Hawaiian Shrimp Truck Scampi

Ingredients:

10 shell-on U-15 (extra large) shrimp, deveined

1 head (10 cloves) garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (1 tablespoon for spicier tastes)

1/2 stick clarified butter or 1-2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 cup white wine

2 tablespoons regular butter

Method:

To begin, rinse and thaw your large shrimp in cool running water. Lightly pat dry. In a wide tupperware dish, place the flour, paprika and cayenne pepper. Mix lightly with your hands and coat each piece of shrimp on both sides.Heat saute pan over high heat.

Add clarified butter or olive oil and garlic. Stir for 1 minute, then add all of the shrimp, which has been coated in the flour mixture. Saute 3 minutes on each side.

After 3 minutes on the second side, add the 1/8 cup of white wine and 2 tablespoons butter. Saute, turning shrimp occasionally, until it reaches a caramel brown color.

Remove shrimp immediately and serve with two mounds of sticky steamed calrose rice and a lemon wedge, spooning extra garlic butter sauce over the rice and shrimp. Add extra salt and cayenne pepper to taste if desired.

Don't forget your Hawaiian Macaroni Salad too to complete the plate lunch tradition!!  :D

Makes 2 servings of 5 jumbo shrimp each.

Healthy Balsamic Vinegar Chicken Adobo

Ingredients:

6 skin-on bone in chicken thighs, 8-10 chicken wing dings or 4 leg quarters.

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 whole yellow or white onion sliced or chopped.

1 tablepoon whole peppercorns

crushed black pepper to taste

salt to taste

1 whole head garlic

2-4 bay leaves ripped in half to release flavor

Procedure:

Combine all ingredient and add with chicken parts to a mixing bowl to allow to marinade overnight or 1 hr.  The longer the better.

Add marinated chicken and sauce to a heavy pot. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking until the chicken is tender, turning the pieces occasionally.  Let sauce reduce to dry.  Remove excessive oil.

Remove the chicken pieces from sauce  and fry in a fying pan or wok to get a bit of skin more brown and crisp.  Let the saue reduce to a thicker consistency in the big pot, adding the chicken pieces back in near the end to reheat.  Taste and adjust by adding more salt if needed.

Garnish with green chopped onions.

Remove the bay leaves and serve with rice.

Serves 2-3

PORK GUISANTES

Ingredients:

1 pound pork butt or boneless spare ribs

3-5 cloves garlic

4-8 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt or patis (fish sauce)

1 tablespoon whole peppercorns, crushed or coarsely ground pepper

1 medium onion, sliced

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 teaspoons chopped or sliced pimentos (sweet bell pepper) or 1 jar fancy chopped or sliced sweet pimentos with the juice

1 cup frozen peas or 1 can of peas with the water

Instructions:

Separate the fat from the lean in the pork and slice the pork into stir-fry-size pieces. In a large saute pan, dutch oven or wok over high heat, saute pork fat until melted and drain off excess. (You don't need much more than a couple of teaspoons.) Reduce heat to medium-high and add garlic, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, onion and lean pork. Stir-fry for 5 minutes or so, until pork is cooked. Add water and simmer until it is evaporated. Add tomato paste and pimento; simmer for a minute or so. Finally, add peas, stirring carefully to break up frozen clumps. Simmer briefly until the peas are bright green; Serve hot with rice.


Makes 4 servings.

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!! :)