Daiso Stuff

I went to Daiso yesterday to look for Cleta's sponge.  I never found the sponge, but I did come home with this.

Dd's Portuguese Bean Soup

This looks soooo yummy!

PORTUGUESE BEAN SOUP

 

2 smoked ham hocks

12 oz. Portuguese sausage, sliced

6 oz. smoked ham chunks, cubed

6 c. water

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, thinly sliced rounds

1 large stalk celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 TB tomato paste

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

2 bay leaves

2-3 dashes Tabasco sauce

1 can (28 oz.) stewed tomatoes, with liquid

2 cans (15 oz.) kidney beans, with liquid

2 medium potatoes, cubed

1 c. elbow macaroni

1 c. cabbage, chopped

 

Place ham hocks, sausage, smoked ham and water in a large pot; bring to a rapid boil.  Reduce heat to medium. Continue on slow boil uncovered 1 ½ hours until ham hocks are tender.  

Remove ham hocks from pot and remove bone, fat and skin. Cut meat into chunks and return to pot. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, tomato paste, tomato sauce, bay leaves, tabasco and tomatoes; simmer 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender. 

Add beans, potatoes and macaroni.  Simmer another 10-15 minutes, until potatoes and macaroni are cooked through. Remove bay leaves. Add cabbage. Remove from heat.  Allow to sit for 2 minutes. 

Serves 6-8.

 

Fairwood Drive Inn BBQ Burger

Wendell's friend recommended the BBQ Burger Deluxe from Fairwood Drive Inn in the Kaimuki Shopping Center, and me and the guys agree . . . it's good.  Lan said that it's the texture of the burger and the sauce that he likes.

The online menu says that it's $5.75 for the plain BBQ burger.  I'd say that maybe it's a $1.00 more for the deluxe version?

Landon went back a few days later and got some for his coworkers.

Wendell's Kimchi Jjigae

Wendell followed a Times Cooking recipe to make this.  It was very meaty and very ono.  Landon's coworkers scored some of the leftovers.

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 4 servings

• 1pound boneless pork shoulder
• 1(3-inch) piece fresh ginger, scrubbed and thickly sliced lengthwise
• Salt
• 2packed cups coarsely chopped ripe white kimchi (about 1 pound), plus any accumulated juices
• 1medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 4garlic cloves, crushed and coarsely chopped
• Fish sauce, to taste (optional)
• 2scallions, thinly sliced at an angle
• Cooked white rice, for serving
• 
  

  PREPARATION

  1. Step 1

     In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine the pork, ginger and 3 cups of cold water. Season with salt. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the pork is tender and almost falling apart, about 2 hours. You should have about 2 cups of pork broth in the pot; add more water if you don’t.

  2. Step 2

     Stir in the kimchi, onion and garlic and continue simmering until the kimchi is very tender and the pork is absolutely falling apart, about 1 more hour. Taste the broth for seasoning, adding fish sauce as desired; otherwise season with more salt.

  3. Step 3

     Right before serving, garnish the top of the stew with the scallions, break the meat up and serve with the rice.

On Da Desk

I used QOR watercolor paints for this because the binder in this particular brand is very flowy, and I just love to watch the way the paint spreads out.  

I enjoyed it so much that I couldn't stop painting and ended up making a whole bunch of greeting cards.

The footage is shot off center which annoys the hell out of me now, but I guess at that time I was just chillin' so wasn't concerned.  Bah.

Missing in Action

Can't find these lately.

Wendell's Pork Cutlet

Wendell made this super ono pork cutlet for dinner the other night.  He just coated the thinly sliced pork with egg, flour, panko, salt and pepper, and then fried.

 

I bought the pork from Palama Market.  I wasn't really sure if the "collar" would work, but it turned out to be perfect. 

Daiso Sponge

 This is a sponge that Cleta bought from Daiso.

 

And this is a pot that she was using to steam araimo in and forgot about.   

Here's the pot after using the sponge on half of it with "no soap and no muscles".  Cool, yah!   

Geri's Tea-Flavored Kalua Pig

Geri said that this kalua pig had a very subtle smokey, "kinda incredible flavor".  She said that she used black tea from India instead of the called-for green tea, and she said that she would make it again.

 

 

Dd's Chili Bowl with Toppings

 Toppings!  Good idea, right!!

CHILI

 

2 tsp. olive oil

1 # ground beef

3 oz Portuguese sausage, diced

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

2-3 TB chili powder, to taste

4-5 dashes tabasco

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 tsp cumin
2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 TB tomato paste

(4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies, with juices

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 

1-1 1/2 c beef stock

Toppings: shredded cheese, avocado, diced onion, tortilla chips, cilantro, corn, etc.

 

In a saucepot over medium heat sauté beef and sausage until browned. Add vegetables; sauté until tender. Stir in spices, tomato paste, chilies, tomatoes, kidney beans, and stock as needed. 

Reduce heat to low; simmer 45 minutes – 1 hour. Add additional stock, as needed to bring to

desired consistency. Serve with desired toppings. Serves 4.

Bakhmut

Regaining Bakhmut little by little. 

Slava Ukraini. 

Aaron's Naan Bread

My nephew Aaron is a great chef.  He made the naan bread following a recipe from RecipeTinEats that can be found here. 

The instructions seem daunting to me, but the video at the bottom makes it seem less so.  Still, as good as it looks, I'm not sure if I would attempt to make it myself. 

 

Ingredients

• 1 tsp instant / rapid rise yeast (Note 1)
• 1/2 cup warm tap water (~40°C/105°F in temperature)
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 2 tbsp milk , full fat (low fat ok too)
• 1 1/2 tbsp whisked egg , at room temp (around 1/2 an egg, Note 2)
• 1/2 tsp salt , cooking / kosher
• 1 3/4 cups bread flour , or all-purpose/plain (Note 3)
• 30g / 2 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter , melted (Note 4)

Finishes:

• 30g / 2 tbsp tbsp ghee or butter , melted (Note 4)
• 1 small garlic clove , for Garlic Butter option (Note 5)
• Nigella seeds
• Coriander/cilantro , finely chopped

Cheese Naan:

• Shredded cheese (for cheese naan) – Monterey Jack, cheddar, tasty, colby, anything that melts (shred yourself) (Note 6)

Instructions

• Bloom yeast: Mix yeast with warm water and sugar in a small bowl. Cover with cling wrap, leave for 10 minutes until foamy.
• Egg and milk: Whisk milk and egg together.
• Flour: Sift flour and salt into a separate bowl.
• Add wet ingredients: Make a well in the flour, add yeast mixture, and butter and egg mixture. Mix together with a spatula. Once the flour is mostly incorporated, switch to your hands and bring it together into a ball. No kneading is required.
• Proof 1: Cover the bowl with cling-wrap, then leave in a warm place for 1 - 1.5 hrs until it doubles in size. (Note 7)
• Cut into 6 pieces: Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 6 equal pieces, then shape into balls into spheres with a smooth surface by stretching the surface and tucking it under (see video).
• Proof 2: Place balls on a lightly-floured tray or plate. Sprinkle lightly with flour, cover loosely with a lightweight tea towel. Put in a warm place to rise for 15 minutes until it increases in size by about 50%.
• Roll out: Place a round on a lightly-floured work surface, flatten with your hand. Roll out into 3 - 4mm / 0.12 - 0.16" thick rounds (about 16cm / 6.5" wide).
• Heat skillet: Rub a cast iron skillet with a very light coat of oil using 1/2 tsp oil on a paper towl (unless already well seasoned). Set over high heat until you see wisps of smoke. (Note 8 for other pans)
• Cook naan: Place a naan dough in the skillet and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until the underside is deep golden / slightly charred – the surface should get bubbly. Flip then cook the other side for 1 minute until the bubbles become deep golden brown.
• Cook remaining naan: Remove, set aside, and repeat with remaining naan, taking care to regulate the heat of the skillet so it doesn't get too hot.
• Finishing: Brush freshly cooked naan with melted butter or ghee (or garlic butter, Note 5). Sprinkle with nigella seeds and coriander. Serve hot!

Cheese Naan:

• Roll out a naan per above directions. Brush with plain butter or garlic butter. (Note 5) Place a mound of cheese in the middle - about 1/4 cup, lightly-packed. Bundle it up, money bag-style, then twist to seal.
• Turn upside down so the smooth side is up. Roll out to 6-7mm / 1/4" thick rounds.
• Heat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet preheated over high heat, but not until the skillet is smoking. Cook naan for around 1 1/2 minutes on the first side until golden – it will puff up! Turn and cook the other side for around 45 seconds.

Notes

1. Yeast – This recipe works with dry active yeast too, but the naan is not quite as soft. Follow recipe as written, including yeast quantity. Also note, rapid-rise/instant yeast normally does not need to activated in warm water but it's a very specific step for this recipe because it yields a softer naan than adding the instant yeast directly into the dough. (Yes, we made a LOT of naan to try out all the various combinations to figure out the best one!).

2. Egg – I know this sounds strange, but we need 1/2 a large egg for one batch of this naan! Any more and it dries out the inside too much.

Just crack an egg in a bowl, whisk, then measure out 1 1/2 tbsp. OR just make a double batch of this naan so you can use one whole egg!

3. Flour – Bread flour makes the softest, fluffiest naan. But all-purpose/plain flour is very nearly as good. I wouldn't make a special trip to the supermarket just to get bread flour. But if you've got it, use it!

4. Ghee is clarified butter, one of the traditional fats used in Indian cooking. It is simply butter without the water and milk solids, so you have pure butter fat. It has a more intense flavour than butter. Either buy it, make it (it’s easy and keeps for months) or just use normal butter!

5. Garlic butter: Place 2 tbsp/30g salted butter or ghee and 1/2 tsp crushed garlic* in a small bowl. Microwave until butter has melted (do it in bursts so it doesn't explode!!). Stand for a couple of minutes to let the garlic flavour infuse before using.

* Garlic crushed using a garlic crusher or microplane

6. Cheese – Any melting cheese works fine here, though bear in mind if you use mozzarella it doesn't have much flavour. Monterey Jack is a good option that has flavour and stretches nicely!

7. How to promote dough rising – One of my favourite places to proof dough is in my dryer!!! Draught proof, easy to heat up a small space. Just run it for a couple of minutes, put the bowl in, close the door and leave it. Just don't turn it on!

8. Cooking pan – If you don't have a cast iron pan, you can use another type of skillet. Pour 1/2 tsp oil on a paper towel then lightly rub the base. DO NOT use a non-stick pan – the high heat required to properly cook naan will destroy the non-stick coating!

Here is the cast iron skillet I use - it's a Lodge (excellent value, indestructible!)

9. Make ahead naan – A last-minute discovery was that naan is great for making ahead! In fact, the bread flavour improves overnight, which is typical of most breads.

Make the dough up to the end of Step 5 - Proof 1. Then after the dough has doubled in size, put the bowl with the dough it in the fridge overnight (I've done 24 hours). Do not punch dough down or touch it – just put it in as is. The fridge stops the dough from rising any further.

Take the bowl out of the fridge at least a couple of hours before cooking. We need to take the fridge chill out of it completely otherwise the dough won't rise for Proof #2 (Step 6). Cut into 6 pieces, then proceed with recipe from Step 6 onwards. 

10. Nutrition per naan – Excludes extra ghee or butter brushed on top (and certainly excluding the cheese –  I have not control over how much you choose to stuff it with!)

Costco's Healthy Noodle

This was $15.99, not exactly cheap-sounding, but at about $2.66 per pack is pretty reasonably priced to me.

 

It's a "Product of Japan" and is low calorie/carb which is a good thing.  

 

I decided to top the noodles with this sauce that pal/classmate N gave to me.

 

I fried up some garlic, onion, pork sausage and ground beef and added the sauce.  It turned out to be the best spaghetti sauce that I ever made and got the "good sauce" approval from Landon.  I didn't cook the noodles and just warmed them up with hot water.  Still, they were the opposite of al dente (soft) and probably woulda worked better as somen or in soup, but still I liked my dish a lot.  

Sam's Chopped Salad Kit

Here's another good deal from Sam's.  One bag is good for two people or one Landon.

Southwest ($2.18)

 

Asian ($2.88)  

 

I added cucumbers, Costco chicken and cheese to the Asian mix.  I used Pietro dressing instead of the included dressing. 

 

Sam's Custard Pie

$5.28!!  How can, yah?  Not quite as good as Lee's Bakery, but totally worth it.

I ate two pieces BEFORE looking at the label.  It's 330 calories per piece!  What was I thinking??   EEK!

Cy's Breakfast

Ray's Cafe - $58.  

Didi says:  Hole in da wall place in Kalihi.   You'd miss it if not looking for it...except always get folks outside... it's like near a bus stop..famous for prime rib!!