Cooking – Page 39

Fry-Day Miscellaniea

November 4, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking

I thought I’d just post some of what we ate this past week, when we didn’t go out. Back in September I picked up a bag of "Korean Pancake Mix" from Hannam Chain Market World in Diamond Bar. This past week I decided to actually make an attempt to make this.

So when I finally read the instructions, I was a bit surprised. It was truly, just add water and mix! Here’s the first one I made; Shrimp and Green Onion:

It was pretty good, though a little "gummy" in the middle. What ended up happening is that I increased the amount of water, and it turned out great. Though there’s no picture, my favorite, is thinly sliced onion, bean sprouts, furikake, and…..Spam! It tasted great, and Furikake adds a nice saltyness, the onions and sprouts added nice texture. I hope I didn’t insult anyone with my choice of ingredients. I was so amazed how easy this was. Oh, and why did I pick this brand? Well, it was the only package with English instructions. If there are any recommendations out there, please let me know! BTW, my next one is going to be Portuguese Sausage……

I finally had the Okahara Saimin that I purchased from Orient Bowl/First Korean Market.

And yes, that’s Spam again. After all I didn’t want to waste what was leftover from the pancakes, right? I hadn’t had Okahara’s for at least 5 or 6 years, and found that the "dashi" flavor was alot more pronounced then I remember. Probably due to several years of eating Ramen. I really enjoyed the flavor, I’ve probably missed this on some sub-conscious level. The noodles were firm, and the broth very flavorful.

The change in weather always wears me down a bit. I just felt a bit lethargic, and really just wanted some "comfort food". And that little craving voice in my head was requesting a BBQ Beef Sandwich from Rainbow Drive In. It really wasn’t realistic to make a marinade, etc…. So what to do? I drove down to Zion Market, and bought some "10 up" Bulgogi from the Meat Department, at $4.99/lb, I thought it was a bargain. And in about 10 minutes I had my own BBQ Beef Sandwich:

Now I could’ve gotten "8 up" Bulgogi for $3.99/lb, but I thought a buck really wouldn’t make much difference, for a better quality meat. I could make 3 sandwiches for a pound of meat. Other then perhaps being too heavy on the sesame oil, the meat was so very tender and flavorful. I thought it was pretty delici-yoso!! Who knows, maybe I’ll start seeing Bulgogi Sandwiches on menus soon?

So just some really simple food for Friday……

Oh, and did you read the BBC article on what could ‘cure bird flu?’

Have good weekend!

Wow, Laulau! And why Reid has Become a Legend

October 26, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Hawaiian Food, yoso-silly

I was really thrilled this past Saturday; I received a package from Reid of 'Ono Kine Grindz. In that little box were gel packs and 3 wonderful Laulau from Young's Fishmarket:

For those who don't know what Lau Lau is, it is cubes of pork, usually shoulder and a cube of fat, sometimes a small piece of salt fish wrapped in lu'au (young taro leaves), finally wrapped in Ti leaves, in sort of a neat bundle. The Laulau are then steamed for 4 hours or more. After heating them up this is what they look like when you open them up:

The aroma of Laulau is amazing! The leaves are moist and have a slightly "al dente" texture, the taste is close to say, collard greens without the bitterness. The pork is moist, and has absorbed the taste of the lu'au leaf – delici-yoso! This taste of home really made my weekend!

Reid you are an amazing guy, thanks so much!

I'm so amazed at how Reid managed to send this to me through the mail. And that's how Reid's become a sort of legend in our household. The Mother of a good friend of ours is also pretty much a Legend in our home. For the sake of this story let's call her "Lola". When visiting "home" we'd have a meal with our good friends, their two wonderful Boys, all made by Lola. Lola absolutely adored the Missus, basically because the Missus adored Lola's cooking. Whether it was Kare Kare (Filipino Ox Tail Stew), Lumpia, or Her Adobo, Lola would watch my little 100lb Chinese Wife chow like a Longshoreman. Lola, like most "Lola's" are consumed with a desire to give and provide. So we'd be back home in Los Angeles, and receive one of those flat "shirt boxes" in the mail, and be totally amazed when there would be a pristine Bibingka(Sweet Rice Cake) all wrapped up in the box. Or the most amazing thing of all, we once received a small box. When we opened the box amid the crumpled up newspapers was a round ball of tape(???), after several minutes of unwrapping the tape, there was a little bottle of home made Bagoong Alamang(Shrimp Paste), Lola had remembered how much the Missus enjoyed her Bagoong in the Kare Kare, and sent us some! We always considered Lola to be the "Legend of Postal Dexterity"; but now with Reid's feat of sending me the Park's Brand Kim Chee Sauce, and now Laulau from Young's Fishmarket, he's joined Lola as a "Legend"…..

Since I had some chicken thawing I made a little Chicken Katsu, Laulau, mixed plate:

I even made my own Tonkatsu Sauce for the Chicken:

1/2C Worcestershire Sauce
1/4C Sugar
1/4C Soy Sauce
1/3C Ketchup
Dash of 5 Spice Powder
1Tb Dijon Mustard mixed with 1Tb Water
Pepper

In a small pot combine first 5 ingredients. Reduce over low-medium heat, until reduced by 1/3. After reduced add mustard and pepper, mix well. Remove from heat, and let sauce cool. Will keep up to 2 weeks in a well sealed bottle.
Makes about 1 cup.

Oven Kalua Pork

October 24, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

A few weeks ago Reid from Ono Kine Grindz, and I exchanged a few Emails about Kalua Pork. Reid, it seems had planned to do a few "theme" posts, and asked if I’d like to participate….and viola’ another "joint cooking post" is born. Here’s Reid’s photgenic version.

So a few weeks ago, I took a trip down to the local 99 Ranch Market, and picked up a nice Pork Shoulder:

I picked up a good size roast that came in at a bit over 5 pounds. It’s also good to get one with a good amount of fat on it. The main items I use for seasoning on my Kalua Pork is Hawaiian (Sea) Salt, and Wright’s Liquid Smoke. The only ingredients listed on the liquid smoke bottle should be smoke and water. I usually get a bit of flack whenever I mention using liquid smoke; but look through Alan Wong’s New Wave Luau and you’ll notice that he uses Natural Liquid Smoke as well.

Oven Kalua Pork

3-5 lb Pork semi fatty piece pork butt/shoulder. If pork is very lean, get a piece of fatty pork belly to add.
3-5 Tb Sea Salt – I use Alaea & "Hawaiian Salt"
6 Tb Liquid smoke (check the bottle – the only ingredients are smoke & Water)
Pepper(optional)
4 cloves garlic(optional)
water

Score the pork deeply on all sides – rub with 3Tb salt and 3 Tb liquid smoke. Add a few turns of black pepper if you desire.

Wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Pour 1/4-1/3" of water into a roasting pan with 1Tb Liquid Smoke – you can add cloves of garlic into the cooking liquid if you want.

Place wrapped pork into pan and cover pan with foil, seal well, and leave a little "tent space" at the top. Place into preheated 325 degree oven – 4hours for 3lb roast – add 1/2 hour for each additional pound. No, there will be no burying in the ground(imu) cooking for me!

When roast is done remove pork "package" to another pan.

Pour off about 1-2 cups of fatty liquid from roasting pan into a bowl.

Open pork package and shred with a fork. At this point taste the pork. It should be a bit on the "bland" side. Add additional salt and liquid smoke to the drained fat and liquid in bowl and mix until salt is completely dissolved.

Add liquid back slowly to pork and shred until desired taste is achieved.

A few notes; when I’m "home" I use Ti leaves to wrap the pork before wrapping in foil, but I’ve had two bad experiences with Ti leaves here on the mainland, so I’ve stopped doing that. People don’t seem to notice, even those Ex-Pat Kama’aina’s I’ve given this to!

Now why do I make this? Well I’ve found that a couple of the people at work love this! So I’ll make this once or twice a year, and I’ll send out an Email letting the "pork-lovers" know that I’ll be making this. One of the guys (Bruce…) will then send out an Email changing the date, to select people, so that they won’t attend the pork-fest, leaving more for him….. I’ve even learned of a new Kalua Pork combination, that’s Kalua Pork in a toasted Pan De Sal(Filipino Rolls); it’s delici-yoso!!!

I really don’t eat much of the pork myself, I’ll do something like make a macaroni salad, and on this day I also made those Chicken Alice Wings. So I ended up having a nice "plate lunch"

Chicken, Like Alice used to make? The Great Chicken Alice Recipe

October 18, 2005 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Cooking, Recipes

*** I've revised my recipe a bit. You can find that post here.

Looking back, life was pretty simple and easy for me during the Mid-Late Eighties through the Mid Nineties. Four times a week, I'd get off work and work-out with my Buddies, first at World Gym on the Ala Wai, later at The Gym in Kakaako. And at least once (and as many as four) times a week we'd grab dinner at Chicken Alice on Kapiolani Blvd, right outside of Ala Moana Center. Many a good "pau hana" started at "Alice", over her crunchy, slightly spicy wings, and ended up in my Buddies drive way, with jokes and conversations, after more than a few cold ones.

Then rather suddenly, Alice closed her Restaurants, and seemed to have disappeared. And a piece of me evaporated along with those wings….

Flash forward a decade later, and I've been periodically checking the Internet to see if anybody has a reasonable facsimile of Alice's chicken recipe. Well there it was, in black and white; written up in the Honolulu Star Bulletin. And along with the story of Chicken Alice, was the recipe for those awesome wings! I was so thrilled, but then something brought me crashing to Earth:

You see, according to the article "The key ingredient is Parks brand kim chee sauce — made locally and used primarily as the base for kim chee." This is something that you pretty much won't find on the Mainland; I was crushed; so close, yet still thousands of miles away! Enter Reid, of 'Ono Kine Grindz. I had made a passing comment to him about the sauce, and before you knew it, he had sent me two bottles of Parks brand Kim Chee sauce in a styrofoam cooler, and kept it cold using freezer gel packs! Talk about resourceful!

So what's in the Kim Chee sauce? According to the bottle, it's Chili Pepper, Garlic, Fish Sauce, Salt, Sugar, MSG, Paprika, and Ginger. What a combo! I got down to cooking right away, using the recipe from the article; right here.

So how did it turn out? Well I found it to be a bit on the mild side, and not salty enough, though the crispy stickiness was still there; and the color looked right. Also, the flavoring was just a bit "off".

So, armed with that experience, I made my adjustments, and came up with this recipe:

5 pounds chicken wings
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Batter:
1/2 cup Parks brand kim chee sauce
3 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons salt
2-1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups water

Combine kim chee sauce, garlic, salt and flour. Add water gradually, enough to make a thick batter, about the consistency of pancake batter.

Add chicken pieces to batter, mix well and marinate in refrigerator overnight.

Heat oil to 350 degrees.Deep-fry chicken pieces until chicken rises to surface and coating is deep brown.It's important to keep the oil at this temperature in order to assure the perfect crisp coating.

So you're wondering what it looks like, right?

I was amazed at how the color turned out; just a tad "lighter" than I remember, but close enough. The crunchy, slight stickiness was there. And the taste was nice and a mild-medium spicy. The changes I made; more garlic; more salt; a bit more water; and especially marinating overnight, instead of the 2-3 hours in the recipe did the trick. The chicken was still tasty and a bit crunchy 4 hours later, just like it used to be. Though it seemed the batter was thicker than I remembered, even though I added a bit more H2O.

My tastes had changed over the last decade; I'm now used to really spicy Sichuan Food, among other things, and though Alice's Chicken doesn't thrill me like it used to, it's still darn good. But the memories are what this was really all about. Sitting down, munching on wonderful memories, my mind was a thousand miles away to a place and time when things were alot simpler, and time seemed to pass at a less frenetic pace, even if just for a few moments, made the decade long quest worth while.

Mahalo Reid, I'm forever in your debt!

Niu Rou Mian

October 12, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking

Here's a nice bowl of Niu Rou Mein(Chinese Beef Noodle Soup) I had on Saturday:

Guess which restaurant I got it from? It's from restaurant Mi Casa. Actually, Dylan from Eat, drink & be merry, and I decided to do a joint cooking post. In which we'll both make a dish and post. Today, it's Niu Rou Mein. Initially, I had intended to make my usual version, which used a prepared "base" to which I added flavorings to create my soup. But Howie from A Foodie's-Eye View provided his Grandmother's recipe, and even more graciously, gave me permission to reprint here! Thanks Howie!!!!

Niu Rou Mein (Chinese Beef Noodle Soup)

Ingredients
—————-

3 lbs. beef shank, cut into 1 1/2" cubes

(Wrap the following 5 in cheesecloth and tie it up)
4 star anise
1 T peppercorn (they used regular, not szechuan at the
time, but you could try it, and maybe
reduce the amount)
10 cloves garlic smashed
6 slices of ginger
5 dried red chili peppers chopped

3 T chili paste with garlic
2 T rice wine

1 1/2 T salt
2 T soy sauce
1 T sugar

Instructions
—————–

1. Get a large, heavy skillet very, very hot, add 1 T oil and enough
beef to not crowd the pan. Repeat until all beef is browned.
The pan should be pretty dry, if not, it probably means the
pan isn't hot enough or isn't retaining heat enough.

2. Remove beef from pan, add 1 T oil to pan, and add chili
paste. Add the beef to pan and coat with chili paste & oil.
Add rice wine, and deglaze pan.

3. Pour contents of pan into a soup pot. Deglaze pan with water
if there's more good stuff left in there. Add the cheesecloth,
cover with water (about 6-7 cups). Add salt, soy sauce, and sugar
to taste. Bring to boil, and simmer for 3 hours.

You probably know the rest of the drill, make some noodles and
serve with broth and meat, and cilantro and green onion garnish.

This is a great recipe; but having made Niu Rou Mein from a base over the last few years; and knowing I'd want to eat it right away, not letting it "cure" over-night I made some adjustments. So here's what "shook out".

I used a combination of Beef Shank w/bone 2lbs & regular Stew Meat 2 lbs.
(Wrap the following 3 in cheesecloth and tie it up)
4 star anise
1 T peppercorn
2 Slices of ginger smashed

15Cloves of Garlic Chopped
4 Green Onions – Whites Only
8 Dried Chilies – seeds and all, torn
8 T Chili Paste
1/4 cup Shao Tsing
1/3 Cup Light Soy Sauce
2 T Dark Soy Sauce
2 T Sugar
4 Cups Beef Broth
6 Cups Water
2 T Ice Water
4 T Corn Starch
3 T Vegetable/Canola Oil

White and Black Pepper to taste
Spinach
Cilantro
Green Onions

1 – Chop beef shank into approx 1×1 cubes. Mix beef with corn starch and ice water – an old Chinese restaurant trick to help tenderize. And let sit for 15 minutes.
2 – While waiting, place pot on high heat.
3 – Add 1T Oil to Pot and start to brown meat over high heat – brown shank first as it;s more tender and doesn't need as much time to tenderize. Add 1T Chili paste for every 2 pounds of meat while browning. Brown in batches and remove meat once done

4 – Add 2 T oil to pot and add torn dried peppers and brown. Once oil and peppers are browned, add the rest of the chili paste and garlic and fry, add shank bones. Deglaze with Shao Tsing, scrapping "fond" off of the bottom of the pot.
5 – Add Beef Broth and seasonings in cheesecloth. Add beef. Bring to a boil and add 6 cups water. Bring to an active boil and lower heat to mild simmer.
6 – Simmer for 2 hours, and taste. Add additional seasoning as necessary and 2T Dark Soy for color.
7 – Slow simmer for another 2 hours, until beef is tender. You can tell by "fork-checking" stew meat.

8 – Garnish with Spinach, Green Onion, and Cilantro.

So what to do while waiting? Maybe try your hand at "modern art?"

So what's the verdict? Well after 6 hours, I liked the spice, and liked the taste, nice, rich, and beefy. But the Missus had Her own opinion. First, the Bad:

1 – Too much anise, she thought it over-powered everything.

2 – Too sweet, didn't like the sugar

3 – She needed salt, too mild

4 – She hated the noodles. I bought some great looking "Hand-made" Shanghai style noodles from 99 Ranch. But in spite of the way they looked they were brittle and didn't have the right pull and resistance.

What she liked:

1 – The beef was not only fork tender, it was "plastic-fork" tender.

2 – The broth was rich and "hearty"

3 -Spice level was perfect.

4 – Perfect ginger flavor.

As a whole better than most restaurants, but not "perfect".

The next day, we had the Niu Rou Mein, as well as the leftover dumplings.

By the next day, all the "edges" had been taken care of. And we had a smooth, beefy, spicy, rich, broth. Though the noodles still sucked……but still delici-yoso!!! The Missus finished up the rest of the meat and soup. The key is the addition of Beef Broth. Unless you have alot of bones and other "savory" parts, making a true stock will be difficult.

Some notes; I don't worry about the chopped garlic and green onion stalks because after 6 hours they start to disintegrate. The cornstarch/ice water mix creates very tender meat – if you want to keep the "soup" longer than 2 days, remove the meat and store separately. Because I used beef broth, I didn't add any salt.

Make sure you check out Dylan's version Here.

At the SDAFF: 20:30:40, Saving Face, and Dumplings

October 1, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Movies, Recipes, yoso-silly

Ah yes, another wonderful day at the San Diego Film Festival. Today we went early and saw Alice Wu’s fantastic film; Saving Face. Alice Wu’s Directorial debut is a wonderfully funny, yet an a amazingly perceptive and complex tale, one that is both light, and yet reveals very deep social and cultural issues that are put at the forefront.

At the heart of the movie is the question; at what length and what price is one willing to pay to "save face". Saving Face is of the best most polished Asian American Films I’ve ever seen. After the film, Director Alice Wu, and the three lovely Leading Ladies, Joan Chen, Michelle Krusiec, and Lynn Chen were very generous with their time during a Q&A session. What I was really amazed to find out was that the film was completed in 27 days, all single takes! If I’m being a bit vague with the plot details, it is with good reason. The film takes some really fun twists and turns, and keeps you guessing til the end. If you’re interested in a movie that’s like a cross between The Wedding Banquet and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, this is for you. By the way, I never knew Joan Chen could be so funny!

On Thursday Night we saw 20:30:40, a funny, yet very interesting and revealing Taiwanese/Chinese film Directed by, and starring Sylvia Chang. 20:30:40 portrays the life of 3 Women. Xiao Jie (Lee Sin-Jie), is a 20 year old, who has come to Taipei to become a pop star. Suddenly free, and learning about life with no responsibility, she starts learning and experimenting in her journey to find out about life and who she is. Xiang (Rene Liu), is a thirty-something Flight Attendant, attempting to find love by juggling two men, a married Dentist, and a possessive somewhat unstable Music Producer. Forty-something Lily (Sylvia Chang) is the owner of a Flower Shop. Her world is turned upside down when she finds out that her Husband has a second family.

Though the women never actually meet, they pass each other, and their lives are intertwined through associations with other characters in the film. Featuring some very funny moments, this is a showcase for the actresses and in the end a very honest and entertaining effort.

What about the food? Among the many food scenes in these two films were two that got our attention; in 20:30:40, Lily (Sylvia Chang) is having dinner with would be "Romeo", Jeff (Tony Leung Ka-Fai), as he teaches her to eat her dumplings by first eating an entire clove of garlic, he tells her; "what do you care, we’re both sleeping alone tonight…", one of the funniest lines in the film. In Saving Face, Joan Chen is making dumplings for a "mah-jong party".

So this evening, the Missus decided to end her self imposed Dumpling retirement, by saying, "hey, let’s make some shrimp and chive dumplings…" So even though it was after 6pm, I jumped into action and ran up to 99 Ranch Market to pick-up some shrimp and chive, while the Missus made the dough for the wrappers:

Sorry that there is no set recipe for this. I will go through the ingredients, though. Dumplings have been a way of life for the Missus. She was raised in Qingdao in the Shandong province in China. Dumplings, handmade noodles, and various breads are a way of life. This dough was made with flour and room temperature water. While kneading she knows at what point the dough is "ready". My job is easy; shell and devein 1 1/2 lbs of shrimp, which is then chopped to desired texture.

The chives are chopped to desired texture. Here’s a very "rough" recipe for the filling for these dumplings:

1 1/2 lbs shrimp chopped
1 bunch chives chopped
2-4 Tbs Sesame Oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp Shao-Tsing Wine
2 eggs
Ginger Juice(everybody wonders what the garlic press is for)
Mix together and start filling them dumplings:

Here’s a hint; before mixing the dumpling filling, start boiling a small pot of water. When the mix is ready make a "test dumpling" and cook – it’ll be pretty quick since the dough is fresh. You can taste the filling and make adjustments. For me, the only way to eat these freshly made dumplings is to boil them. You get the full range of flavor and most of all the wonderful slightly doughy wrapper, that should have a bit of pull. Of course you can pan fry if you must:

This is one of the things that I am able to contribute to the whole process! Also making the sauce:

Chinkiang Vinegar
Soy Sauce
Garlic
Green Onions
Optional – Chili Paste, Sugar, etc….

The belief is that boiled dumplings are the true test, fried dumplings are for later. Even though she declared a "second retirement" after making these, I still love and appreciate the fact that she knew after watching all these "dumplings on film", that I’d be wanting some. Also, I know we’ve now got a few dozen in the freezer! he-he-he….. Need to find more dumpling movies!

Kabocha Nimono

August 14, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

I had promised Milly from Some Like it Hot a recipe using Kabocha a while back. So here’s a recipe for simmered (Nimono) Kabocha. Kabocha can be found in most Asian markets, and is a type of winter squash. Uncut, it can be stored for a pretty long time before using.

The skin of this squash is very tough, hard, and thick. You need a very heavy knife, and possibly a hammer – jack-hammer, hand grenade, or maybe power saw (just joking…); to cut the Kabocha in Half:

Any type of pumpkin can be used for this recipe, though the Kabocha, whose flesh is very sweet and creamy when cooked is probably best for this recipe.

Simmered Pumpkin (Kabocha Nimono, Kabocha No Fukumeni)

1 Medium Kabocha (choose one that is firm and heavy for it’s size) cut into chunks and discard seeds and tough fibers. You may cut off the hard skin if you feel ambitious.
2 cups dashi
4-5 Tb Mirin
2-3 tsp sugar
1-2 Tb Shoyu
1/2 tsp salt

Place pumpkin pieces skin side down in the bottom of a pot (I do mine in half batches) in a single layer.
Pour dashi into pot until it comes two-thirds of the way up the pumpkin.
Add 3Tb Mirin, 1Tb shoyu, and salt. Sprinkle 2 tsp sugar on top of the Kabocha.
Cover and bring to a boil.
Once a boil is achieved reduce to a simmer.
Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Taste liquid and make adjustments as necessary.
Simmer until tender, turn off heat and let steep in the liquid.

I’ve also heard of a version of this dish, where the Kabocha pieces are first deep fried, than poached as above (Kabocha Age-Ni).

Poke’ – As in Po-Kee…OK????

July 20, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Poke, Recipes

The entire reason for my foray to Los Angeles was to purchase some ogo to make poke'. For those who don't know what poke is…. Poke in Hawaiian literally means to "slice or cut crosswise into pieces". Alan on his wonderful Food Blog ma'ona has a wonderful post on poke'. In it's most simplest form, poke consists of fish cut into bite-sized pieces seasoned with "Hawaiian" (sea) salt. Today, there are many variations of poke' with main ingredients that range from the traditional Aku and Ahi and Tako (octopus) to newer versions that use tofu and artificial crab. And poke' can be found everywhere in Hawaii from the Supermarkets to upscale restaurants such as Alan Wong's and Roy's. On any given day, there may be up to 20 -30 types of poke' sold from "deli-cases" in "local" Supermarkets in Hawaii.

Everybody I know who makes their own poke', has their own little "twist" or indispensable ingredient. Be it inamona (roasted kukui or candlenut chopped, crushed, or mashed into a paste) to limu (seaweed), or even shoyu (soy sauce). Ogo originally is the Japanese name of a specific type of limu, but nowadays, many, including myself use the terms limu and ogo interchangeably. I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies provided by my over-racked brain.

For me the item that I need for my poke' is ogo, thus the trip to Marukai in Los Angeles. Marukai flies in farm raised ogo from Honolulu, and though it's not the "best grade", I think it's good enough for poke'. I have found ogo in San Diego, but it is usually so old and oxidized, that it would probably smell and taste like ammonia! The other thing I need is some "fish". I had the fish cutter at Marukai cut me a "block" of Maguro that weighed a little over a pound.

I separated the fish into approximately two half pound "batches". With the first I made my "standard" poke:

1/2 Lb Ahi, Aku, or Maguro cut into bite sized (1/2-3/4") pieces
up to 1/4 Cup Aloha Shoyu (or Yamasa)
1/4 of a Sweet onion (Maui or Vidalia – heck I'm so desperate I just use brown onions) sliced thin.
2 Stalks Green Onion – Green parts only
1/4 cup Ogo Chopped.
Sea salt to Taste (I use Ala'ea, which is a sea salt colored with red clay)
Either Chili Paste, Chili Peppers, or Red Pepper Flakes to taste
Sesame Oil to taste
Toasted Sesame Seeds

Place cubes of fish into a bowl and add shoyu, a little at a time, to the point that the fish is only moistened. Add sea salt. Add onions and ogo and mix. Taste and adjust salt/shoyu as necessary. Add Chili Paste and sesame oil and mix. Top with Sesame Seeds.

Than I made my twist on Shoyu Poke:

1/2 Lb Ahi, Aku, or Maguro cut into bite sized (1/2-3/4") pieces
up to 1/4 cup of Kikkoman Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Grated Ginger
1/2 clove of garlic grated fine
1/4 cup Ogo
2 Stalks Green Onion – Green parts only
Sesame Seeds

Mix all ingredients, top with sesame seeds. Serves 1 hungry Ex-Pat Kama'aina with a major Poke' "Jones".

Easy to make, huh? Just remember one thing, poke' is an easy dish, but will reflect the quality of the ingredients you use! My recipes should be used as a very, very, broad guideline.

For those still interested, Sam Choy has a great little book on poke. I could go on and on about poke', how it's the original "pacific-rim, fusion" dish, about how every ethnic group has created and contributed to the vast varieties of poke'. Or how it feels like I'm really finally "home" when I buy a couple of different types of poke from Tamashiro Market, grab some musubi, and head to Kewalo's or some other beach and just sit down and "grind" – delici-yoso!!! Have fun "playing with your food"!

Homemade Tapenade

July 10, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Markets & Grocers, Recipes

After eating my Muffeletta the other day, I developed a craving for some Tapenade. Nothing says summer like a nice Tapenade. So I marched over to the neighborhood market, which for us is an IGA; Keil's. They happen to have an olive bar with a nice selection:

When we first moved into this area I scoffed at the existence of Keil's, it really doesn't look like much from the outside, and I would make the extra trip to go to one of the major chain supermarkets. But when I finally did shop at Keil's I was thoroughly surprised. They carry everything from Boar's Head Deli Products to Tiparos Fish Sauce. Though I'm not impressed by the produce, Keil's is one of the few places where I will purchase ground beef. During the summer weekends they even have a smoker going with ribs, chicken, and corn for sale.

So I grabbed some pitted Kalamata olives and some Niscoise olives and the other ingredients and headed the few blocks home. Now in the days BFP (before food processor), if I wanted to make a tapenade I would have spent a good portion of the evening pitting the olives, than chopping everything, before finally mixing. Now that I can get decent quality pitted Kalamata's (I still have to pit the Nicoise) and can use the food processor, my time is cut by 80%.

Here's the recipe – all measurements are approximations. I basically "eyeball" everything, and go by taste:

Tapenade
2 cups good quality olives pitted
2 TB capers drained and dried
2 Anchovy filets
1/3 cup artichoke hearts preserved in brine – drained
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes in olive oil – drained
Zest of 1/2 lemon
2 TB Fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup of Good Quality extra virgin olive oil

Separate half the olives and pulse 1-2 times in a food processor until you have larger chopped pieces of olive, remove to a bowl. Add the other half of the olives, capers, anchovy, sun dried tomatoes, and artichoke hearts, and pulse in the food processor. Add to bowl with olives. Add olive oil pouring slowly while mixing. Add lemon zest and lemon juice and mix. Refrigerate. Will keep up to a week tightly covered in the frig.

Slice ciabatta loaf in half, spread tapenade on bottom. Add a double layer of genoa salami, followed by a single layer of provolone cheese. Top with a double layer of Cappicola. Wrap sandwich in saran, place between 2 plates and press down; or use some other "pressing" method. Eat until olive oil oozes out of your pores, repeat as necessary.

Happy 4th Everyone! Time for Grillin’

July 4, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking

We’d like to wish everyone a most Delici-yoso Independence Day; hope everyone is safe and bellies are full!

We, like many had a BBQ, and I had a chance to see how my Kalbi came out. We started out with some shrimp, lobster, and the spicy paprika sausage that Jo from Truly Thankful was kind enough to include in her Baklava care package:

The shrimp and lobster was seasoned with fresh ground pepper, sea salt, and XVOO – simplicity is best! The sausage was gone while I cooked up the Kalbi; this is the perfect food – you can hold it in one hand while turning the meat in the other. The Kalbi came out super tender, not mushy, or over tenderized, but fork tender, with some texture. The flavor was balanced, but mild. Next time I’ll keep the sugar content the same and add 1/4 cup of Malt Syrup, which did give the meat a slightly "glazed" look. Add in some cherry smoked corn, and this was an delici-yoso 4th of July meal.