Geri's Fried Ginger Chicken

My sister Geri and her husband are recovering from Covid.  Yup, them too.  Their sense of taste is returning, so Geri's husband was craving this dish.

Looks so ono, yah!!

Cut 4 huge chicken thighs with skin into about 2 inch slices.  Sprinkle salt and pepper and set aside.

Slice green onion and ginger into slivers (about 3/4 cup each).

Coat chicken with flour and fry in oil.

Set into plating and top with ginger and green onions.

Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil + 2 tablespoons sesame oil.  Pour over ginger and green onion, sizzling.

Sprinkle with shoyu.

Tada!!

Quick Cabbage Kim Chee

Did you guys try to make the Quick Cucumber Kim Chee yet?  I used the same recipe and used cabbage instead, and guess what . . .

It was a hit!

Landon's Fried Tako

Landon made this a few weeks ago and it was as good as it looks.  

 

1.  Lomi tako in Hawaiian salt until your hands get too cold and you have to stop.  Rinse. 
2.  Boil in water and beer with bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic cloves for 40-45 minutes. 
3.  Remove.  Chop.  Add onion/garlic powder (the one from Ross).  Let rest for a little bit.
4.  Coat each piece in a mixture of 1/2 cornstarch, 1/2 flour and Aunty Dd’s Season All. 
5.  Fry. 

Pork Adobo with Potatoes

We had 5 small potatoes which were starting to sprout so I followed a What Hawaii Likes to Eat pork adobo recipe and microwaved the potatoes and threw them in at the end.  Delicious!

2 pounds pork butt, cubed
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbs minced garlic
1/3 cup cider vinegar
4 bay leaves, crumbled

Combine all ingredients and marinate pork overnight in refrigerator.  Place everything in a skillet; cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until pork is browned and tender, and all the liquid in the pan has been absorbed, about 30 to 45 minutes. 

Wendell's Pork Butt with Kim Chee

Wendell made this for dinner the other night.  It was super tasty.  

I ate it with tofu (instead of rice) and they went well together. 

Here's the recipe that he followed.  He said that he put in 2 pounds of pork belly instead of 1.  

The recipe is from this DLS cook book.

Wendell's Shrimp and Bacon Corn Chowder

Wendell made this sometime last week and it was super ono.  The recipe is from the Creme De La Crumb site.  

 

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 pound large shrimp
• 1 15-ounce can corn drained
• ½ cup sliced carrots
• 2 ribs chopped celery
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound baby red potatoes quartered
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

• Add bacon to a large pot and cook over medium-high heat for 4-8 minutes until crisp. Transfer to a towel-lined plate and set aside.
• Add garlic and shrimp to pot and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until garlic is fragrant and begins to brown and shrimp turns opaque.
• Add corn, carrots, celery, onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, potatoes, and chicken/vegetable broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then pour in heavy cream. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until potatoes are tender. Stir in bacon and cook another 2-3 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped parsley or thyme and cracked black pepper, and serve.

Condensed Milk Pound Cake

We have a couple of cans of condensed milk that expired at the end of last month so I hunted around for recipes where I could use some of it.  I found this recipe on the Martha Stewart web site.  Wendell said that it was really good.

I like this shot 'cause you can see Wendell buttering up his piece. 

My cake was done in 55 minutes.  I didn't add the glaze.

Wendell's Pickled Shrimp

Wendell made this a couple of weeks ago.  The recipe is from the Crave section of the Honolulu Advertiser and is called George Holapa's Pickle 'Opae.  Landon said that it's probably the best he's ever eaten.  

I thought it was very generous of George to share his recipe especially since he makes his living selling his Pickle 'Opae.  Make sure you check out his Instagram to keep up to date on where you can get your own George-made jar.

• George Holapa's Pickle 'Opae
• 
  
• 2 white or sweet onions (do not use yellow onions) 
• 2 whole large tomatoes 
• 1/2 cup fresh, raw limu (ogo or seaweed) 
• 1/4 cup dried whole opae (shrimp) 
• 1/4 cup dried cuttlefish strips 
• 
  
• >> Sauce:
• 2 cups Chinese red vinegar (substitute any vinegar) 
• 1 cup soy sauce (Silver Swan brand preferred) 
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar 
• Dried red chile pepper flakes or 3 Hawaiian chile peppers, minced or mashed in a mortar (optional) 
• 
  

>> To make sauce: In sauce pan, mix vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and chile, if using. Heat over medium until sugar dissolves completely, about 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes off the stove or a shorter time in the refrigerator.

Peel onions and cut from stem to root, then in 3/8-inch slices in the shape of half moons. Place in mixing bowl. Cut tomatoes the same shape and add to bowl.

Wash limu and break into chunks. Add to mixing bowl with dried shrimp and cuttlefish. When sauce is cool, pour into bowl. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes.

Pour mixture and liquid into sterilized glass jars. Cover with lids and refrigerate for up to 1 month. Makes about 48 ounces.

Wendell's Oxtail Soup

 Wendell said he followed a Foodland recipe to make this.  It was delicious. 

Ingredients 

4 pounds oxtail, cut into pieces 

1 gallon chicken broth 

5 whole star anise 

4 slices ginger, 1/8 inch thick, smashed 

3 dried orange peel 

1 cup shelled and skinned raw peanuts 

10 dry shitake, rehydrated and cut in half hawaiian 

salt to taste 

1 bunch chinese mustard cabbage, cut into 1" - 1 1/2" sections 

chinese parsley to garnish 

 Instructions 

Place oxtail in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring water up to a boil. Keep skimming off impurities while the water comes to a boil. When the water boils, dump the water. 

Put the pot back on stove and cover with chicken broth approximately 2 inches above oxtail. If you need more liquid, add water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. 

Add in star anise, ginger and orange peel. Simmer for 1 hour. 

Add peanuts and shitake mushrooms. Simmer for another 1 - 1½ hours, or until oxtail is tender. Continue to skim off ’scum’ from broth. Add Hawaiian salt to taste.

Add in Chinese mustard cabbage. Garnish with Chinese parsley.

Dd's Fritos Crusted Pork Chops

FRITOS CRUSTED PORK CHOPS

½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 pork chops
1/4 c flour
1/4 c buttermilk
1 egg
2 TB Italian parsley, chopped

2 c Fritos, finely crushed-makes about 1 c

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl combine onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Liberally season pork chops with mixture. *Place any leftover salt mixture into dish with Fritos. 

Into 3 shallow dishes separately place (1) flour, (2) whisked egg/buttermilk and (3) crushed Fritos, parsley *and any leftover salt mixture. 

Dip pork chops into flour, then buttermilk mixture and then dredge into Fritos pressing to coat completely.  Place onto greased baking sheet. Top with any leftover Fritos. 

Bake 25-30 minutes. Serves 2.

Eri's Crab Rice

I blogged about this dish 9 years ago, and it is by far my most viewed recipe. I thought I'd repost it for those of you who might've missed it. 

Pat 3 cups of cooked rice in a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Sprinkle with furikake.

Combine the following and layer on top of the rice:
1 can crab
1 package imitation crab, separated and shredded
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
3 stalks green onion, chopped
1/4 cup tobiko

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  If it doesn't brown, place under a broiler for a few minutes.

Dd's Meatloaf

This looks awesome, and the recipe looks easy enough that maybe even I could make it.

 

Dd’s Meatloaf

1 large egg

2 TB catsup+ 2 TB catsup, optional

1 TB A-1 sauce

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ pkg. onion soup mix

¼ c. breadcrumbs, oatmeal or panko

¼ c. milk

Dash tabasco

1 lb. ground beef/pork mixture

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients well. Allow to sit 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Transfer mixture into a 9-inch loaf pan or shape as desired onto baking dish. Optional to top with remaining catsup. 

Bake 40 minutes. Serves 4.

Cleta's Mr. Wada's Mochiko Chicken

The recipe for this was in the Crave section of the Honolulu Star Advertiser earlier this month.

Girlfriend Cleta made it for their dinner one day and sent me an in-progress photo.


While searching for the recipe online I found this YouTube video!

MR. WADA’S MOCHIKO CHICKEN

3 to 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into long strips

Panko crumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs), as needed

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Marinade: 

1/2 cup shoyu (Aloha brand preferred)

1/2 cup beaten eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup mochiko flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped

Whisk marinade ingredients together until smooth. Add chicken and soak overnight.

Remove chicken from marinade and bread in panko.

Heat enough oil in a pot to cover chicken pieces, to 325 to 350 degrees.

Fry chicken in batches, 4 or 5 minutes per batch, to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove charred panko crumbs from bottom of pot between batches. Serves 4 to 6.

Wendell's Tofu with Ground Pork

Wendell made this the other night and it was super ono. We think that it's the hondashi that did the trick. 



He followed this recipe and used ground pork instead of turkey. Also, he used the smaller tub of tofu, but the big tub maybe woulda been better.



Ingredients

1 pound ground pork
1 tub tofu
1/2 sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk green onion, chopped
1 tub mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon hondashi
1/2 teaspoon togarashi
oyster sauce, to taste
olive oil, for heating

Directions

Heat pan on high with olive oil. Brown ground pork and add chopped garlic while browning. Add diced onion and sliced mushrooms until soft and tender.

Mix in oyster sauce, togarashi and hondashi. Add tofu and green onions.

Chocolate Cream Pie

The recipe for this pie came from Good Cheap Eats. 

I used a frozen pie crust this time, mostly because I realized when I made the custard pie that the one pie pan that I own was too shallow.



Cooking the chocolate filling on the stove totally reminded me of waaaay back kid-time when I used to make Jello chocolate pudding. 

I used to love making that pudding. I remember that you're supposed to cover the top to avoid a skin from forming, but I never did that because the skin was my favorite part. So nostalgic, that memory. 

Anyway, back to this pie. How did it taste? AWESOME!

Ingredients

• 1 batch single pie crust
• 12 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup whipping cream

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 ° Prepare the pie crust according to recipe directions. Pat into the pan. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with beans. Bake until edges begin to color, about 15 minutes. Remove paper and weights and continue baking until golden brown.
• Cool completely on a wire rack.
• In a medium saucepan, whisk together the 2/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt.
• Whisk in the milk, stirring well. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly until mixture begins to thicken, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Whisk in the chocolate chips and vanilla until well blended. Allow mixture to cool slightly.
• Pour cooled mixture into baked and cooled pie shell. Cool to room temperature and then chill for several hours.
• Prior to serving, whip the cream and the remaining tablespoon of sugar in a medium bowl until soft peaks are formed. Serve with pie.

Cold Ginger Chicken Sauce

My pal Annie gave me some ginger so I decided to try make this today. I was surprised at how easy it was  . . . well . . . except for all the mincing. I followed the recipe on the Foodland website here.  



I didn't have chicken (LOL) so I ate it on rice. Came out yummy. What a surprise!

Ingredients

3 1⁄2 pounds

chicken

2 tablespoons

sesame oil

1⁄4 cup

peanut, vegetable, or corn oil

1⁄2 cup

ginger, finely chopped

1⁄2 cup

green onions, finely minced

1 teaspoon

salt

Instructions

1. Place the chicken in a covered stock pot filled with enough water to cover the chicken.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 25 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and let the chicken stand in the cooking liquid until just warm (about another 25 minutes).
4. Rinse the chicken under cold water, pat dry, and rub lightly with sesame oil.
5. Cut the chicken into pieces and arrange neatly on a platter.
6. Refrigerate until the chicken is cold.
7. Heat the peanut/vegetable/corn oil in a small saucepan. Once it is hot, add the ginger and green onions.
8. Cook for about 30 seconds, then add the salt.
9. Pour the hot sauce over the cold chicken and serve.

Wendell's Sweet Sour Pork

Wendell made this for dinner last night. He used the recipe from Cook with Susan blog. He said he used pork butt instead of spareribs. 



3 pounds spareribs, cut into 1” strips
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
¼ cup flour
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 inches ginger, smashed & sliced
1/3 cup cider vinegar
¾ cup water
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. salt

1. Have the butcher cut the spareribs into 1” strips through the bone.
2. Cut the spareribs between the bones into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl. Add soy sauce and mix. Add flour and mix again. Let sit for 30 minutes.
3. In a large pot add the vinegar, water, brown sugar and salt.
4. Heat a wok or nonstick frying pan on med high. Add 2 – 3 Tbsp. oil and gently brown the ginger and garlic. Remove and place in the pot with the sauce. Then add ½ the meat to the wok and spread out but don’t stir. Let brown for 2 minutes. Using a tong, turn pieces to evenly brown. Remove pieces as they brown and add them to the pot. Cook the other ½ of the meat the same way and add to the pot. Stir to mix meat with the sauce. 
5. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil then turn heat down to low and let simmer covered for 1 hour or until tender. Stir occasionally.

Cleta's OMG-So-Ono Cheesecake Bars

Cleta brought this dessert to share at class yesterday, and it was like my title says "OMG So Ono".  AND me and Erick totally scored because a bunch of people were absent so she gave us theirs to take home. 😋

Thank you Cleta! And people-who-neva-show-up!

Cleta says: The original recipe calls for 2 cups of Apple Butter but since I didn’t have any, I used a bottle of Cherry Fruit Spread that I found at Ross.  I think any kind of filling will do.

CHEESECAKE BARS WITH YOUR CHOICE OF FILLING

CRUST:

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 cups flour

½ tsp salt

CHEESECAKE LAYER: 

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, room temp

½ cup sugar 

1 large egg, room temp

1 tsp vanilla extract

FILLING OF CHOICE- no more than 2 cups 

STREUSEL TOPPING:

1-1/2 cups flour

1-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

¾ cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

¼ tsp. salt

¼ cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
2. You can use an electric mixer but I just used my hand to combine the crust ingredients together.  Transfer to an ungreased 13x9 inch baking pan, pat the crust in and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool completely.
3. In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth on medium speed.  Add the egg and vanilla and continue beating until combined.  Set aside.
4. In another bowl, combine the Streusel ingredients until the mixture comes together and forms coarse crumbs.  
5. Once the crust has cooled, spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the top of the crust leaving a ¼ inch edge all around.  Spread a thin layer of filling over the cream cheese then sprinkle the streusel topping over the entire top.  Bake for 40 minutes, remove and cool completely.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it set overnight before cutting into squares.
6. Makes about 24 pieces.

Wendell's Fuke Zuke Kabocha

Wendell made this ono pumpkin dish last month.  He found the recipe in the Star-Advertiser's 12/26/2018 Crave section. You can find it online here. The dish was created by Karen Fuke of Hilo and calls for a can of tsukemono called Fukujinzuke!



Here's the can of tsukemono.

FUKE ZUKE KABOCHA 

By Karen Fuke

• 1 pound ground pork 
• 1 (5.29-ounce) can Fukujinzuke pickled vegetables, also called Tokyo zuke, sold in the Asian aisle of supermarkets 
• 1 whole kabocha pumpkin 

Mix pork with Tokyo zuke and its liquid. Set aside.

Microwave whole kabocha about 4 minutes so it is easier to cut. Cut a round lid in the kabocha; discard seeds and strings, being careful not to break the bottom. Stuff with pork mixture.

Replace kabocha lid. Put any extra stuffing in a heat-proof bowl.

Steam kabocha 30 to 40 minutes, until pork is cooked. If you have a multilevel steamer, steam the extra pork mixture at the same time.

Slice kabocha and serve. Serves 4 to 6. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Wendell's Shrimp Cakes with Lemon Aioli Sauce

This recipe came from Natasha's Kitchen and can be found here. After my first few bites I told Wendell that it was so ono that it really didn't need the Lemon Aioli Sauce. 

But I added a little of the sauce "just to taste" and OMG, that took it over da top! I promise, the dish is soooo delicious that if Wendell doesn't make it again in the near future, I might just have to attempt it myself.

For the Shrimp Cakes/ Fritters: 

• 1 lb large raw shrimp peeled and deveined
• 4 oz mozzarella cheese (1 1/2 cups shredded)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp parsley finely chopped, plus more to garnish
• 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or gluten free flour
• 2 Tbsp light olive oil or high heat cooking oil of choice

For the Lemon Aioli Sauce:

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove pressed or finely minced

Instructions

How to Make Shrimp Cakes: 

1. Pat dry shrimp with paper towels then dice into pea-sized pieces.*
2. Transfer chopped shrimp to a large mixing bowl. Add 4 oz shredded mozzarella, 1 egg, 1/4 cup mayo, 2 Tbsp parsley, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Stir together then add 1/4 cup flour and mix until batter is creamy and well combined.
3. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add 1 heaping Tablespoon at a time (or a level ice cream scoop) and flatten out the tops of your fritters as you go so they are about 1/2" thick patties. Saute about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown on the edges and cooked through.

How to Make Lemon Aioli Sauce: 

1. In a small bowl, add mayo and stir to remove any lumps. Add 1 tsp lemon zest, 2 Tbsp lemon juice and pressed garlic clove and stir to combine.