Lo Han Jai (Monk's Food or Buddha's Delight) Recipe

Chinese New Year is actually celebrated for 15 days - from the New Moon to the Full Moon. This vegetarian dish is served for breakfast on the first day of the New Year. It was created by the 18 personal disciples of Buddha to avoid starting the New Year by taking a life. At other times of the year, it can be flavored with oysters and oyster sauce to become a rich, filling dish. It has a lot of ingredients, but is not really that much work. Each ingredient has a lucky meaning. We do not use fresh tofu in jai because the white color symbolizes death. But, other than that, there are as many versions of jai as there are cooks who enjoy serving it!


Lo Han Jai (Monk's Food or Buddha's Delight)

(4 servings)

2 c. hot water
2 T. sesame oil

Soak the following in the water, saving the liquid after use. Squeeze excess water from the ingredients back into the pan. The water will be used in making the gravy.


½ c. chin ngee (tree fungus) 1,000 years longevity
¼ c. lin gee (lotus seed) many children
¼ c. bak ko( ginko nuts) 100 grandchildren
½ cup fat choi (black moss seaweed) wealth (sounds like the New Year greeting)

6 gum choi (dry golden lily) gold and good luck
2 foo jook (dried tofu sticks) sounds like "rich enough"
1 bundle jun see (long rice) longevity, beauty, culture
Heat a wok and add the sesame oil. Stir-fry the soaked ingredients lightly, until just heated through. Add the fresh and canned ingredients and stir-fry until heated through.

½ c. sliced bamboo shoots longevity
½ c. sliced lotus root looks like Buddhist symbol - religious diligence 1 carrot, peeled, cut into "coins" red for luck, looks like money
1c. ho lan dow (Chinese peas) sounds like good luck, green color for new growth, peas are round like money
3 leaves bok choi (Chinese cabbage) green of spring

Thoroughly blend the following ingredients:


2 T. Chinese shoyu
1 T. cornstarch
2 tsp. cold water

Add them to the wok and stir quickly until the mix thickens and becomes shiny. Slowly add the soaking water, stirring well. When the gravy is hot and glistening, serve accompanied by freshly cooked rice.

Gung Hee Fat Choy! Happy New Year of the Rabbit 2011!!

Pancit Bihon Recipe

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. pack pancit bihon noodles

1 cooked chicken breast, shredded

1/4 cup frozen or fresh cleaned deveined shrimp

2 cups of chicken broth or 2 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 cups of water

1/4 cabbage, sliced into strips

1 onion, pealed and sliced

3 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced

1/3 cup scallions, cut into pieces

1 carrot, sliced into strips

2 tablespoons of cooking oil

3/4 cup diced celery

3 tablespoons soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

5 pieces of calamansi or 1 lemon, sliced



Cooking Instructions:


Soak the pancit bihon noodles to soften for 10 minutes

Grease a large pan or wok with oil. Sauté garlic and onions. Add shrimp and cook until half pink in color.

Add the chicken broth, the shredded chicken breast and all the vegetables until cooked.

Mix in the pancit bihon noodles and add the soy sauce, cook for about 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot with sliced calamansi on the side.


Cooking Notes:

Calamansi or lemon is to be squeezed into the pancit bihon before eating.

Suman or Malangkit or Sticky Mochi Rice

Ingredients:

1 can Cream of coconut
2 bags Sweet Glutinous or mochi rice about 5 cups
1 1/2 - 2 C Dark brown sugar
1 stick Butter

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook rice as you would cook any steamed rice (I use my rice cooker) and when rice is done put in large bowl then add stick of butter and brown sugar. Mix well then add cream of coconut and mix well. In a well greased buttered cake pan, pour rice mixture in and bake until golden brown. Let cool then cut into squares. If you want, you can add grated lime peel in it as well.

Enjoy!!

Basic Ahi Poke Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 cups ahi (yellowfin tuna, sashimi grade) diced
• 1/2 cup onion, minced
• 1/4 cup green onion, minced
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• Hawaiian salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
This is the most basic recipe for ahi poke, served as a pupu or appetizer at most luaus and Hawaiian dinners.

Season ahi with Hawaiian salt. Add all ingredients, mix well then chill.  Toss well without smashing fish chunks.

You can get fancy by adding toasted sesame seeds, chili pepper flakes, chopped minced seaweed (ogo), and oyster sauce etc.  Poke is redefined everyday!!

Poke is such a simple dish but like Foodland Hawaii, the variations can go over 31 flavors as in ice cream!!  LOL

Enjoy!!

i love mine with a nice hot bowl of steaming white rice with the cold freshly made ahi poke!!  :9  mmmmmmmm

Lechon Kawali Special (Chicharon/Sitsaron with Onions, Tomatoes & Bagoong)

Ingredients:

1-2 crispy pork rind of chicharon chopped
1-2 tomatoes chopped
1 round onion chopped
1-2 Tbsp bagoong or patis to taste.
Fresh cracked black pepper
1-2 stalks of green leaf onions chopped

Method:

Chopped all and add to a mixing bowl and toss ligthly.

Top with fresh chopped green onions

Serve with rice!!

:)

Hawaii's Ilocano favorite!!

Shrimp Ceviche

Shrimp Ceviche

If you find the ceviche a little too acidic, drain out some of the juices after the marinating, add a little more avocado (or some olive oil) and/or a little more salt.

Ingredients

* 1 pound medium-small shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 2 Tbsp salt
* 3/4 cup lime juice (juice from 4-6 limes)
* 3/4 cup lemon juice (juice from 2-3 lemons)
* 1 cup finely chopped red onion
* 1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, minced
* 1 cup chopped cilantro
* 1 cucumber, peeled diced into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1 avocado, peeled, seed removed, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

Method


1 In a large pot, bring to a boil 4 quarts of water, salted with 2 Tbsp salt. Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute to 2 minutes max, depending on size of shrimp. (Over-cooking the shrimp will turn it rubbery.) Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

2 Drain the shrimp. Cut each piece of shrimp in half, or into inch-long pieces. Place shrimp in a glass or ceramic bowl. Mix in the lime and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for a half hour.

3 Mix in the chopped red onion and serrano chile. Refrigerate an additional half hour.

4 Right before serving, add the cilantro, cucumber, and avocado.

Serves 4-6.

This recipe was my wife's request since she loves shrimp. I made a large batch and she ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!! LOL :)

Enjoy!!

Hawaiian Style Beef Curry Stew

Hawaiian Style Beef Curry Stew

Ingredients

5 lbs Stew meat or beef brisket, cubed (more if you gotta have meat!!)
2-4 medium Potatoes, cubed
1 large Onion, quartered
2-4 large Carrots, sliced
3-4 stalks Celery, diced
3-4 Tbsp Curry powder (or more depending on your tastes)
4 C Water
2 cubes Beef bouillon
2-3 tsp. Salt (or more to taste)
1/2 C cornstarch and water
3-4 Tbsp Flour
1 stick of butter or margarine
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1-2 whole sweet green bell pepper (optional)
1-2 Tbsp canola oil
water

Cooking Instructions

Heat a frying pan with oil, add stick butter and melt over medium heat. Add flour to melted butter and oil to make a roux. Fry flour to a nice golden brown but be careful not to burn it. Add meat and brown on all sides. Place browned meat in pot with water to just cover meat and beef bouillon cubes. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Simmer 1/2 hour longer. Then add curry and vegetables. Cook covered until potatoes are done. Add salt then stir in cornstarch water slurry paste.

Enjoy!!

Serves an army!! hahaha :)

Serve with hot steamed white rice and your side of macaroni salad and you got a Hawaiian plate lunch!!

Vietnamese Carmelized Pork with Egg (THIT KHO)

Thit Kho

Vietnamese New Year's Stew

3-4 tablespoons sugar
5 pound pork butt, in 1-inch cubes
2-4 teaspoons fish sauce to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup coconut juice (water from fresh coconut)
12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

Melt sugar over low heat, cooking until caramelized and slightly brown. Stir in pork butt in cubes; brown.
Stir in fish sauce, salt, pepper, garlic and coconut juice. Add eggs and water as needed to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer until meat is cooked through and eggs turn brown. Taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro/chinese parsley and chopped green leaf onions. Spoon over carmelized sauce over dish and serve with hot steaming jasmine rice.
Optional: Add cabbage if there is enough liquid.

Serves 4-10

Enjoy!! :)

Sinigang Na Baboy (Pork with Vegetables in Tamarind Sour Soup) Revisited

 

Here is the recipe again. I'm going to list the complete ingredients that should go into the dish.

Ingredients:

2.5 pounds pork ribs, pork belly, or a combination of the cuts of pork. Some like lean or fatty combo. Cut in 1.5 inch cubes and 2-3 inch rib cuts. Rinse thoroughly, drain and set aside.

5 cups water

2 cloves garlic crushed, and minced fine

2 bay leaves ripped in quarters.

1 inch ginger root sliced in half and crushed. do not peel.

1 large tomatoes sliced

1 large onion sliced

fish sauce (patis) to taste

4-6 pieces of araimo/daisheen (japanese small taro root) peel and cut into 2 inch cubes

1 medium size white radish (daikon) peel and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

8-12 pieces of okra, cut tops and tips off. Cut into 3 inch sections if large. Leave whole if you want to. Rinse thoroughly and soak in water to prevent browning. Drain before adding to pot.

6 pieces of Filipino sweet chili pepper

1 pound bunch of swamp cabbage (ong choy, ong choi, kangkong) Rinse thoroughly and drain. Cut into 3-4 inch sections from stems to leaves. Trim off hard end stem and discard.

3 packets of Mama Sita's Sinigang Soup mix or similar brand such as Knorr's. You may add more packets if you want it more sour. (my mom loves it real sour!)

fresh cracked black pepper to taste.

Directions:

Place pork and water in pot and bring to a fast boil. Drain out dirty water and rinse pieces of pork under running water. Clean pot of any scummy residue from the boil. Add drained rinsed pork into clean pot and cover with clean water. Bring to a boil then simmer til pork is tender. Usually takes about 45-60 minute on a nice simmer to get it tender. I used my pressure cooker and cooked it at 15psi for 10 minutes. Cheat yah?? lol but fast! :)

After pork is tender, add sinigang soup powder mix to simmering broth. Add garlic, ginger, onion, and tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add taro root (araimo) and radish (daikon). Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Add ong choy, okra, sweet chili peppers. Cover pot and simmer til vegetables are wilted and hard veggies such as the taro and daikon are fork tender. Add about 2-3 Tbsp of patis (fish sauce) to taste. Add fresh cracked black pepper to taste.

Serve with steamed white rice.

Yields about 4-6 servings.