cut into it to set-up a photo, a huge amount of liquid poured out everywhere; creating a new office game – chase the soup. My third surprise! I really don't know how Santana's managed to get all of that brown meaty liquid and salsa into the burrito. At least this time it wasn't too salty! Could you imagine if I had just held my burrito and bit into it? Saved by Food Blogging again. Maybe Santana's has been dipping into the cerveza……I'm just wondering what surprise is in store the next time, if there is a next time!

Santana's Mexican Grill
719 W Washington St
San Diego, CA 92103

Saturday Desserts and Other Silliness

December 3, 2005 mmm-yoso Desserts, Filipino Restaurants, Salvadoran Restaurants, yoso-silly

Lately, one of the Missus’s obsessions have been Filipino Desserts, like Bibingka(sweet rice cake), Biko(rice cake), Puto(steamed cakes), Leche Flan(egg custard), and other merienda (afternoon snack) type snacks. Let me just explain that one does not trivialize the cravings of the Missus. To do so could mean an "ugly death"! Also, unless you can do the "tricks" that Sammy does, don’t even try stealing a bite!

Since I don’t really have a sweet tooth, I thought I’d just share the locations, and a few pictures of the Missus’s Filipino Dessert places.

Bread Deluxe Bakery:

Located next to Seafood City in both National City and Mira Mesa; we’ll never leave here without a few snacks.

And many times, a good portion of what is purchased will not even make it to the car.

Bread Deluxe Bakery
1420 E Plaza Blvd Ste E
National City, CA 91950

Filipino Desserts Plus

With locations both in National City and Mira Mesa, they make the Missus’s favorite Biko. Good luck with finding parking in the National City location with Red Ribbon Bakery, ChowKing, and Popeye’s in the same mall.

Most desserts are prices between $1.50 to $4.00, and are a bargain. I’ll refer any questions on flavor and taste to the ~~Boss~~ Missus for comment. But this place is quite popular. There are times when the lines are out the door.

Filipino Desserts Plus
2220 E Plaza Blvd Ste Q
National City, CA 91950

There are many other locations where one can pick-up snacks in National City; Manila Sunset is known for their Bibinka, and Valerio’s is also very popular. But for the Missus, these are part of her rotation.

We were able to attend the annual "Jingle Ball" concert last night at the Sports Arena after a nice dinner at our favorite restaurant, Ba Ren. We try to attend every year; and this year was a must see for us. The Missus’s favorite group, Train, was one of the performers:

This annual concert is a benefit for "Becky’s House" a transitional home for victims of domestic violence and their children in San Diego. This years line-up included Los Lonely Boys, Hootie and the Blowfish, Switchfoot, Alanis Morrisette, and The B-52’s. What a blast!

All the Missus needed was "something sweet to end the evening", looks like another dessert run is in order!

Bamboo Hut

December 1, 2005 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Plate Lunch

I’m really con-"fused" about Bamboo Hut, a little Japanese-Plate Lunch-Filipino-Asian restaurant located on Mira Mesa Boulevard. I took a detour , and instead of going to Pho Hoa Cali, ended up having a late lunch here.

The restaurant was totally empty, and the employees were having a "break" and chatting outside when I entered; so I sat Myself. For some reason the two "Guys" looked really irritated; I guess I interrupted their break, but the Young Lady quickly came over and handed me a menu, and asked me if I had any questions. I looked over the menu, and there was everything from Spam Musubi to Lumpia, to Kalua Pig, to Nabeyaki Udon, to Kalbi, to Sushi(mostly specialty rolls) on the menu. But for some reason this really didn’t seem like a "plate lunch" kind of place.

I did find an interesting item on the menu; "Tuna Poki"($7.95):

What I got was somewhat a surprise. I guess I have a different picture of what "poke" should look like. I now understood why this item was under the heading "Salads" on the menu. This large goblet of maguro, various greens, and seaweed salad was not a very satisfying dish. First of all, there was too much togarashi(Japanese Chili Pepper), so that you could taste nothing else. The fish was also very dry, and the grade of fish was fairly low; there were alot of fibrous pieces making the few chunks of fish somewhat tough; what I call "buffet grade" Maguro. Cross any possibility of sushi at this place off my list. As you worked your way down the goblet you hit the next layer. Apparently all the "dressing" resided in the bottom of the glass, so you went from lip numbing, to very sour as you ate the other half of the dish.

I also ordered the Chicken Katsu Curry($5.95):

The panko(Japanese breadcrumbs) breaded Chicken Katsu was delivered to my table in a plate along with two scoops of rice(good start), a green salad dressed with a mild Asian dressing(ok), terribly bland macaroni salad(can you please use some mayo…please!!!!). The Katsu itself was perfectly fried, the panko coating was nice and crunchy, and not oily at all, and the chicken was very moist. The "curry" was a bit strange. I read the fine print on the menu, and it said "curry sauce". Well no kidding! It was literally curry sauce, not the usual beefy, thick, dark, and slightly spicy curry. The taste was not bad really, slightly spicy, with a mild curry flavor, I wish there was more of it though. Again, kind of a "mixed bag".

I don’t know, maybe someone who eats here alot can clue me in, I’m a bit con-fused. This lunch didn’t really give me a reason to pay another visit here. Especially after an acquaintance of mine told me that the kalbi here was the absolute worst he ever ate; and the service was terrible. I thought the Gal who served me was very nice, though the two Guys behind the Sushi Bar kept staring at me. Since I was the only person in the place, they probably wanted another break.

Bamboo Hut Pacific Grill and Sushi Bar
9172 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

More Easy Japanese Dishes

November 30, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Tonight I decided to make a few more quick and easy Japanese dishes. Because we didn’t want to be cooking all evening, I chose 2 really easy dishes that took a total of about 30 minutes.

The first was Lotus Root "Kinpira", a very easy(3 step) sweet and spicy dish of crunchy lotus root that is delici-yoso with Gohan(rice).

Renkon Kinpira
Sweet and Spicy Lotus Root

1/2 lb Lotus Root
1 Tb Sesame Oil
1 Tb Vegetable Oil
1 Tb Sake
3 Tb Soy sauce
1 Tb Sugar
1 Tb Mirin
Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper
Shimichi Togarashi(Japanese Chili Pepper)optional
Toasted Sesame Seeds
1/4 Cup White Vinegar
2 Cups Water

1 – Peel the Lotus Root and slice thinly. Soak briefly in Vinegar and Water to remove bitterness.

2 – Heat Sesame and Vegetable Oil in a saucepan(I add vegetable oil to increase the smokepoint of the sesame oil), using medium heat fry the lotus root until slightly translucent. Do not overcook! Add crushed red pepper, Sake, Soy Sauce, Sugar, and Mirin. Simmer until all the liquid evaporates.

3 – Sprinkle with Sesame Seeds before serving.

The second dish was very easy Simmered Wakame and Bamboo Shoots. Wakame is a very popular dried seaweed, that can be found in everything from miso soup to salads. I’ve even had it in a few Korean Dishes, and as Kim Chee. To say that the Japanese have been using Wakame for a long time is an understatement. Use of Wakame have appeared in Japanese documents as far back as the ninth century. This dish is a fragrant and supposedly healthy dish, that combines two very aromatic ingredients, the earthy-woody bamboo shoot(takenoko), and the oceany wakame. I used canned bamboo shoots to cut down the cooking time.

Waka-Take Nimono
Simmered Wakame and Bamboo Shoots

2 (14.5oz) Cans Boiled Bamboo Shoot Tips
1/3 Cup Dried Wakame
2 1/2 Cups Water
1/3 Cup Sake
3 Tb Sugar
3 Tb Mirin
1/3 Cup Soy sauce
1/2 Tsp Dashi No Moto(instant dashi)

1 – Cut the Bamboo Shoots lengthwise into quarters or eighths depending on their size.

2 – Place wakame into a bowl and pour boiling water over them, and drain quickly.

3 – Place Bamboo Shoots and water into a pot, cover and bring to a boil. When a boil is reached add sake and mirin and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add Sugar and Soy Sauce, and stir. Simmer for 5 more minutes.

4 – Add wakame and simmer briefly. Turn off heat and add Dashi No Moto

Some notes on the Wakame; I used the "chopped" variety. If you purchase the "whole" variety, use about 2 strands.

Enjoy!

Breakfast at The Field

November 29, 2005 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Pubs and Pub Grub

This past Sunday I made another morning foray down to the Gaslamp Quarter, the center of San Diego's tourist trade and where many of San Diego's Nightclubs and Restaurants are located. This time I decided to actually have breakfast at The Field. I found parking right in front of The Field, a feat that would be impossible in a few hours, and since it was Sunday, I didn't have to feed the meter either.

The Field is my favorite Pub in San Diego and has a small but nice selection of ales and Porters. My usual beverage of choice here would be either a Draft Guinness or a Murphy's. I also enjoy the "Chips" at The Field, as well as the "Boxty" Dishes, which is a Traditional Potato Pancake filled and rolled with "filling". And we're not talking about an ordinary filling! My favorite is the Shepherds Pie Boxty, with a side of chips, and potato leek soup. So let's see there's the mashed potatoes from the Shepherds pie, the potato pancake, the chips, and the potato from the potato and leek soup – that'll be at least 4 starches! I'm in Carb heaven!

The interior of The Field was supposedly a genuine turn of the century Irish Pub that was moved piece by piece from Ireland. There are many funny and charming signs and memorabilia adorns the walls. Seating nooks and crannies are located through the Pub, which would either strike you a dark and dank, or if you're like me, warm and cozy. Many of the Employees of The Field are from Ireland, and the wonderful Irish accent is heard everywhere here, and definitely adds to the atmosphere.

This morning for breakfast you could start with items like Corned Beef and Eggs, Rasher(Irish Bacon) and Eggs, or what I usually get Sausage and Eggs. Or if you prefer to get an "early start", or need to approach "equilibrium", you could order Hare of the Dog – A Pint of Guinness and a Sausage or Rasher Sandwich. There were a few people having a pint of Guinness and Corned Beef Sandwiches this morning(at 9 am), I guess their watches were set at Eastern Time, following that old saying; "It's noon somewhere in the world."

So what did I get?(Pardon the pictures, it's always night in this Field)

No it's not a burrito, but a Ploughman's Boxty($7.95), which is scrambled eggs with rasher, sausage, and Irish Cheddar, wrapped in a potato pancake, and covered with a white gravy . My arteries shudder in fear at the very thought of eating this. To make this a complete 3 carb meal, Rosemary Breakfast Potatoes, and Wheaten Toast (which I love) are also served. For those worried about the other food groups; a slice of orange(fruits) and some parsley(veggies??, ummm, nice try, but maybe not) are also provided. Overall, I found the boxty to be a bit on the "dry" side, and the flavor of the eggs was not enough to carry through to the pancake. I think I'll stick with my Sausage and Eggs for breakfast; and "save" my boxty's for dinner. The potatoes were fine, well seasoned, and I really enjoy that dense, slightly sweet, and moist bread.

This was a fairly calorie-dense breakfast. I finished the toast and potatoes, but only manage half the boxty, and didn't even eat lunch! But if you're ever in need of a hearty breakfast in the Gaslamp, The Field deserves some consideration. But don't have too many of these, or the next "Field" you see, will be the one you're buried in!

The Field
544 5th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101

Postscript:

One last short funny story. One evening the Missus and I were having Dinner and a Pint at The Field. And the Missus sure was enjoying her Irish Stew(No longer on the menu), but something was obviously missing. Finally, unable to help Herself, She flagged down the Server and asked, "This is so delicious, but do you have any RICE?" The look on the Servers face was priceless! I got a nice sharp elbow when I whispered to the Missus, "And make sure to ask for some chopsticks too……."

Andres Cuban Restaurant

November 28, 2005 mmm-yoso Cuban Restaurants

**** After 40 years in business Andres has closed

After passing Andre's Patio Restaurant on Morena Boulevard hundreds of times we finally decided to drop by during the past weekend to grab some Cuban Food for lunch:

The restaurant was fairly empty except for a family of 8 having a large lunch and another couple at a nearby table. After looking at the reasonably priced menu we ordered a few "standard" Cuban dishes to get our bearings.

We started with 1 Cheese ($1.50) and 1 Beef ($1.75) Empanada:

This was a rather inauspicious start, as the Empanadas were pretty soggy. The Cheese Empanada was especially bland. We soaked the empanadas in Habanero Hot Sauce in order to make them palatable, and didn't even finish the cheese empanada. I was starting to write this place off when the Yuca con Mojo arrived, and not a moment too soon:

This wonderfully flavored dish is delicious simplicity at it's best. Simmered Yuca is served with a slightly citrusy Garlic-Herb Olive Oil, very similar to Mojo Criollo(Spanish Garlic Sauce). If you've never had yuca, it will fool you the first time you eat it. As you initially bite into the yuca, the texture is like potato; but as you bite further you realize how really dense and starchy this tuber is. Dipped into the garlic oil, it is simply delici-yoso dense and starchy goodness.

The Missus ordered the standard Cuban beef dish Ropa Vieja ($8.95):

Literally translated as "old clothes" Ropa Vieja is beef that is stewed with onions and other herbs in a tomato based, wine "sauce", then shredded. The result here is a very tender, flavorful, and rich dish. Served with nice fragrant rice and velvety black beans, that were a bit too loose, almost like a bean soup, though the flavor was nice and mild. Altogether this is what I would consider to be a very pleasant home style meal. The portion size was excellent, and I enjoyed the "peas" as well.

I ordered the usual Cuban Sandwich ($6.95):

A classic " sandwich mixto" is a pressed roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, and dill pickle sandwich, served on "Cuban Bread", and "pressed". This process creates a very crisp crust, with a somewhat gooey interior. Though this sandwich did not really meet all the criteria, it was still good. The outer portion was crusty, and the combination of flavors were excellent. The funny thing with this sandwich is that if you remove the components and tasted each individually, you really wouldn't think much of it. It's the sum of all the ingredients that makes this sandwich, and creates a nice texture and taste. I don't think the "classic" Cuban Sandwich includes mustard, but it sure worked here.

Andre's food and atmosphere does create the relaxing impression that you are just enjoying a nice homemade meal. The service, though not very friendly, and a bit on the slow side, was adequate, and I think we will be back soon. It seems that Andre's is doing pretty good business, they are expanding into the space next door, creating a larger space that looks much more refined, though I think I enjoy the casual "patio" space.

Andre's Cuban Restaurant
1235 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf

November 27, 2005 mmm-yoso Cookbooks, Cooking, Recipes

Since fellow bloggers Jo, Reid, and Kathy have already figured out that we were going to make these; I’ll get right to the point. We did see these during our Thanksgiving visit to Pearl (Yes Angie, we really did see them), but since I had just gotten the book Dim Sum – The Art of Chinese Tea Lunchby Ellen Leong Blonder, we decided to give this a shot:

We headed off to 99 Ranch Market and purchased some Dried Lotus Leaves, though I enjoy calling them Water Lily Pads…..which is what they are:

We made many changes to the original recipe, mainly because we wanted to use what we had on hand, and also because we enjoy having a bit more "filling" then the usual "smear" of filling that is the norm.

Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf

Makes 8 "packets"

2 Cups Glutinous Rice
1 Tsp Salt
6 Dried Shiitake Mushrooms – soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, then drained and sliced.
4 Dried Lotus Leaves
2 Tb Soy Sauce
2 Tb Oyster Sauce
1 Tsp Xiao Tsing
1/2 Tsp Sugar
3 Tb Vegetable Oil
1 Boneless, skinless Chicken Breast – Chopped to coarse texture
4 Oz Dried Shrimp – Soaked in water for 15 minutes and drained
1 Lup Cheong sliced to 1/4" rounds
2 Oz Char Siu cut into 1/4" dice
4 Boiled Duck Egg yolks cut in halves
1 Tb Corn Starch mixed in 1/3 Cup Water

1 – Rinse and soak Glutinous Rice in water to cover, add Salt and let soak for 1 Hour

2 – Cut each folded lotus leaf in half and cover with hot water. Soak for 30 – 45 minutes, turning occasionally to make sure leaves are totally soaked. (Since I didn’t do a turkey this Thanksgiving, it was good to actually use a roasting pan for something!)

3 – Cook rice in 2 cups of water. Once rice is cooked allow to cool slightly.

4 – Combine Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Xiao Tsing, and sugar to create a sauce.

5 – Heat wok or skillet, add 1 Tb oil and stir fry the shrimp and lup cheong for 1-2 minutes, add chicken and stir fry until the chicken starts turning white. Add mushroom, char siu, and sauce mixture and cook for 1 minute. Stir in cornstarch mixture and remove from heat when the sauce has thickened. Place onto a plate and put aside to cool.

6 – After leaves are soaked, rinse briefly and shake of excess water. Cut off about 2 inches from the "point end" of the leaf and trim any ragged portions of the curved edges with a scissors. Stack the leaves in the same direction and set aside.

7 – Divide the cooled rice and into eight portions.Divide the filling into 8 portions as well.

8 – Place the stack of leaves with the outer edge facing away from you. Spread a light coat of oil evenly over the leaf.

9 – Divide one portion of rice into two. Place this half potion of rice onto the lower center of the leaf and form into a 2"x3" rectangle. Place one portion of filling onto the rice, and place 1 half piece of egg yolk on filling. Place the remainder of rice portion on top of the filling. Press the layer gently together.

10 – Fold bottom end of leaf over the rice. Then fold over first the left then the right edges of the leaf over rice. Then roll up the rice packet to form a rectangular packet.

11 – Place seam side down in a steamer and steam for 20-35 minutes. (The book called for 15 minutes, but it was too short and the sauce and essence of the leaf had not permeated the rice).

Some notes: The recipe in the book used raw shrimp, but we decided to just use the dried shrimp we had on hand. The recipe did not use egg yolk, which I thought was odd. We’ve always had this with a quarter to a half egg yolk in it. The next time we may add some peanuts for texture, and maybe a scallop. But overall these tasted really good, and weren’t that hard to make – just a "whole lotta soakin’ going on.

Next Up, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings????