Pineapple Spam Fried Rice

We were in Hawaii when we had the great fortune to try this at Sam Choy's restaurant.  Spam is super popular in Hawaii.  McDonalds has a breakfast meal that includes Spam, eggs and rice.  It was absolutely great. So, through trial and error and lots of experimenting, I came up with this recipe that my husband believes is just as good if not better than the one we had in Hawaii.

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked jasmine or basmati rice (preferably from previous day)
1 tin of Spam (cut into small bite size cubes)
2 green onions (chopped)
1 cup of peas and carrots (thaw first if frozen)
3.5 oz can of pineapple chunks or fresh pineapple
2 tblsp light soy sauce
2 tblsp canola or olive oil
1 tblsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cloves garlic (minced)
2 eggs (beaten)

Heat oil and butter in a deep fry pan.  Add the Spam and stir fry until slightly brown.  Add garlic and onion and saute for approximately 2 minutes.  Add peas and carrots until heated through.  Push all ingredients to the side and pour eggs.  Scramble eggs until no longer runny.  Add rice and pineapple chunks.  Continue stirring until all ingredients are well incorporated.  Add soy sauce and mix well to ensure rice mixture is well coated. Season with salt and pepper.

Bola-Bola (Sweet and Sour Meatballs)

This is a very beautiful and colorful dish.  It is a great hit with kids and people who are picky about Asian foods.  This also quick and easy to fix and gets a lot of ooohhhs and ahhhhs, plus it taste fabulous.  You can do the quick version by replacing the home made meatballs with pre-made from the grocery store.  I recommend IKEAs. If those are not available, those from the grocery store works, just make sure you do not get the Italian style.  The seasoning does not work with this dish.  If you have time, home made is the best. I used different color bell peppers, but you can use one color if you prefer.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup coconut vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
2 tblsp corn starch
3 tblsp olive or canola oil
3-4 stalks of celery (sliced diagonally)
4 roma tomatoes (cut in quarters)
1 medium onion (sliced)
1 large bell pepper or 1/2 of 3 different colors (cut in strips)
1 lb meatballs (home made or pre-made)

Meatballs:
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1 tblsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
1 cup olive or canola oil

For meatballs:  combine all the ingredients except for the oil.  Mix well.  Pinch off approximately 1 tblsp and form into a ball in your palm.  Repeat until you have made all the meatballs.  Heat the 1 cup of oil on high in a deep sauce pan. Fry meatballs in batches until brown and done.  Remove from oil and set aside.

In a large pot or dutch oven.  Pour the vinegar, soy sauce, water and sugar.  Allow to simmer until sugar disolves.  Add the meatballs and set temperature to low.   In a separate frying pan, heat 1 tblsp of the oil.  When oil is hot, add onions and celery.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir fry for approximately 2 minutes.  Transfer to pot with meatballs and sauce.  Heat another tblsp of oil in the frying pan.  Add the bell peppers, season with salt and pepper, and stir fry until crisp tender for approximately 2 minutes. Transfer to the pot with the meatballs and sauce.  Heat the last tblsp of oil, add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Stir fry until slightly scorched, approximately 1-2 minutes. Transfer to the pot.  Stir the vegetables with the meatball and sauce until all the ingredients are well incorporated.  Increase the heat to allow a low boil.  Place the cornstarch into a small bowl.  Add a little water to make a watery paste.  Make sure the cornstarch and water are mixed well with no lumps.  Pour the cornstarch mixture into the pot directly on the sauce.  Stir well to ensure the cornstarch is well incorporated.  Continue to boil for another 4 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.  Stir occassionally during this process.  Once sauce has thickened, serve over steamed rice and enjoy.  With the sweet and sour sauce, this is great with shrimp fried rice.

Five Spice Fish Fillet

Quick and easy and oh so yummy. I made some changes to the original recipe, tried it at home and got a winner.  Try any light white fish (tilapia, cod, mahi-mahi) fillet.

Ingredients:
1lb thin fish fillet (tilapia, mahi-mahi, cod or any white fish)
1/2 cup flour
2-3 tsp five-spice powder
3 tblsp canola or olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tblsp brown sugar
1 tblsp sesame oil
Salt and pepper
2 green onion stalks (chopped diagonally)

Place flour in a flat dish, season flour with salt and pepper and set aside.  Rub the five-spice powder on each side of the fish fillet.  Roll fish fillet into the flour and dust off the excess.  Heat the oil in a deep frying pan.  When oil is hot, place the fish fillets into the hot pan without crowding.  Cook each side for approximately 2 minutes until opaque.

In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil; season with pepper.  Pour soy sauce mixture onto fish.  Reduce heat and continue to cook turning fish fillets occassionally to coat.  Continue cooking until sauce thickens and creates a nice glaze on the fish.  Do not allow the glaze to burn.  Transfer fillets to a warm plate and garnish with the chopped green onions.  Serve hot with steamed rice or fried rice.

Fried Brown Rice

I recently wrote an article on brown rice based on a recent discovery that this very healthy food has changed. The new organic growing and processing methods has definitely changed this rice.  So, I decided to start adding brown rice to my repetoire.  Check out this new version of fried rice.  It goes great with any of your Asian dishes.

Ingredients:

2 tblsp sesame oil
2 green onions (chopped)
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 tblsp pine nuts
2 tblsp soy sauce
1 small red chillie (finely chopped)
1 clove garlic (minced)
1/2 inch ginger (minced)
Salt and pepper

Heat sesame oil in a frying pan or work.  Add garlic and ginger, stirring continuously for approximately 1 minute.  Add green onions and pine nuts and continue stirring for  2 minutes until pine nuts have a light golden color.  Add the brown rice and the soy sauce.  Continue stirring until rice clumps are removed and rice is well incorporated with the other ingredients (approximately 3 minutes).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to a bowl and garnish with the red chillie. Enjoy with your favorite Chinese or Asian toppings.

Asian Steak with Spicy Mushrooms

This dish is beyond incredible!  It can be served with flour tortillas or over rice. Either way, you cannot go wrong.  If you do not have chipotle chile peppers, regular chilli powder will work as well.  Adjust the spicyness to your taste.

Asian Steak Ingredients:
2lbs steak skirt (trimmed)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tblsp honey
Juice of 1 small lime
6 cloves of garlic (minced or paste)
1 tsp ginger (paste)
8 flour tortillas (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Spicy Mushroom Ingredients:
1/2lb of sliced mushrooms (shitake or crimini - button will do in a pinch)
1 onion (sliced into rings)
2 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp of garlic (paste or powder)
2 tblsp rice vinegar
1 tblsp sugar
1 tblsp sesame oil
1 tsp of chipotle chili (paste or powder)
2 green onion stalks (chopped)
1 handful cilantro (chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tblsp toasted sesame seeds

For Marinade: mix oil, soy sauce, honey, lime, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper in a bowl until well blended. Place steak in a glass dish or zip lock bag, pour marinade, seal and refrigerate over night.

Grill steaks on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes per side or until medium rare doneness.  If cooking indoors, add a little olive oil to a pan and heat until very hot (oil is smoking) and fry each side for 3-4 minutes per side or until medium rare doneness.  Remove steak and let it rest on a cutting board for approximately 5-8 minutes.  Slice thinly on a diagonal.

For the spicy mushrooms, heat the oil on high. Add mushrooms and saute for 1 minute.  Add the onion rings and continue to cook until mushrooms and onions begin to brown; add the chipotle pepper and garlic.  Continue stirring for approximately 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl.  Add green onions, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and cilantro. Mix well.

Place steak on warm tortillas or over jasmine rice.  Top with the spicy mushrooms and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.  Yummmmmmm!

Black Sticky Rice Pudding

The first time my husband and I had this dessert was at our favorite Thai restaurant.  We just looked at each other across the table and I knew, I had to find this recipe.  This is a dessert and not served over rice, but I would be remiss by not adding it to my blog.  Black sticky rice is just white rice with the bran left on. Be sure to cook the rice first before adding sugar.  Or else the rice will toughen (learned the hard way).  There is no amount of liquid you can add to soften. If you are not able to find taro, you can omit; it does not change the taste. You can find black sticky rice at your local Asian grocery store and in some high end grocery stores (Whole foods, Central Market).

Ingredients:

6oz black sticky rice (black glutinous)

8oz taro root (cut into 1/2 inch squares) soak in cold water

2 1/2 cups water

10 tblsp sugar ( a little less than 2/3 cup)

1 tsp salt

1 cup coconut milk

Put black rice in a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Drain the rice and rinse 4-5 times to ensure most of the starch is removed.  The water will not run clear.  In a sauce pan, add the rice and the 2 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil; stirring frequently until it reaches boiling point. Reduce the heat to medium, let it simmer for 30-35 minutes stirring regularly until all liquid has been absorbed and the rice is moist and tender. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, drain the taro root. spread on a plate or heatproof container and steam in a bamboo steamer or metal steamer covered for 8-10 minutes until taro is tender.

When the rice is done, gently stir in the sugar until it is incorporated. Gently mix in the taro root.  Add the salt to the coconut milk and mix well.  Spoon the rice mixture into a bowl and pour coconut milk on top. Serve warm.

Asian Citrus Marinated Chicken

Chicken and citrus is such a great pairing you can't go wrong.  I found tangerines, Valencia oranges or clementines are the best.  Again, fabulous over rice! 

Marinade:

4 cloves garlic (minced)

3 tblsp soy sauce

1 tbsp chili-garlic sauce

2 tsp dark sesame oil

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

Sauce:
2-3 small oranges, tangerines or clementines (sliced in large wedges)
2 shallots (minced)
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp fresh ginger (grated or pureed)
3/4 cups orange juice
2 tblsp lime juice
1/4 cup water
2 tsp water
2 tsp chili-garlic sauce*
1 1/2 tsp fish sauce*
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
3 tsp oil (canola or olive)

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade except for the chicken.  Pour in a resealable plastic bag; add chicken.  Seal the bag and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

In a medium sauce pan, combine, orange slices, shallots, sugar, ginger and 1/4 cup of water.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium, allowing to cook for another 10 minutes until reduces to half.  Add orange juice, lime juice, chili-garlic sauce, fish sauce and rice vinegar. Simmer for another 5 minutes. In a small bowl disolve cornstarch with 2 tsp of water. Whisk into sauce; boil for 1 minute until sauce thickens. Keep warm.

In a frying pan/skillet or grill pan, add the oil and heat.  Cook the chicken 6-8 minutes turning once until chicken is no longer pink in center.  Remove from skillet and let it rest for 3-5 minutes. Slice chicken breast diagonally, place on a serving platter and pour warm sauce over the chicken slices.  Serve with your favorite long grain rice (i.e. Jasmine, basmati, etc.)


Note*:  chili-garlic sauce and fish sauce can be found in the Asian section of your favorite grocery store or go to any Asian grocery store or market.  Sea Salt can be used as a substitute for the fish sauce.

Korean Beef with Spicy Chinese Cabbage

For ten years, a group of us prepared dinners for the terminally ill with AIDS.  They loved spicy foods and one Sunday, we were asked if we could prepare Korean food.  Doing some research, I found this recipe and made some adjustment to "Americanize" it and it turned out better than we had hoped.

Beef w/Marinade:

1 1/2lbs sirloin (cut in 3/4in thick)

1 tblsp sesame seed

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 scallions (finely chopped)

1 tblsp sugar

1 tblsp dark sesame oil

1 tblsp fresh ginger (minced)

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Chinese Cabbage:
1 medium (1 1/2lb) Chinese/napa cabbage
1 tblsp vegetable oil
3 scallions (chopped)
1 tblsp ginger (minced)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp ground hot pepper
2 medium carrots (shredded)
2 tblsp rice vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

To make the marinade, heat a small skillet.  Add the sesame seeds and stir constantly until toasted and brown.  Do not allow it to burn. Remove and place on a plate to allow to cool.  Crush the sesame seed and place in a bowl.   Add the remaining marinate ingredients into the bowl. Add the steak and rub the marinade into the steak. Cover and allow to marinade as long as possible at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

For the spicy cabbage, cut the cabbage in half and cut into strips. Do not include the core. Heat the oil until very hot. Add the scallions, ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Do not let garlic burn. Add the cabbage, continue to stir fry.  Add chicken broth, salt and hot pepper. Cook stirring constantly.  Add carrots and continue to stir until cabbage is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, stir and cover; remove from heat and keep warm.

Preheat broiler. Remove the meat form the marinade. Reserve the marinade.  Place meat on a broiler rack and broil turning once until cooked to desired doneness (7 minutes for medium rare).

Pour marinade into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for approximately 2 minutes. Set aside.

Remove meat from broiler allow to sit and rest.  Spoon rice into a shallow bowl, top with the spicey cabbage and the sliced meat.  Drizzle some of the heated marinade on top.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Eggplant and Red Bell Pepper Stir Fry

We love eggplant at my house. In London, my husband got really tickled that every where we went, this wonderful vegetable was called aubergine.  There are so many different versions: large, baby, Japanese, Indian, and white, just to name a few. I could probably do a blog on eggplants alone. I try to find just as many ways to prepare eggplants.  I found this in an old Chinese cookbook and revised to fit the American palate. This is really great and so easy to prepare.  It goes great with Chinese barbeque or fried pork chops and of course rice.

Another really pretty dish to make.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive or canola oil
3 garlic cloves (minced)
2 regular eggplants or 3 Japanese eggplants (cut diagonally)
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 red bell pepper sliced into strips
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in a deep pan. Add garlic and stir fry for approximately 1 minute. Add the eggplant, continue to stir fry for another 30-45 seconds until the eggplant is coated with oil and garlic.  Add the bell pepper strips and continue to stirring.  When the eggplant pieces appear softened, add soy sauce, vinegar and sugar.  Continue stirring and allow to cook for another 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  When done, remove from heat, toss lightly with cilantro.

Egg Fu Yung (Shrimp Omelet)

I love egg fu yung, but not a lot of Chinese restaurants prepare this dish. When I order it, the owner always tells me that this dish takes a while to prepare. One day, I asked the owner of my favorite Chinese restaurant why not many restaurants have this on the menu. She told me that this can only be prepared by a true Chinese Chef. That egg fu yung is time consuming and not easy to prepare. During one of my forages through a second hand book store, I found a Chinese cookbook that had the recipe with 1 problem.......part of it was written in Chinese....I don't read Chinese. I bought the book and kept it on my book shelf for almost 4 years. I kept wanting to try to make this dish, but kept remembering the Chinese proprietress' comment about the difficulty. One day, I stopped at the restaurant and found it closed for remodeling. No egg fu yung!!!! So, I went home, took the cookbook out, squared my shoulders and started to make it. After several attempts (remember, I don't read Chinese) I found it....and it was no where near as difficult as she said it would be. It is as simple as fixing an omelet. So, below is "my translation".

Ingredients:

8 eggs

2 tbsp water

8 fresh mushroom (chopped)

1 1/2 cups bean sprouts

1 1/2 cup cooked shrimp (chopped)

4 green onions (finely chopped)

1 celery stalk (finely chopped)

salt and pepper to taste

oil for frying

Sauce:

2 cups water

6 tsp cornstarch

3 tsp sugar

5 tsp soy sauce

2 chicken boullion cubes

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the sauce by disolving the 2 cubes of chicken boullion in 2 cups of water. In a sauce pan, combine the chicken boullion in water, sugar and soy sauce. Heat thoroughly. In a small bowl, pour a small portion of the heated liquid, add the cornstarch and stir until completely disolved and there are no lumps. Slowly stir it back into the pot, continually stirring so as not to create lumps (stirring with a whisk reduces the chances of lumps). Gently boil until sauce thickens; reduce heat to keep warm. Season with salt and pepper.

Beat eggs and 2 tbsp water in a bowl and season with salt and pepper until it froths; set aside. In a bowl combine mushrooms, shrimp, onion, celery and sprout. Stir until well combined; add beaten eggs and stir until well mixed.

In a skillet heat oil (approx. 1 tablespoon at a time) for frying. Using a ladle, pour a portion of the mixture in the pan. Cook until it starts firming up and edges are light brown (2-3 min). Flip the egg omelet and cook other side. When light brown, remove and place into a warm plate. Continue cooking each omelet and stack on top of each other when done. Pour warm sauce over stack. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve while hot with your favorite rice - long grain, jasmine or basmati.

Note: the filling is flexible in this dish. I've used peas and carrots. You can also use ground pork instead of shrimp. Be sure to season the pork with salt and pepper and brown first before adding to the omelet.