Hawaii recap

A while ago, I wrote an outline of my Hawaii/LA experience before the memories got too mucked up in my mind. I was hoping to flesh out everything, but I think an outline with pictures is good enough. I'm still trying to decide on which photo service to go with (any suggestions on that are welcome!) so that I can post all the pictures.

Day 1

• Fly to LA and meet up with Dear's cousin for lunch and short tour
• Eat at Cholo's (Mexican food)
• start with fresh tortilla chips (still warm!) and cool guac
• sweet corn tamales
• Dear has chicken chimichangas
• Tour Venice and other parts of LA by the shore
• Dear's cousin goes back to work and we sit in airport for a few hours to wait for next flight
• Land in Honolulu dead tired b/c awake for 24 hours (surprised and disappointed by the humidity that hits you as you walk out of the airport)
• Take Robert's Hawaii shuttle to hotel
• Stay in Executive Suite (got upgraded for some reason) of Hilton Prince Kuhio in Waikiki but hardly get to enjoy it because we check out less than 24 hours later
• Take shuttle to airport and driver asks if we're on honeymoon -- we say yes :)
  

Day 2

• Have haupia (coconut)-flavored cream puff at Beard Papa's for breakfast
• Take bus to Chinatown for $2 per person, each way
• Look for good dim sum and settle on Golden Palace Seafood Restaurant (disappointing but seemingly larger portions than in NYC)
• Buy bag of fresh lychees (so sweet and juicy, with a small pit)
  
• Fly to Kona on Hawaiian Air
• Pick up rental car and on way to hotel, eat at Denny's because everything else is closed (10pm)
• Try moco loco (Hawaiian specialty of hamburger patty and egg on top of rice, covered in gravy) -- surprisingly good
• Check into Kona Tiki Hotel

Honolulu's Chinatown

Fresh, juicy lychees that we enjoyed on our lanai (patio) in Kona

Day 3

• Have fresh papaya, banana, pineapple for breakfast at the hotel; POG (passionfruit, orange, guava) juice
• Visit farmer's market up the road
• Buy sweet, crisp mountain plums, green apple bananas (that never ripen), lillikoi (aka passionfruit)
  
• Plums are rare in Hawaii because they need frost, hence they only grow on the mountain
• Plums were about the size of large cherries
  
• Dear suckered into buying sandals b/c the ones he brought from NYC feel loosey-goosey
• Go to Wal-mart to get snacks, beverages
• Visit Costco and have lunch there; they offer coffee smoothie but regretfully we do not try
• Drive past lava rock terrain on way to Hapuna white sand beach
• Dinner at Big Island Grill for dinner
• Big bowl of saimin (ramen-like noodles) with shrimp tempura (lots of thick batter)
• Dear has mixed plate of fried seafood; comes with potato salad and rice
  
• Walk around touristy parts of Kona
• Snack: Scandinavian Shave Ice with macadamia nut ice cream

White coral graffiti against black lava background of North Kona Coast

White sand of Hapuna Beach

Day 4 (July 4)

• Visit Puuhonua O Honaunau NP
• See sea turtles and explore tide pools in lava rock
• Park exhibit is a bit boring but scenery is nice
• Eat lunch bought from KTA supermarket at picnic area overlooking ocean
• Fried chicken with Spam musubi
• Attend luau -- big disappointment because felt like a very touristy, historically inaccurate dinner show
• Tried poi (taro paste), lau lau (meat wrapped in ti leaf), kalua (Hawaiian roast) pig, poke (marinated, raw fish) for first time
• Drive to old airport to watch fireworks in the rain (bummer for the convertible)

View from Puuhonua O Honaunau

Firethrower at commercialized luau

Day 5

• Drive to Hilo, passing Waimea, cowboy country, and scenic mountain passes
• Explore Hilo Farmer's Market
• Buy fresh, cheap lychees and sweet, juicy mangos with little fiber and small pit
• Search for recommended sushi restaurant and shave ice place but everything closed for July 4 long weekend
• Exchange cars at airport because trunk won't close
• Settle for local lunch place recommended by guide: 1lb. beef and pork lau lau -- stuffed!
• Find Two Ladies Kitchen by accident and get freshly-made mochi with traditional fillings like red bean and also non-traditional fillings like chocolate, peanut butter, and candy
  
• Pick up dinner from KTA supermarket
• Eel over rice
• Dear has seaweed salad and something I don't remember
• Drive to Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station, up steep, desolate road with moon-like terrain on either side
  
• Mountain is probably 20 degrees cooler than ground level and we put on long pants, jacket, socks, closed toe shoes
• I put on additional 2 layers of long sleeves and still feel a bit cold
• We eat part of our dinner with the convertible's top down as the sun sets
• I fall asleep during astronomer's presentation but wake up in time to get a piece of a meteorite he found
• We wait for sky to darken to stargaze -- we see Jupiter and the moon through the telescope
• Drive down dark (unlit but for moon), windy, steep road down the mountain in low gear but brakes still overheat
• Drive unlit, windy 2-lane Saddle Road back to Kona

Soft mochi from Two Ladies Kitchen

View of top of clouds from Mauna Kea at 9000 ft

Day 6

• Head to Volcano NP
• Stop at Tex Drive-In for malasadas (very light, filled donut-like treats) and buy lunch to go
  
• Eat lunch at Akaka Falls SP in convertible
• pineapple burger
• Dear has shrimp burger
• Short walk to Akaka Falls, take pictures and head out
• Pass through Hilo with a quick drive by the shave ice place, with no luck
  
• Arrive at Volcano NP and attempt to hike Kilauea caldera before noxious gases make us head back
• Ranger Joe teaches about Ohia trees and ferns
• Ranger's monitor goes off and we feel burn of sulphuric acid in our lungs
• Drive to lava flow about 1hr away
• See town covered in lava
• Wait for hours to watch glow of lava flowing down the mountain and gushing into the ocean
• Leave right after dusk and walk over lava rock in dark
• Sight to see line of flashlights of people leaving behind you
• Traffic jam to leave and only place left to eat when we return to Kona is Denny's

Malasadas from Tex Drive-In

Akaka Falls
Waiting for dusk on hardened lava trail

Watching lava flow at dusk

Day 7

• Do laundry at grungy-looking place down the road but get a good bit of reading done
• Eat lunch from Ba Le (Vietnamese) by hotel's pool
• pork sandwich
• special sandwich w/ pate
• Snorkel with SeaQuest tours by Captain Cook's monument
• great guide taught a lot about history of the island and showed us a lot of neat stuff
• hard-bottomed raft -- really fun to go at fast speed and to see gorgeous scenery by water
• see spinner dolphins (about the size of a dog!)
• Visit marketplace in Keahou and try shave ice there -- friendly woman gives it to us for free because we're last one there
• At sunset, light 7 tiki torches at Kona Tiki hotel while Dear blows on conch shell
  
• Dinner at Huggo's (expensive and not that great)
  

Following tradition, I light tiki torches after Dear blows conch shell

Day 8

• Visit Kona Joe coffee farm, where they grow coffee on trellises like grapes for wine
• Eat lunch at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue (local chain)
• lau lau w/ kalua (delish but couldn't finish huge portions)
• Dear disappointed by bbq sampler mix plate because he was expecting Southern U.S. bbq, not Asian bbq
  
• Visit Hamakua Macadamia Nut Factory (a bit lame, but got to crack a few nuts and bought nuts)
• Finish souvenir shopping and even stop by a sewing store to get recommendations on sewing machines
• Dinner at Kenichi in Keahou disappointing and way overpriced; realize you don't go to the Big Island for food
  
• Get dessert from KTA

Day 9

• Fly back to Oahu very early in the morning
• Surprised how many birthday messages I get -- maybe I should always travel on my birthday! :D
  
• Deja vu: take shuttle to Waikiki; drop off luggage at hotel
• Walk to Eggs N' Things for brunch
• Mozzarella omelette with side of pancakes
• Variety of syrup: pineapple, coconut, boysenberry, maple
• Dear has eggs and hash; declares best meal he's had so far in Hawaii
• Try surfing in Waikiki
• Dinner at Sansei
• Omakase menu was delicious from beginning to end
• White tuna sashimi and a half-price roll
• Service was stupendous: waiter not intrusive but very attentive, had recommendations like he really knew the menu
• Only regret: not that hungry after the huge brunch

Various pancake syrups at Eggs N' Things, plus salsa for hash

Resting in the waters of Waikiki -- surfing is hard work! (I am in red)

Day 10

• Take bus to Pearl Harbor (takes forever, but just $2)
• Do self-guided audio tour while waiting
• Run into Dear's co-worker on his honeymoon
• Take long bus ride back to hotel
  
• Walk to Waiola Shave Ice (yummy goodness that makes my mouth water as I think of it)
• 3 flavors: lillikoi, melona, mango(?) with condensed milk on top
  
• Dinner at Hakone
• Australian Kobe beef
• fresh AYCE sushi

Day 11

• Finish fruit from farmers' markets for breakfast, except for unripened bananas
  
• Lunch from Me Bar-Becue
• bimimbop
• Dear has beef ribs, I think; he likes the pickles
  
• Flight to LA delayed; 3 remaining plums and bunch of bananas confiscated
• Arrive in LA and it is actually cool and a jacket would've been nice
  
• Pick up ghetto rental car
• Dinner at McDonald's in San Gabriel :(
  

Started second box of mochi from Two Ladies (small, candy-like and unfilled) while waiting in airport

Day 12

• Meet up with Dear's cousin again for dim sum at huge restaurant in San Gabriel
• Target stop to get drinks
• Attend friend's Wedding

Day 13

• Lunch from In N' Out Burger: each get Double Double, and share strawberry milkshake and fries
• Everything is made to order, so it's very fresh and yummy
• To boot, it's pretty inexpensive
• Fries could use a double-fry
• Return to heat and humidity of NYC
• Dinner at Georgia Diner (options limited at 1am, but at least there are options past 10pm!)

The good earth

This weekend yielded some surprising food finds. On Saturday, we stopped by a new Asian market somewhere between Bayside and Flushing. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary in terms of Asian markets, but this time I decided to finally try this form of mushroom that I've seen before but never actually bought. Unfortunately I have no idea what it is called but next time I will take a pic before I eat it! It is about 5-6 inches long and looks like mostly stalk growing into a mini cap. It reminds me a bit of squash in terms of size and shape. There were also organic enoki mushrooms, which we bought, with the idea of making a mushroom ragu with pasta sometime during the week (which we did and was delicious and quick).

On Sunday, we happened to be in Flushing again and decided to just pick up some roast pork for dinner. On the way back to the car, I saw a woman by a vegetable stand on the sidewalk. She had set out ceramic plates piled with produce in front of each box of her goods. What really piqued my interest was that she was selling purple mini-potatoes. She also had regular Yukon golds, onions, and a bunch of brightly-colored sweet bell(?) peppers. But we just needed potatoes and the purple ones looked very enticing. In exchange for just $1, she poured the plate of potatoes (felt like about a pound) into a bag and then scooped up another plateful in anticipation of the next customer. Who would have thunk that there would be an old Chinese woman selling fresh purple potatoes in the middle of bustling Flushing? Buying fresh seasonal produce, passing by delicate blooms on my walk to the subway station -- I am loving Spring!

Breakfast of champions

Breakfast is probably my second-most favorite meal of the day because its many sweet offerings are as close to dessert (my most favorite meal!) as you can get. Of course, I enjoy the savory offerings of breakfast as well (bacon... mmmm... eggs... mmm...) but that's for another post. Breakfast also intrigues me because it's a very efficient meal -- relatively short yet filling and it needs to be quick and easy to prepare and eat in order to fit into my daily schedule (with exceptions for occasional weekends). When Dear returned, he mentioned that he used to have a bowl of oatmeal daily while away. But I stopped having oatmeal because all the convenient versions of it (packets with more sugar than oats or instant one-minute variety cooked in the microwave because I can't stand making it at the stove) were just nasty and/or a bother. Then I thought about using either a slow cooker (still haven't cracked that one open yet) or a rice cooker. Googling it turned up lots of recipes that I wanted to try.

They are basically the same -- throw oats, a liquid, dash of salt, optional dried fruits or nuts, and a flavoring if you'd like, into the cooker and press on. Whenever the cooker shuts off or turns to "warm", you have piping hot, smooth and creamy oatmeal. The trick is to figure out the ratio of liquid to oats. RealSimple says "add a little less milk or water than you would for stovetop cooking (and some chopped nuts and dried fruit if you want)." I ended up taking bits of several recipes but mostly followed this from Cuisinart:

2 cups (Rice Cooker) rolled oats(not quick cooking)
3 cups (standard liquid measure) water (according to measurement on inside of rice cooker bowl) liquid, which was a combination of apple juice and water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1 stick cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons raisins used handful of golden raisins and cherries for following serving two days later in the microwave, since I didn't have any at the time

Insert bowl in Cuisinart® Rice Cooker/Steamer. Place oatmeal, water, cinnamon and salt in bowl; stir. Sprinkle raisins over top. Cover and turn on; cooking time will be about 12 to 18 minutes as long as your rice cooker deems necessary -- mine was maybe 30 minutes? When unit switches to Warm, Cinnamon Raisin Apple Oatmeal is ready to serve, or it may be kept on Warm. Stir before serving. Serve hot as is, or sprinkle with a sweetener such as brown sugar, honey or maple syrup. A dollop of yogurt (plain or vanilla) or milk to taste may be added.

Note: Other dried fruits may be substituted for the raisins. Try dried cherries, cranberries or blueberries,slivered dried apricots or plums or chopped dried apples.

Note 2: Leftovers can be refrigerated and microwaved (with the addition of some extra liquid) during the rest of the week. I added some water and milk, stirred it up, dropped in dried fruit, and microwaved for 3 minutes (stirring once between). The second time around it didn't taste as apple-y, and it wasn't very sweet, but the dried fruit was a great addition. The next time I have leftovers I want to cut them into squares and pan-fry them in some butter and see what happens.

TECHNICALITIES
Our ricecooker is a generic 10 cup version with a non-stick bowl (if you have an old rice cooker, you may have use some non-stick spray on the inside of the bowl). I'm also not sure if this works with smaller ricecookers which may bubble over, from what I've read. I've also read about the amazing results from the "porridge" setting on Zojirushi Fuzzy Logic cookers but the results are great with our simple one button cooker that I don't feel the need to buy a new one nor would I want to spend so much for one.

My next try is Irish oats, aka steel cut. I think it's chewier, which Dear would probably like because he thinks this version is mushy. And because they need to be soaked, I can put everything in the rice cooker the night before and set the timer to start an hour before I get up (so that I don't need to wait around, like I did this time).

Congee comfort

After a brief morning cycle through the neighborhood this past weekend (chilly but refreshing), I used some leftover rice and made a pot of congee for a very satisfying and warm brunch. For those unfamiliar with this Chinese dish, it is a guilt-free version of risotto. You can make plain congee (like I did) with just water, or you can flavor it with stock or other ingredients that you add either in the beginning, or when serving. The thickening is done purely through the starch of the rice (no cream or butter, as with risotto).

I made the plain version without even salt or oil because I knew that I would be using the homemade preserved salted eggs from my aunt-in-law. I never thought a warm, heaping bowl of thick, creamy white rice could be so comforting on a cold fall day. But the eggs were the star of the show. The egg white was really concentrated and salty, the texture like gelatin, while the yolk was a bit grainy but very rich. The yolk was the color of gold. One egg was enough for a giant bowl of congee. If only I had the recipe for the salted eggs (even my MIL doesn't know it)! In the middle of the week, I finished the rest of the congee and egg for dinner. It wasn't as good the second time around because I overcooked the egg, hence the sulfurized yolk in the picture (I don't think the refrigeration helped either). I also threw in some leftover chicken hearts at the end (unfortunately also heated a little too long). Chicken hearts and egg -- what a way to make congee more of a guilty pleasure. :)

Crab attack!

We bought blue-craw crabs this weekend (2 dozen mediums for $8!) while out on Long Island.

Dear deciding which crab to clean next

We (more like Dear, who are we kidding?) sorta stopped up the sink so that the crabs could have one last swim. They were kinda cute crawling all over each other and flipping themselves over. We thought (for about a minute) about keeping some as pets.

This guy (yes, they were all male crabs) lost his claw but you could see a new one growing (left side of photo); check out the ferociousness of his full-sized claw! After seeing that the claws could re-generate, I toyed again with the idea of keeping a few as pets and ripping out their claws once in a while. :D Too bad the claw meat is not the most delicious part of the blue crab....

Cleaned crabs -- do they know what lies in store for them?

I moved too slow to capture a pic of the crabs in the steaming pot, but it basically looks like the above. One ornery fellow managed to jump out of the wok, onto the floor. Not sure if that killed him or not but he snapped his claw off. I quickly picked him up, rinsed him off and threw him in. Dear put chopped scallions and julienned ginger on top -- very simple. In just a few minutes, we were ready to eat!

Yummy!

I laid down newspaper on the table for easy clean up (no, we did not eat off the newspapers, as we saw is the custom in Maryland).

Tools of the trade

Since we got home late, we didn't start eating until 9 or so. It took about 3 hours to finish up but that meat was so sweet, juicy, and delicious! Dear realized that he has an upcoming appointment for bloodwork and was concerned about his cholestrol so he just ate a few and removed all the meat from the rest of the crabs so that he could make crab cakes! Poor Dear -- it took him forever to take out what amounts to less than a pound of lump crab meat. :( After a while, the mallet (for the claws) was causing too much noise so Dear switched to a nutcracker, which I think is a more effective method anyway. It was much harder to save the claw meat so I ended up eating about 12 of those at the end!

When cleaning up, I pondered saving the steaming liquid where all the juices from the crab had dripped down into, but refrained. That liquid must be so good though! I wonder if the liquid is more salvageable from a crab boil? I'd like to try that next but Dear is all about the steaming. :T

No-Knead bread, try 2

I stayed up late last night to make some more bread.

9:18AM, Sunday: I mix the flour, yeast, and water in a bowl (notice the sun streaming through the kitchen so bright and early).

10:23 PM: After doing some housework, going to service, playing some softball, and eating dinner, I return home to my dough. (Notice the lack of natural light at this hour, even though there are so many hours of daylight now.)

10:33 PM: I punch down the dough, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest.

10:51 PM: The dough has rested and I attempt to form it into a ball. However, the dough is too wet for my novice hands to handle. I barely fold it over onto itself but I think the idea is to stretch out the dough without breaking all the air pockets, which I think I was more successful doing than last time. Because of this inability to fold the dough over, there is hardly a crease in the final product (see below).

12:36 AM, Monday: The second rise -- the dough expanded slightly beyond the Silpat (have I mentioned how I love that thing?!). I'm not sure if this is because I didn't quite form it into a ball or because the dough really got a chance to rise this time (unlike attempt #1).

1:12 AM: The bread was thrown (rather sloppily) into the heated cast iron pot and covered a half hour earlier (I didn't get a picture at this point because I was afraid of losing the heat from the oven). Here it is with the cover removed to brown it. (Dear's modified ragu sauce is cooking beside it.)

1:30 AM: Finished product right out of the oven -- like I said, the dough was thrown in too sloppily and the pot was too hot to handle to clean up the dough on the edges. Unfortunately, it was too late to have fresh bread and I also had issues getting the loaf out (more on that later) so I left it in the pot overnight. The truly foolish thing I did was cover the pot so the next day all the condensation from the trapped heat moistened the crust. :(

10:32 PM: Bread wrapped in plastic after a few slices were taken for a simple sandwich. (Yeah, I know, we have a lot of clutter in the kitchen.)

This bread attempt came out a lot airy-er (see the giant air pockets above) and the inside is nice and soft and moist (but not like Wonder Bread-moist). I think I can get back the crustiness that I so desire by popping it back in the oven.

Some thoughts:
* This cast iron pot needs more seasoning so that the bread can be released more easily when done. Parts of the bread stuck to the bottom of the pot and there are little black specks on the bread's bottom as well. Hey, we all need a little iron right? :P j/k, I've had to cut/scrape/eat around those lovely bits of crust, losing even more of my favorite part. Other than the slight sticking, I like using this pot more than the enameled cast iron because it produces a higher loaf (much like what you would find in the store) and I don't have to worry about the pot handle being able to withstand the high temperature.
* Even though this bread takes little effort, it still takes quite a bit of time. I'm not sure if this is exactly worth it, but worth doing once in a while for fresh bread.
* I used different flour and yeast this time. I'm not sure if this contributed to better results but the Fleischman's yeast did not have as strong of a yeasty odor as the other one I used (forgot the name of that one and I can't find that unfinished packet). The King Arthur flour feels more fine to me than the generic store brand one. Again, not sure that makes a difference.
*I wonder if my dough is still too wet at the point of making it into a ball.
* I'd like to try using some whole wheat or multi-grain flour for a more healthful option next time. In the far off future, I'd also like to try adding some herbs, nuts, or olives.

Unrelated note: I had some Indian food on Friday and that has cured my Indian cravings at least for a while. More on that if I have time later this week.

Homemade bread

I had been eager to try this famous no-knead bread that I first read about in Mark Bittman's weekly column in the NY Times, and now that I've tried it, I want to do it again! In the past, the idea of taking my frustrations out by punching dough seemed like a glamorous idea until I got tired of doing that halfway through. So I was very interested in this method where you just mix yeast, flour, and water together, let it sit for 12-18 hours, shape it, then let it rise again for 2 hours, then throw into a very hot, covered pan for less than an hour.

The results were pretty good (very crusty, with soft insides) but I think I need to practice it some more before I can say I mastered it. For one thing, I made a huge mess when I was trying to prepare the dough for the second rise. It was so sticky that I couldn't shape it at all and I think I handled it so much that it knocked some of the air out of it, leading to denser bread than I would have liked.

But overall, great bread (especially for a first try) for relatively little effort and extremely low cost. The leftovers were great toasted too. I sliced it thinly and topped it with some Japanese eggplant and minced meat from Deluxe in Ctown (courtesy of the 'rents) and it was like a fusion Asian bruschetta -- yummy!!


Needless to say, I would definitely try this recipe again and you can too:

No-Knead Bread
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1-1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1-1/4 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1-5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a a cotton towel (not terry cloth) [I used a Silpat instead] with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is OK. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
Yield: One 1-1/2 pound loaf.
Recipe courtesy of The New York Times

Some things to keep in mind for next time -- I used a 7 qt. enamel cast iron pot, which led to a fairly flat and wide loaf. I would like to try our cast iron Dutch oven next (I think it is 5 qt. or so) so that I can get a higher loaf. Also, with the non-enamel cast iron pot, I don't have to worry about the handle being able to stand the high temperature. With the enamel pot, I had to unscrew the handle and substitute a metal cabinet door knob instead, which was a bit of a precarious situation (think scorching hot metal twirling and flapping around as you try to lift a heavy cover).

Frying fries

One big cooking production that I don't mind as much is making fries from scratch. A few weeks ago, we needed to use up the big bag of potatoes we bought and that were beginning to sprout, so I peeled them all (skinning a knuckle and fingernail in the process), Dear cut them into strips, and we fried everything in a cast iron pot.

Cut potatoes, draining before the fry

Potatoes in the oil, with a splatter screen over them to help with cleanup afterwards.

After the first fry, potatoes we put them on racks to drain the oil.

When fries drained, we transferred them to a bowl to cool down.

Fries, after the second fry

We fried the fries a second time to give them crispness (first fry was to cook the potatoes through). Then we sprinkled garlic salt over them -- so good! My mouth waters to think about it now.

Complete meal: fries, steak, and corn

Two Asian-inspired dinners

This past week I cooked two full meals (perhaps my first in the apartment, if you don't count scrambled eggs or pouring a bowl of cereal for breakfast). First I made a coconut shrimp soup off the "Everyday Food" site. I left out the red pepper flakes because I can't take the heat and used whatever noodles I found in the pantry since we don't have angel hair pasta and I figured Asian noodles would fit in better with all the Asian flavors happening anyway. I also forgot to get cornstarch so it was a bit loose but I think it turned out fine.

I was hesitant about adding all the ginger and garlic (not that there is much) b/c when I cooked with those aromatics in the past those flavors would be so overwhelming to me. However, this time I microplaned the ginger (instead of mincing with a knife, which would result in chunks due to my lack of knife skills) and it melted into the soup without being overwhelming at all. In fact, it provided just enough ginger flavor that was offset by the sweet carrots and rich coconut milk.

The recipe is quite simple and with practice I think I can get it down to less than one hour before dinner is ready and served. Since it was a recipe for 4 servings, I didn't add in all the shrimp (plus I got real tired of peeling all of them!) and I put in just enough noodles for one meal. I figured that I could just add in fresh shrimp and noodles for a meal later in the week. Unfortunately, I foolishly put the rest of the shrimp in the freezer and it was too late to defrost in time for the next dinner. So I had to resort to my old stir fry.

I was turned off to stir fry because I was/am just so bored by it but this time I had no choice. However, with the powerburner that we have on the stove plus the professional Chinese wok that Dear picked up from a restaurant supply store, I think it came out OK. (I am half-kidding about the wok b/c I think it is the heat that makes all the difference) I microplaned the ginger again but slightly overcooked the pork. The Chinese broccoli came out just right though (that vegetable is really growing on me -- I love the crisp stems). Thankfully this was just a meal for me (gotta finish it before Dear returns from his business trip, lest I be embarassed!).

So for future reference, here's the recipe for the shrimp soup:

Coconut Shrimp Soup
Serving: Serves 4

Ingredients
* 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/4 to 1/2 Teaspoon red-pepper flakes
* 1 Pound (6 to 8 medium) carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
* 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
* 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
* 4 Ounces angel hair pasta
* 1 1/2 Pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
* 1/4 Cup freshly squeezed lime juice
* Coarse salt
* 4 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large (3-quart) saucepan over medium-low heat. Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots, coconut milk, and 3 cups water. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until smooth; add to pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Break pasta in half; add to pot. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until pasta is al dente and carrots are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add shrimp; stir until opaque, about 1 minute. Remove pot from heat, and stir in lime juice; season with salt. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with scallions.

Valentine's dinner redux

There are many things wrong with the above picture (why is there a spoon instead of a fork, why so much rice, hardly any presentation to the food, messy 'table') but the taste was anything but wrong. Add to the things that are wrong with the picture the fact that it is actually mostly leftovers that I heated up for myself when Dear was working late the other day, but it was still some good eating.

As I blogged about previously, Dear made me bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin and scallops for that pagan holiday and while the second iteration of it in the convection oven wasn't as good, I was able to snap a picture for remembrance's sake.

It ain't easy

This homemaking stuff is hard! I don't know how people manage to work, cook, clean, eat, sleep, and still manage to have some leisure time. Because right now, I do at least 2 of those aforementioned activities on the subway (sleep, read somewhat leisurely, and sometimes eat). Thankfully, Dear is there to do most of the cooking while I labor away at the apartment. It's moving along very slowly and it's obvious that things won't be ready in time for Chinese New Year. :( I now see why people need to hire maids to help clean, or nannies to take care of their children.

SIDENOTE: I remember a while ago, not having much to do (I was screaming boredom at the humdrum-ness of my life), and then all of a sudden, I had a wedding to plan, and now an apartment to make home, and no time to relax. Where was the busy-ness back then?!

Latest memorable meals: shrimp and pasta in a lemon and butter sauce and for V-day (aka pagan holiday) bacon-wrapped pork tenderloins and scallops. The pork, as the name suggests, is very tender and wrapping the bacon (my favorite all-time food!) made it taste like a big hunk o' tender bacon. I was in bacon heaven!

Venzuelan and Vietnamese

With fixing up the apartment and slowly moving things over, we've had a lot of takeout lately. We always manage to get tied up somehow or another doing something and before you know it, it is too late to cook. We don't have the usual options of pizza (Dear is not a fan of cheese) and fast food (I hate McDonald's, Wendy's, BK, White Castle) so we've had to seek alternatives.

One night we tried Mama's Empanadas.* There is one by Queens Center (closest to us), as well as one in Manhattan and another somewhere else in Queens. It was around 9 at night and we decided to go there on a whim (I suddenly remembered the review I read in the NY Times months ago and I had been meaning to try it but we never had the chance to be in the neighborhood) so the 40 varieties was totally overwhelming to me. The cashier's impatient, nonchalant attitude did not help either. But in the end, the $9.50 meal for two was worth it and I would totally go back (if not to try all the flavors). So I got the following while Dear waited in a No Parking zone (parking is very scarce in that area): ground beef (in both the flour and corn versions), chicken (in both the flour and corn), pork, Cubano (ham, cheese, & pork), and a dessert one with maduro (ripe plaintains -- yummy!!) and cheese. The corn ones were the best (very crunchy outside and reminded me of an arepa) and I loved the dessert one. Service was pretty quick for fresh-out-of-the-fryolator-goodness and the price is right: each empanada was either $1 or $1.50 (we didn't get the fancy lobster or seafood ones, which cost more). After a short drive back to our apartment, the empanadas were still crisp and not at all soggy. Unlike the ones that I first had in Venezuela, these were also not overly greasy (some varieties also have a baked version for those more health conscious), though they were quite a bit smaller.
*an empanada is a portable snack made of pastry and filled with all sorts of cooked meats and even sweet fillings (most people are familiar with it through Argentina, but I learned of it through Venezuela; I am not sure where the owners of Mama's are from); similar to a large dumpling in Asian cooking or a small calzone in Italian cuisine; comparisons may also be made to the Jamaican patty or a turnover

When we sat down to tuck in, I was worried that we would have no idea which empanada was which (would I be surprised with eating a dessert one before a savory one?) but each little patty was in its own appropriately labeled paper packet and the guy was able to distinguish which was which by matching up the pattern of holes in the side with a diagram on the wall. Nifty!! (I first saw this in Venezuela -- guess the "technology" was able to make it here as well.) Next time I'd like to give their meals and batidas a try.

Along with all the trips to the Home Depot we've also revisited Pho Bang in Flushing. Ever since the one near Chatham Square in Ctown closed, we've not had proper Vietnamese food. I was actually getting a bit tired of it but with the months-long hiatus, the wonderfully complex flavors of the bowls of Pho were renewed for me. I love how they package their takeout so that you could experience it as best you can from home -- they separate out the meat, noodles, mint, basil, lemons, and bean sprouts so that they don't get soggy or overcooked. One of the nights Dear also ordered the spring rolls and when I opened the bag of herbs that they provided -- whew, was it refreshing! But my favorite so far has been the beef stew with French bread, perfect for a cold day. Even though the bread was not as crusty as I would like (probably because it was steaming inside the plastic bag it was put in -- this, they did not package well), it was still very good for sopping up the thick, lemongrassy stew. The bread was very soft and airy on the inside and had a buttery taste to it, so it was no surprise that the bread was finished before the stew. Not that the stew was not worth noting, because it certainly is with its big tender chunks of beef, carrot, and tendon (parts of the gelatinous tendon melts into the stew as it cooks to thicken it). I was stuffed (probably b/c of the bread) when I still had half a bowl left so I brought the leftovers for lunch the next day. Paired with half a French baguette from Au Bon Pain, it was perfect! The warm bread was crusty and flaky on the outside, soft on the inside. I could have just eaten the bread soaked in the stew and had the meat as a side dish, it was that good! Shoo wee!

Mexican night

The other day Dear made dinner for the BS group -- it was a big production, but I think it turned out quite well. He began by rubbing the pieces of chicken (that he de-boned himself, of course) the previous night with Goya's Adobo. Ever since I tried the chicken burrito from Chipotle, I've fallen into salivating love with that Spanish flavor and it's so much easier to get the seasoning than it is to make from scratch. He also cleaned up strips of skirt steak the night before but he didn't season it until right before grilling. On the day of, he grilled the chicken and beef while I helped him saute the onions and peppers. We also heated up the tortillas in the oven, along with some tortilla chips. When things were done grilling and cooking, Dear wrapped everything up in foil and kept it warm in the oven.

For the tortilla chips, we got a jar of the "Deli Style" medium salsa from Costco. It was chunky, a bit spicy, pretty fresh-tasting, and almost tasted like homemade. Good thing we didn't spend too much time to make it from scratch. The cool salsa was a great complement to the warm chips.

The chicken and beef had a great smokiness, though I think the Adobo flavor has died down some since we first bought it about a year ago. They were still good and juicy though. Along with the shredded cheese and warm tortilla (all we were missing was sour cream!), we had some good eating. I had three and was clamoring for more but there was none left. :(

Falafel and French food

Given my carnivorean tastes and dislike for beans, I just had my first falafel sandwich today. I had heard good things about the balls of ground up chickpeas at a place close to work on Broadway (think it's called Broadway Cafe) so I went there. The guy behind the counter constructed the sandwich by first cutting an end off of a pita to open it. Then he threw in 3 falafel balls (they look like browned meat balls) and put it through the commercial toaster oven. When the sandwich came out, he drizzled some loose tan-colored sauce (tahini) over it, then piled on a chunky salad of cucumbers, green bell peppers, and tomatoes and he finished it off with more of the tahini on top. Somewhere along the line he added hommus too.

There was a lot of salad to get through at the top (I usually dislike raw vegetables), but the tahini and the crisp pita bread made it easy. Then I got to the falafel. With all the spices and density of the packed ground chickpeas, it was quite enjoyable. The tahini (though a bit bitter on its own) made everything a bit creamy, kinda like adding mayo to sandwiches. Towards the bottom of the sandwich, I think I got the full experience of what everything should taste like: each bite had some pita, falafel, salad, and tahini, where the salad cooled down the spices in the falafel, and the wet tahini held everything together yet juxtaposed the crispiness of the pita well. All in all, I'd have this again and IF I was forced to be a vegetarian, this would make it on my menu (next to the vegetarian duck). Speaking of which, I've not had meat all day!

But chew on this, my other food story! Last Wednesday, since we were let out early from work for Thanksgiving, I had a long leisurely lunch on the LES at Lucien. It is a charming little French bistro on 1st & 1st, complete with French waiters and a table of patrons taking a very loooooong lunch (actually it seemed like they were just on the aperitif part of the meal b/c I didn't see them have anything but wine). They also decorated the place "very French" -- the waitress explained that they like to decorate with eggs when we inquired about the odd (stationary) ferris wheel-like rack on the counter that held over a dozen eggs on display, like a bunch of egg cups combined. But I digress -- the food was worth writing home (or to the public at large) about.

I ordered a bouillabaise, my standby, since I just love seafood. If only I had brought my camera, since the presentation was so nice. Besides the usual shrimp, clams, mussels, and white fish (probably cod) arrayed around the plate, there was a half lobster in the middle of the dish. As the waiter brought it out, all we could see were the antenna and part of the head, little did we know there'd be a body attached! All the seafood was well-cooked (nothing overdone) and to dip their fresh, crusty bread in the soup was quite tasty. It was a bit of a bother to have to disassemble a lobster sitting in reddish liquid when you're wearing a white dress shirt, but they made it easier by cracking the claw in all the strategic places (but still keeping everything intact for presentation purposes) and also providing a lobster fork and a bowl to discard all the other shells. I think the bouillabaise could have used some more flavor from the sea (besides salt) -- it definitely wasn't very complex and full-bodied to me. But thank goodness for the dessert, the real piece de resistance (isn't it always?).

Before I get to the end of the meal, though, I'll add that my companion had the duck, which was also presented beautifully -- it had height and sat on a bed of wine infused beets and some spinach. I didn't taste it though, so I hardly remember anything else about it except that my companion really liked it too. And while we were enjoying our respective dishes and conversing, the owner/manager came over to us (he was sitting on the table with the loungers) and asked how we liked our meal. I thought he was just an over-friendly Frenchman, or perhaps jovial from the wine, but then he asked if he could buy us a glass of wine. We turned him down (being the polite Asians that we are) and proceeded to eat. Later on, someone else from the table approached us and asked if we'd like a drink -- he'd pour it right from their table. But we just couldn't but instead, tried to get dessert out of him, which he just laughed about. Oh well, we tried.

But good thing that didn't deter us from ordering dessert. We got the apple tarte tatin with cinnamon ice cream. I'm not one for cooked apples, so I wasn't expecting much. I'm also not a huge fan of cinnamon but the melting ice cream next to the hot apples infused just the right amount of spice, while adding a smooth creaminess from the ice cream, much like a good dollop of whipped cream would have provided. The apples were sliced very thinly so that it wasn't mushy at all; the layers of it added a bit of crunch and fresh apple-ness but were also cooked to just melt in the mouth after a few bites. The absolute best part of it all was the thin, caramelized sugar coating on top, with the same crunch and crackling of the sugar between your teeth as with a creme brulee top (also on their menu). Ooooh, was it good!

LUCIEN: B

Mango/peach smoothie

My co-worker is a vegan and she suggested this smoothie:

frozen bananas
frozen peaches or mangoes
vanilla extract
honey

For 2 ppl: add water to 4 cup line in blender and blend. I've never tried smoothies sans milk, so this will be interesting. Once we unpack everything (including our new blender/food processor), this will definitely be on the list to break in the blender. This ought to be a good breakfast item as well!

NYC BBQ!

This past Sunday a bunch of us went to the 4th Annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party by Madison Square Park on 23rd. It was a gorgeous day (a little windy but so sunny and not too hot) to have a little picnic on the grass with jazz playing in the background. I had always wanted to go (forgetting about which weekend it's on every year) so I'm glad I was told about it last minute.

The event is actually a gathering of 10 renowned 'experts' from around the country that come to barbecue for two days. There were pitmasters from TX, MS, MO and other southern states from the bbq belt. They each charge $7 for a sampling of their food (which in retrospect, is not exactly the best bargain out there) but ppl will wait in lines to get a taste of some good 'cue.

We split up into 3 groups, each waiting on different lines so that we could most efficiently taste as many different things as possible. While deciding what to do on the Salt Lick BBQ line (TX), a woman said that she enjoyed the rib tips from Smoki O's (MO) so we headed there.

Here are the Smoki O's rib tips with baked beans. Some of the ribs had barely any meat on it (hence tips) but when it did, it was yummy! What really surprised me were the beans though. I normally hate beans, especially the baked variety but these beans were hearty, smoky, creamy and sweet (no bean flavor!). You could tell a lot of molasses and bacon went into making them.


Pulled pork shoulder from Ubon’s “Championship Choice” (MS) -- I loved this (as I generally love pulled pork) b/c it was so tender and flavorful. Their famous BBQ dipping sauce was not so great though. I thought it was overly sour and too loose. Their coleslaw was interesting though -- it was very peppery, a little sweet, and had no mayo.


And the long-awaited beef brisket and sausage from Salt Lick -- we finished eating the other two plates before they came back with the goods and they were waiting on the line before we did. So, unfortunately, I was quite full already and I couldn't enjoy it as much. But that first bite was soooo good! The smokiness (there were smoke rings) and overall flavor was very good. The sausage, quite sizeable, was alright (I'm not a big fan of sausage unless it's in small portions) and the coleslaw was just ordinary (not a fan of slaw either).


I kept smelling something like barbecued yams but couldn't locate it, much to my dismay. But still some good eating! If I had to rate everything, my favorite was the pulled pork, then the brisket, then the rib tips. I'm not sure if I'd go again next year (kinda expensive and I think my dear does 'cue better).

Baltimore Eating

This past weekend we went to Baltimore, MD. Here are the culinary highlights (I forgot to take a picture of the pit leg of lamb sandwich that I had at the Sheep and Wool Festival though).

We had what is probably the BEST crab cake that I've ever had at Faidley's in Lexington Market. Lots of tender lump crab (no filler at all, just a little something to hold it together when they deep fry it) with a tinge of mustard flavor. We got 2 sides with the platter: cucumber salad (surprisingly good, very light, and refreshing) and fries. This was a good light (and late) lunch before the dinner we had at 7pm.
For dinner, we had crabs at Obrycki's in Fell's Point. We spent many hours in this restaurant. After the six of us polished off 2 dozen crabs, we ordered more food. Some ordered linguine and dessert but I stuck to just dessert (key lime pie) and some potato skins with bacon(!).


The next day, for lunch, we ate at Eat Bertha's Mussels in Fell's Point. The restaurant is in a charming building that looks as if it used to be a house, with little nooks and alcoves in unexpected places. I had the mussels with garlic butter and basil sauce and also tried the garlic butter and capers sauce.

This time around, we stayed away from eating at the Inner Harbor, which seemed to be a good move b/c we didn't spend oodles of money on little food. Thank you New York Times for sharing good places to eat at!