Island Plate Two

Two weeks ago I was blessed to be involved in the photo shoot for Wanda Adams' third cookbook, tentatively titled "Island Plate Two". It's a follow up to her bestselling "Island Plate" which commemorated the Honolulu Advertiser's 150th Anniversary. Wanda has this amazing ability to look at a recipe and to be able to tell if it's going to be one winnah.... or not.

We were a close knit but diverse team of food and design people. I loved hearing the almost foreign languages in the SubZero kitchens. Romeo would say "Close to onion" and Iwa, Brian and Scott would know exactly what he was talking about. That means something like the shot has to be tighter for the onion but who knows? Wanda and I would talk about blanching, then shocking the baby bok choy.

There were a couple of dishes, like this pancake recipe, that required split second timing. It must have looked hilarious to see our choreography. I was stationed at the oven window and intoned the minutes like the Iron Chef announcer until the pancake was ready. As soon as it puffed to its fullest I whisked it to the stainless steel table which had already been tested for lighting. Iwa plopped on raspberries. Wanda dusted it with a flurry of powdered sugar, then one last dollop of whipping cream and we all stepped back for the rapid fire photographs.

I cannot divulge any recipes from the cookbook except the following David Eyre's Pancake which is a version of Dutch Babies. It can be found all over the Internet.

David Eyre was the founding editor of Honolulu magazine who played host to the NY Times' Craig Claiborne in the 60's. David served Craig this pancake and Craig wrote a story about it. The story goes that when Craig retired he was asked which was his most requested recipe during his long and illustrious tenure as food editor and Craig said, hands down, it was this one.

David Eyre’s Pancakes
w/revisions by MC

One-half cup flour
One-half cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
One-half teaspoon nutmeg (do not leave this out)
4 Tablespoons butter (this is one-half a block)
2 Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar (measure, then sift)
Juice of one quarter of a lemon, remove seeds

Make the batter just before baking, do not make ahead. Have everything ready before you begin. Do not do any steps ahead of time.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, milk, eggs and nutmeg.
Beat until well mixed but never mind a few lumps in the batter.

Melt butter in an 11 inch oven safe aluminum or other metal (not nonstick) skillet, in the oven. An 11 by 7” Pyrex dish will work equally well or even an 8 x 8” square or 8" round metal pan. Leave the pan in the oven to heat. (Do not melt the butter first and pour into the pan.)

Take the pan out of the oven. Carefully and slowly pour in batter into the middle of the hot pan that has the melted butter. Bake in a 425 degree oven approximately 20 minutes or until pancake puffs and turns golden brown. Sprinkle generously with the powdered sugar and the lemon juice, over all. Return briefly to the oven for 30 seconds so that sugar and lemon juice can amalgamate.
Makes 2-4 servings.
Can top with stabilized whipped cream and fruit: raspberries, blackberries, bananas, sliced pineapple with macnuts. Or you can leave out the sugar and lemon juice and make it savory with a creamed sauce, like chicken or a shrimp curry.
Stabilized whipping cream: measure 1 cup of heavy cream. Whip until soft peaks form. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of sour cream or plain yogurt. Whip to stiff peaks.

Volcano!

Everything that I planned didn't happen. However, everything that was supposed to happen, did. That about sums up my trip to Hilo for Merrie Monarch '08 last week. My confirmed Aloha Airline tickets became Hawaiian Airline standby tickets. Friends I was supposed to meet couldn't make it because of the closure of our beloved Aloha Airlines just one week before the start of MM. Things that were supposed to happen, didn't pan out. However, I found that if I just let go of my attachment to my carefully laid plans that things flowed along wonderfully well as He planned. His plans are not ours, how true!

I heard about Aloha's closure early enough to secure tickets on Hawaiian, leaving one day earlier for Hilo than planned and staying two days longer in order to avoid the pandemonium at the airports. This gave me the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view Volcano in two locations after all the excitement of Merrie Monarch died down. Less crowds.

The stars aligned to allow us to see Madame Pele in her eternal struggle with her sister, Namakaokahai, the Sea, at Kalapana with my good friend, Carol. We watched the ocean hiss and steam in five places as magma, spatter and glowing chunks of rock broke off and fell into the ocean. It was a 20 minute walk over a black lava field to reach the lookout from the parking area. The lookout was about a 1/2 mile upwind from the lava. Upwind is important because the scientists at Volcano have been meauring dangerous levels of sulfur dioxide emitting from the ground at Kalapana and from a plume cloud of gasses from a crater within Halema'uma'u Crater in Volcanoes National Park.

At all times the parking lot attendants, volunteers, volcanologists and rangers were extremely polite and helpful to any request or question. They were stationed in three to four groups from the parking lot to the lookout and along the path. There were even Portapotties set up in the parking lot. The atmosphere was of contained excitement and joy. Joy at just being there at that place and time to view something awe inspiring.

The lookout is a wide, mostly flat area where about 1,000 onlookers oohed, aahed and took photos and videos of the lava reaching the sea. There was no sulfer smell and no other sound, just an occasional hissing as a steam cloud rose. This is in stark contrast to the other great viewing of the Volcano that I had when I was a child. At that time I viewed Kilauea Iki reaching 1,200 feet. There was the sharp smell of sulfur, the roar of a 100 jets and heat so strong it melted the film in our Brownie cameras.

The sight of lava is totally mesmerizing. You become almost addicted to wanting to stay just 5 minutes more to see what will happen next. After two hours I left Carol in Puna where she stays 6 months out of the year. At the Kea'au intersection I had a choice, left back to the Volcanoes Park to see the steam cloud or right, back to Hilo. I wanted to see the steam cloud at night and reasoned that there must be some glow from the magma below. Plus, even though it was 10 I wasn't tired, I felt energized and excited. I'd recovered my sleep from the MM marathon. While I still had one more night before I left Hilo I was already halfway to the Park. So, my rental car turned left.

I'm so glad I went back to the Park. The Jaggar lookout had been closed for weeks and just reopened three days prior. That's where I drove. It was then 10:30 pm, 56 deg. out and pitch black. I thanked Paul silently for his insistence that I take a big ol' 9 volt flashlight instead of my dinky one.

The sight from Jaggar museum lookout was literally breathtaking and a bit eerie. There was again, no sound, no smell, just a glowing red pit in the distance and a 2 mile high plume illuminating the pitch black all around. The plume cloud is white during the day but at night it reflects the magma deep below the surface to mimic an eruption. There was only a handful of locals there with me.

The next day I awoke to the news that 7 hours after I'd left Halema'uma'u the Park was completely closed for 2 days for the first time in its history. I felt blessed that I'd made the decision to go the night before. The winds had shifted towards the Volcano House and Volcano Village. Civil Defense had raised the alarm level for the sulfur dioxide up to the highest level, purple.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you plan to go to Kalapana to view the lava hitting the sea you MUST have these things:
Sufficient water to drink, sunblock and a hat if you go during the day
Closed shoes, preferably boots or running shoes, with a good gripping tread
A large, bright flashlight (9 volt is good) with new batteries at night

A good website to check out prior to viewing the volcano is the one for USGS Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory. It provides volcano updates, sulfur dioxide levels, webcams, photos and videos.

Won Tons in Chili Oil

The Chinese term for won ton is "Swallowing Clouds". I've always thought that was a sweet, poetic way to describe a delicious experience. When I think about it, the lowly won ton has always been connected to a heightened experience in my life, whether it's a festive gathering, a celebration or just simply a special snack.

My mother used to serve us freshly boiled won tons in a bowl sprinkled with a little shoyu and sesame oil. We could never wait for the complete meal with the soup and the vegetables so she would oblige us by making this simple dish.

I was reminded of my mother's solution to our lunchtime hunger when I had a much more elaborate dish, Won Tons in Chili Oil, at an upscale Northern Chinese restaurant in Waikiki. I thoroughly enjoyed this new twist on an old standby, enjoying the smooth ("wat") won ton pi, the savory, chunky shrimp and pork filling and the unexpected heat from the chili oil. Of course, I had to try and duplicate it immediately. Maybe this should be called "Swallowing Thunderclouds".


Won Tons in Chili Oil with Crisp Garlic

Chili Oil
1 cup of peanut oil
2 Tablespoons Sambal or Chili Garlic Paste
6 small red chili peppers- remove stems and chop finely including seeds

Deep Fried Garlic, sold in red packages of 8 oz., made in Taiwan called “Crisp Garlic” Golden Buffalo brand. It is carried by Don Quijote or Marukai. These look like tiny brown cubes a bit larger than raw sugar.

Mix all the above ingredients except garlic. Heat for 1 minute on High. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of crisp garlic into the hot oil. Set aside.


Make won tons.

Won Tons
1 pkg. Sun Noodle won ton skins ("pi")

1 lb. ground pork, preferably local pork
6 raw shrimp, chopped fine
6 stems of Chinese parsley, chopped very finely, use top 4” of each stalk with leaves, discard tough bottom stems
3 stalks of green onion, chopped fine
6 water chestnuts, drained and chopped
2 inch piece of ginger, unpeeled, grated on a ceramic grater or Microplane grater
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 raw egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon Scotch Whiskey
2 teaspoons shoyu
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Mix all above ingredients, except won ton skins, together lightly with a fork until well mixed.
Fill the won ton pi with about 1 and ½ teaspoons of filling, do not overstuff. Fold won ton skins over filling. Use a little water or egg white as a "glue" for the skins. Place finished won tons on a cookie sheet and as you make the won tons cover with a damp dish towel that’s been wrung out. This keeps the skins from drying out. Boil a pot of water and cook the won tons in the water until they float, about 3 minutes. Drain.

For a pupu: Place 5 drained won tons in a bowl. Sprinkle lightly with Yamasa soy sauce. Pour 2 Tablespoons of hot chili oil with crisp garlic over won tons. Fold together gently to coat.

Variations: This same recipe can be used for won ton in soup. The chili oil is left out. You place cooked won tons in chicken broth with vegetables such as mustard cabbage ("gai choy"). Or, you can fry the won tons is hot oil for a different kind of pupu. Sweet chili sauce would be a good dipping sauce.

Note: Extra uncooked won tons may be frozen in one layer on a cookie sheet in the freezer and then placed in a Ziploc. You can cook them, still frozen, in boiling water. They may take a minute or two longer to cook and float.
Extra chili oil can be kept in the refrigerator.

The Great Gau Exchange

Few foods evoke more memories for Chinese from Hawai'i than Gau. For me, Gau is about waking up to the sound of firecrackers popping outside of my Popo Chun's temple at 6:00 am on Chinese New Year's Day. I'm five years old again and I wake up with the happy thought that if I run over to my Popo's house before school with my brother, Merrill, and wish her a "Gung Hee Fat Choy!" I will be rewarded with a leesee. This will contain the small fortune of a crisp $5.00 bill. In the mid 50's this amount would mean spending money for months into the future! So many things to consider: a new kite? a new yoyo? an Archie or Richie Rich comic? a wooden top to add to my growing collection? a gooey paper bag of apricot mui from Wing Coffee where my Aunty Wilma works?

Three foods were always present at Chinese New Year's. There was a huge Gau from my Popo, ten inches across, four inches high with sesame seeds sprinkled over the tip and crowned with a single red date in the center. There was Jai, which I never cared for, once my older and supposedly wiser cousin solemnly informed me that the bok gwo, the white nuts, were actually frog's eyes. Not. It took me into my adult years before I tried Jai again and loved it. There was impossibly thin Jin Duey. So spoiled. I sometimes ate the sweet black bean-filled Jin Duey straight from the hot oil in my Popo's gigantic wok. Hot, crisp, perfect Jin Duey. Big Sigh!

It's 2008 and I've coordinated a gathering of Gau-proficient friends for Food Editor Wanda to meet for an Advertiser article. These happy women, in their forties to eighties, make and bring a total of 8 different kinds of Gau (most importantly, with treasured recipes!) to my friend, Elsie's, Aina Haina home. It started with an email from Wanda asking me Gau questions regarding my mother's recipe I'd emailed her last year. At least ostensibly it was supposed to be a Gau demo and exchange but it was, what every gathering of locals becomes, a PAR-TAY! Elsie repeatedly assured me that she wouldn't go through any trouble. I repeatedly assured her that we would take care of everything. Wanda brought all the ingredients from a detailed and far-flung products list. I was in charge of the hard ware, the mixing, steaming and baking equipment. Elsie said she would serve just "tea" for our little yum cha.

Well, Elsie made enough lunch for a small army although there were only 6 of us, plus, we all took home leftovers. She'd whipped up a huge layered overnight salad, her Aunt Bina's Portuguese Lima Bean Soup and date cake. All delicious, all from scratch. How do these women do that overnight? It's magic.

Elsie is a firecracker of a woman and at 88 with more energy than an 8 year old. Her friend, Gladys was so humble but a fount of Chinese lore and tradition. Sweet Cathy, who knows Elsie too, was the hard worker in the background making it so easy for us to do our tasks. Wanda was there with her camera, camcorder and notepad, asking astute questions to capture this moment. Deborah, the Advertiser photographer, arrived precisely an hour after the rest of us did, as planned, to give us the requisite time to talk story, exchange New Year presents and meet and greet.

The Gaus were all different but had the common denominator of being 'ono. Wanda brought a Shanghainese microwaved Gau chock full of red jujubes and pinenuts. This recipe was taught to her by the gal who teaches the Narcissus Queen participants. Cathy brought an unusual white Nian Gau from a Hanahau'oli cookbook. It had dried cherries and walnuts. I brought three versions of Gau from two recipes. There was the traditional steamed Gau with yams taught to me by my friend Susan 15 years ago. While steaming takes a minimum of 4 hours, I also baked the same batter for 1 hour. My mother's modern baked Gau with tsubushian that I brought was well received. Cathy and I made a modern steam/baked Gau with coconut milk during the gathering.

The main event was the involved and complicated process of making the traditional Gau by Gladys and Elsie. Cathy and I would take turns with mixing our simpler baked Gau in order to run back and forth to catch all the snippets of important information being generously doled out by Gladys and Elsie. First, they spent a half hour creating a ti leaf basket for the Gau to steam in. This was probably the first culinary nonstick surface. Then, they mixed the Gau batter by hand all the while relying on eye and instinct to determine the correct consistency. Elsie patiently watched the steaming pot for over 7 hours! Each procedure has its own distinct set of skills. We all felt very honored and humbled to be present to watch this recreation of a favorite childhood sweet.

At lunch, we enjoyed (small) pieces of each of the many Gaus. Wanda brought a sample plate to the sophisicated palates of the Advertiser newsroom. I was so pleased to hear that my friend, Susan Chock's, traditionally steamed yam Gau turned out to be a favorite for both groups, that I raised both hands in the air and shouted "Yay!" as if I'd won an Olympic event!

-foodiewahine

Susan Chock's Gau
(Thank you Susan, for sharing your recipe, it's so precious to us!)

3 (1 lb.) boxes Mochiko
3 (1 lb.) packages of Wong Tong, Chinese brown sugar in blocks. 7 slabs to a pkg. Do not substitute regular brown sugar.
2 -3 lbs. fresh yams. No substitutions. Yams have a maroon skin, orange flesh.
3 cups water (opt.: Can add coconut milk but reduce water proportionately. Gau will then need refrigeration)
Washed ti leaves or dried bamboo leaves which are soaked for two days in water to soften.
Four 8" steaming baskets or pans
sesame seeds
Optional: 1 red date, Hung Jo, a jujube

The day before, cook yams with the peel on, in water to cover for approx. 45” until very soft or microwave. Peel, cool, set in the refrigerator overnight.

Melt brown sugar in 3 cups of water over medium heat until melted, about 15 min. Cool completely.

Line bamboo steamer containers with ti leaves in a circular pattern covering the steamer basket completely. May use string to create a collar.

Mash yams, taking out any large fibers or eyes. Mix sugar-water, mochiko and yams first with a wire whisk then by hand. This is like kneading. The batter should be like a stiff, very thick cake batter. You may have to add up to another 1 cup of water for the right consistency.

Place the batter into the steaming baskets that are lined with ti leaves. Place bamboo baskets in a pot for steaming over 1” of water. First bring to a boil then turn down to a high simmer but do not boil constantly. Place a thin dishtowel over the top of the pot under the lid. Check every hour to make sure that no water is dripping back down onto the gau during the steaming. Steam for 4 hours. Cool completely. A plastic knife will cut through the gau without dragging.
Servings: approximately 36
Note: you can cut the recipe by 1/3 by using 2 lbs. of mochiko, 2 blocks of sugar, etc. You can also use any available assortment of different sized baskets, cans and pans.
____________________________________________________________________
A HUGE Mahalo to Wanda, Elsie, Cathy, Gladys and Deborah for a wildly fun and successful Gau Fest. It would not have been possible without the generosity of those who shared their treasured family recipes.

Wanda Adam's informative and lively Gau-a-thon (her name for it) article with accompanying recipes, photos and video are on the Honolulu Advertiser's website for Jan. 23rd, 2008 in the Taste section.

Chinese New Year's falls on February 7 this year. Support your local Chinatowns.

____________________________________________________________________
Copyright 2007-2008. Anything to Eat. All rights reserved. This material and all material on this site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The author disclaims all liabilities in connection with the use of the information contained within.

Soon Du Boo (also Sundubu), Spicy Korean Tofu Soup

Imagine a cold and wet night. Your slippers are soaked from dodging puddles on the street. Imagine serendipitously coming across a Korean restaurant that specializes in the delicious but little known (outside of Korean circles) boiling hot, bright red, tofu soup, Soon Du Boo. The restaurant is Duk Chang Do and is just across the street and mauka of Walgreen's on Keeaumoku. Ever since that night when I was Christmas shopping with my sister-in-law, Hedy, and my sister, Sherry, I've found myself craving Soon Du Boo whenever it rains. Haven't felt this strong an attraction, ok, addiction, to a soup since I first tasted Vietnamese Pho 15 years ago.

I felt compelled to thoroughly research how to make this soup and then I went right to the source, a Palama Market cashier. The cashier gave me an important tip. She advised me to use ko choo garu, the dry ground red chili pepper powder and NOT ko choo jang, the bottled red chili pepper sauce, to make Soon Du Boo.

I then had a looonng, informative and enjoyable conversation with my friend, KoreanWiz, (see link to her site at left) about the best Korean restaurants in Hawai'i and Korean food in general, I felt revitalized to continue my quest to make a decent Soon Du Boo. KoreanWiz just notified me that another spelling of Soon Du Boo is Sundubu.

Several attempts later, following is my version of Soon Du Boo. Being Chinese, I had to add dried tangerine peel (kwo pay) because I feel it complements the spiciness well. I also like onions in my soup so I hope I am not committing heresy by including them here. While the soup is bright red it is not so much hot as pleasantly spicy.

You can make this into a meatless soup by using just tofu and substituting either vegetable broth or water for the chicken broth. This is one of those versatile soups that can be made with what's on hand. Please do not be put off by the list of ingredients. Most of these ingredients are generally on hand in local kitchens. The soup goes together faster than almost any other soup I can think of.

Soon Du Boo
also spelled "Sundubu"
photo at left on top

First create the sauce which will be divided into thirds and used for the meat or seafood marinade, the soup seasoning and then the dipping sauce (Yang Yohm Jjang):

2 T. ko choo garu (which is dry ground red chili pepper powder sold in large 1 lb. bags at Palama Market or Don Quixote. Do not substitute ko choo jang which is a bottled, seasoned red chili pepper sauce or red chili flakes, which would be too hot)
3-4 small red chili peppers with seeds, finely chopped
2 T. miso, Korean or Japanese
2 T. sesame oil
3 T. toasted sesame seeds, preferably ground with a sesame grinder. If you don't have a grinder you can use a mortar and pestle and absent that, a spoon and a bowl to crush the seeds.
3 T. soy sauce
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed with the bottom of a cleaver or a spoon
1 tsp. sugar
3 green onions, sliced thinly
2 pcs. of dried tangerine peel

Combine the above and then divide equally into three small dishes, set aside.

Make the Soup.
1/2 to 1 lb. total weight of 3/4 inch cubed, boneless meat (pork, chicken, beef) and/or seafood (shrimp, mussels, clams) or a combination of both
1 round onion cut in the middle on the "equator" and then sliced into 1/8" slices from the stem to the "equator"
1 container of drained, silken or soft tofu, Soon Du Boo (I like House brand which is a Japanese tofu, widely available or you can use the authentic Korean tofu that comes in tubes at Palama Market) cut into 1 inch cubes
1 can of Swanson's chicken broth

1)Use the first portion of seasoning sauce to marinate the meat or seafood. Use your hands to massage the sauce in. Chill for at least 1/2 hour.

2)Using a Dutch oven or similar heavy pot, heat 2 T. of oil and 1 t. of sesame oil on High. Lightly brown first the onions and then the meat. Do not drain the marinade off the meat. Add the seafood last if you are using seafood.

3)Add the second portion of seasoning sauce with the tofu (careful not to break the cubes) and the broth over everything in the pot. Bring to a boil then turn down to a high simmer. Let cook for 1/2 hour with a lid on.

Serve the soup with a bowl of hot white rice and the remaining third of the seasoning sauce in a small dish for dipping.

Strictly optional, but the traditional way to serve this, is by dropping a raw egg onto the bubbling and boiling soup when it's brought to the table in an earthenware or cast iron vessel. Can garnish with more sliced green onions and strips of grilled meats like bulgogi, kal bi, pork or chicken.

-foodiewahine
____________________________________________________________________
A big Mahalo to KoreanWiz for linking my blogsite to her website and mentioning this recipe! If you are at all interested in Korean tv dramas, her site is THE place to go. KoreanWiz started her website six years ago before the English-speaking world caught the craze.

"Entertaining Island Style" by Wanda A. Adams

Wanda Adams, the Food and Book editor to the Honolulu Advertiser, has just come out with her second cookbook "Entertaining Island Style-101 Great Recipes and Tips from Hawai'i". I know I may be biased because I worked on the photoshoot but I think it's terrific. Fabulous job on the photos by the photographer and the styling team. I think these local recipes are inventive and most importantly, delicious. These recipes have been thoroughly tested and come out exactly as described. Wanda thoughtfully provided ingredient substitutions for mainland folk.

Wanda's first cookbook "Island Plate" quickly sold out its first three editions and is in its fourth printing. Both cookbooks are available on amazon.com. ( Entertaining Island Style is 10. on amazon.com If you order 25. or more in books then shipping is FREE, even to Hawai'i!) and bookstores locally. At the end of this post is the description of her second cookbook from Borders online.

It was great fun to work on the shoot and I learned alot from the food and photo pros on the crew. My cousin, EB, asked me for a list of favorite recipes I've tried from the book so far (I got a sheaf of some of the recipes earlier when working on the shoot):

Cozido Soup, Portuguese Kale and Sausage p. 47 (hearty and quick)
Nibuta Pork p. 71 (great sliced over saimin, ramen)
Furikake Salmon p. 77 (very popular restaurant item)
Okazuya Style Fish Cake p. 107 (from a previous Advertiser article)
Steak Poke p.124 (Hand's down winnah. Wanda said she made it for a tv appearance on Andy Bumatai and the tv crew wiped it out. Photo on the top left of this posting)
Prune Cake and 7 min. icing p. 129 and 130 (moist, better even the next day when the spices have time to mellow)
Soft Haupia Custard p. 132 (very yummy, very versatile sauce or filling for cakes, etc.)
Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie p. 144 (my favorite dessert from the book)
Swedish Crepes p. 149 (easy, perfect crepes)


-foodiewahine

Borders' description on their site of Wanda's cookbook:

Entertaining Island StyleBibliographic Data: Hardcover, 24 Pages, December 2007Author: Adams, Wanda A.List Price: $15.

Everyone loves a luau! And with the help of "Entertaining Island Style, " it's easy to host a Hawaiian-themed bash that's both authentic and enjoyable. This playful, insightful guide is a one-stop resource for Island culture, customs, and cooking. Written by Maui native Wanda Adams, it features the low-down on local parties -- what's done, what's not done, what types of food and beverages are served; easy-to-understand descriptions of local food terms; and must-have details such as how to crack a coconut. A wealth of fabulous recipes, all Island favorites, reflect the diverse cultures and flavors of the people of Hawaii. Adams also offers fascinating historical facts on the origins of tropical drinks, along with a bevy of luscious cocktail recipes. Whether prepared for a crowd or a simple weeknight supper, these fresh, exciting recipes make any occasion a sunny one.
_________________________________________________________________
Wanda Adams wrote an article on Nov. 7, 2007 for the Advertiser about her new book. It can be found on the Honolulu Advertiser website in the archives for that date. She provides her recipe for Steak Poke. There are also video clips of her preparing dishes from the cookbook.

____________________________________________________________________

A hello to Cindy N. and her friends! Cindy and I ran into each other at Sunnyside in Wahiawa. She'd read my blog and asked me if I was a vegetarian now? NOT! She was too polite to notice that I'd ordered the fried rice special with sunnyside up egg and a hot dog! BUSTED! Note to Dr. S and Dr. D, I really don't eat this way all the time. In fact, I know I've adopted the Shintani lifestyle 80% of the time.

Another hello to the Mo'ili'ili McD's group: Carlson, Linda, Ron, Sharon, Fred, Jenna, Joe, Leila and John! It was great to finally meet the rest of the gang. You guys are loyal friends to each other.

Dr. Shintani's Spicy Tofu Nuggets

This is an EASY and flavorful entree that is also very versatile. In Sherry's and my opinion it was definitely one of the enlightening hits at the Shintani workshop on Oct. 13. Dr. Diane graciously obtained permission for me to print it. Once you get the method down it will be a snap for you to change the spices to suit the dish you are making and your tastes.

Note: My high techno-savvy brother-in-law taught me that the easiest way to print out these recipes from the blog is Cut and Paste it. That is, first, highlight it, hit the Cut button under Edit at the top of the screen, close down the site, go into the Word program and hit Paste under Edit.

Spicy Tofu Nuggets
Adapted from Dr. Shintani’s diet books

1 block firm or extra-firm tofu
¼ c. flour, whole wheat or white, mixed with 1 tsp. Spike and other spices, e.g., 1 tsp. tumeric
2 tsp. canola or olive oil
1 tsp. sesame oil

1 –2 tsp. shoyu or Bragg’s liquid aminos (health food store)
2 tsp. nutritional yeast (health food store, optional, but good, can be bought in bulk at Down to Earth)
1 tsp. low salt furikake

Tofu is a plant based product. All plant based products have to be browned on a slightly lower heat than any meat. Best never to use high heat unless used briefly. It will take a bit longer so you need to watch the pan.

Drain tofu thoroughly and wrap in a paper towel or dish towel to absorb excess water. Cut tofu into 1 inch blocks. Dredge each tofu cube individually in the flour mixture. Keep dry. Heat a nonstick pan with a thin film of both oils on Medium heat. Place the cubes in the pan. Sprinkle the cubes with the shoyu or Bragg's. Brown tofu gently on all sides on Medium heat. A High heat may scorch the tofu.

Add the nutritional yeast and the furikake. Toss to coat evenly. Can deglaze the pan with 2 tsp. of water or broth so that the nuggets are a bit moist or leave dry according to your preference.

You can serve the nuggets with a dipping sauce or as is. A simple dipping sauce would be equal parts shoyu and sesame oil with a light sprinkle of shichimi togarashi or cayenne. Save any leftovers to be used in soups, stews, sandwiches, spaghetti, chili, etc., either whole or broken up.

You could also cut the tofu into slabs like tofu steaks and prepare the same way as the cubes. My friend, Wanda, reported that the spicy tofu works well in long strips in a Vegetarian Spring Roll.

Serve with brown rice. Soak raw rice at least 4 hours for the best consistency prior to cooking. Cook in rice cooker with slightly more water than indicated on the correct water level on the rice cooker pot. Fluff the rice with a nonstick rice paddle prior to serving.