SPAM MUSUBI RECIPE

Ingredients:

4 cups uncooked Japanese sushi rice

4 cups water

5 sheets sushi-nori (seaweed)

1 can SPAM, SPAM LOW SODIUM, or SPAM Lite

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup sugar 

1/4 cup sweet rice wine (mirin)

Furukaki seasoning

A SPAM Musubi Maker.

A SPAM Slicer if you have one.

Yields about 10 musubis

Cooking Instructions:

• Cook rice in rice cooker. If no rice cooker is available, put rice and water into a large heavy saucepan. Heat water and rice until boiling then immediately turn down and simmer for approximately 20-25 mins. or until soft and water is evaporated. 
• Boil soy sauce, sugar and rice wine. After it boils, turn off flame. 
• Cut SPAM into 1/4 in. wide slices or use a SPAM Slicer if you have one. Fry in pan. Soak fried SPAM in soy sauce mixture. 
• Line a SPAM Musubi Maker with sushi nori so that both sides stick straight up. Spread cooked rice across bottom of SPAM Musubi Maker, on top of nori - 1/4 inch high. 
• Sprinkle furukaki on top of rice. Place two pieces of SPAM in SPAM Musubi Maker on top of rice. SPAM should cover most of the length of the SPAM Musubi Maker  Spread more cooked rice on top of spam - 1/4 in. high. 
• Sprinkle furukaki on top of rice. Fold over one side of the nori. Use musubi maker insert to press down on top of nori, rice and SPAM. Fold over other side of nori and press down. 
• Remove musubi log from SPAM Musubi Maker. Cut to your desired length.

Enjoy so let's kaukau now!!  Posting this makes me hungry!!  :D

Pipi Kaula - Hawaiian Dried Beef Shortribs

Pipi kaula is Hawaiian traditional dried beef or jerky made with salted or brine-soaked meat, but today contemporary versions use soy sauce, ginger, honey,sesame seeds and even kimchi seasonings.

Traditionally, the meat is sprinkled with Hawaiian sea salt or brined before drying. The sun and wind dry the beef strips to a chewy texture that's softer than jerky. Then the pipi kaula is fried or charcoal broiled before eating with poi or steamed rice.

Today, people prepare pipi kaula with various beef cuts, such as round steak, and multicultural condiments, including honey, garlic powder, sherry, sesame seeds and commercially packaged dry kimchi mix. Drying methods also include arranging in a screened dry box, oven-drying and hanging by stainless steel hooks high over a stove like famous James Beard Award winner restaurant "Helena's Hawaiian Foods" in Honolulu, deep in the heart of Kalihi where I grew up.

A good friend of mine Mr. Brandon Nunes requested this recipe since he loves bringing his family to Helena's.  He keep raving about the pipi kaula!  So here it is Brandon for you!  Now go make some and bring in some fo lunch at work!

Here is two versions of this delicious Hawaiian delicacy.


Short Ribs Pipi Kaula
(Shoyu Style)

Ingredients:

5 pounds kosher short ribs
1 cup soy sauce
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed


Procedure:

1. Butterfly each short rib into 1 long piece, about 1/2 inch thick. 
2. Combine remaining ingredients and marinate meat in mixture 1 to 2 hours, turning several times.  Drain ribs. 
3. Arrange in a screened dry box and sun dry 1 full day, turning ribs once. 
4. To serve, pan fry in a little oil or oven broil. 
5. Slice into smaller pieces while still hot.

Oven-Dried Pipi Kaula

Ingredients:

4 pounds flank steak

2 cups soy sauce 

1/3 cup Hawaiian salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

2 Hawaiian chili peppers, crushed

2 cloves garlic, minced

Procedure:

1. Trim fat from steak and slice meat into long strips, about 2 inches wide. 
2. Blend remaining ingredients. In a rectangular baking dish, pour a little marinade and arrange a single layer of meat; add more marinade. 
3. Repeat until all of meat is in the marinade. 
4. Refrigerate 24 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 165 degrees. 
6. Drain steak strips; reserve marinade. 
7. Place meat on cake-cooling racks set on foil-lined baking sheets. 
8. Oven-dry 6 to 7 hours until meat has a jerky-like texture.
9. Wrap and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 8 months. 
10. To serve, oven-broil 5 inches from heat until meat is heated through, about 3 minutes on each side.
11. Slice diagonally.

Ok get your rice and poi!!  Let's kaukau!!

:D

Cold Somen Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

1pkg. somen noodles - I used four bundles  
1/2 head of lettuce shredded
ham or char siu pork, cut "matchsticks"
2 eggs + 1-2 tsp sugar, cooked into thin sheets, cut "matchsticks"
1 pkg of kamaboko, cut "matchsticks"
3 stalks green onions, chopped
1 Japanese cucumber (optional) cut into matchsticks

Somen Salad Dressing:

6 tbsp sugar
6tbsp cider vinegar
2tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp pepper (or to taste)
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp shoyu (soy sauce)
lemon wedges to taste

Cooking method:

Cook somen per package instructions.
Chop, cut, shred ingredients and set aside.
Prepare eggs and fry on nonstick frying pan and fold into sheet and cut thin.


Add all ingredients for dressing and whisk up in mixing bowl.


Add all ingredients in a bowl and drizzle dressing over ingredients for a colorful refreshing cold noodle salad on a hot summer day!!


So ono enjoy!!

7-11 in Hawaii sell these like this!!

Kamaboko (red fish cake)

Homemade Teriyaki BBQ Shortribs just like L&L Drive Inn!

Ok it's been a while since my last posting. Here is a recipe for everybody on the Mainland USA and beyond that miss local Hawaiian style plate lunches and for those who never had a local Hawaiian plate lunch. Especially the ones made famous from L&L Hawaiian Barbecue which is Hawaii's #1 fast food takeout restaurant franchise with 100 locations from the west to east coast and growing.
This recipe is a clone of their Hawaiian Barbecue Shortribs. After careful trial and error and googling the net for similar recipes, my recipe could put you in the plate lunch business. lol :) Please note that this recipe is for 10-15 people for a potluck bbq cookout party. You may soak a little meat at a time and cook the amount of meat at your preference or whenever you crave Hawaiian plate lunch bbq. You may grill the shortribs over charcoal or propane but the way L&L does it is just on a flat metal griddle or grill with oil. Grilling the meat over a flame is ok if you prefer it that way but oil in a saute' pan keeps the meat moist and tender and a little bit greasy! mmmmmmmmm!! lol :D

Teriyaki BBQ Shortribs

Teriyaki Sauce/Marinade Ingredients:
1 5lb tray USDA Choice beef shortribs thinly sliced
6 cups hot water
3 cups brown sugar
6 cups Aloha Shoyu Lower Salt Soy Sauce
1/4 cup shaoxing wine or straight whiskey
8 large fresh garlic cloves, minced fine
2-3 inch knuckle of fresh ginger root, peeled and minced fine
1 can frozen orange juice concentrate
Canola oil for pan frying
Yields: 1 gallon of sauce

Procedure:
Water must be hot enough to dissolve sugar so heat water in a large saucepan or pot. Combine water, sugar, and soy sauce. Stir to blend with wire whisk until sugar is completely dissolved.
Add the ginger, garlic, wine, and orange juice. Stir to blend well.
Transfer to a container and store in fridge.
Add shortribs to clean container for marinating. Cover with teriyaki sauce/marinade and soak overnight for about 4-8 hours. The sauce isn't overly salty or sweet. The longer the marinade process the more tender, sweeter, and saltier the meat will become. About 6 hours or so is just right.
Cooking Procedure:
Add 1 Tbsp canola oil to a large frying or saute' pan over medium high heat.
When the pan begins to smoke, place marinated shortrib pieces into the pan. Let it cook until seared and lightly charred on both sides.
Serve with steamed hot white rice and macaroni salad just like L&L. :)
Enjoy!!! :D