Other things I want to eat when I am home

Being the compulsive list-maker that I am, I figured I should start a list of all the other things I want to eat when we are home in Hawaii. Yes, of course I am excited about seeing my family and friends, but you need to understand how important the food is! Hawaii is such a unique melting pot...

manapua - from libby's
malasadas - from leonard's
poke' - from fish express
pork hash
macadamia nut ice cream
kona coffee ice cream
shave ice - from the north shore
hula pie - from duke's
crab & lobster - fresh caught by either of my brothers or my dad
palani - fresh caught and pulehu'd on the grill the same day
guava cake - from delight bakery
lilikoi chiffon pie - from omoide bakery
fresh guavas, lilikoi, papaya, and pineapple (too bad mango season will be over by then!)
hamura's saimin
long john's - from my mom's & step dad's bakery (daylight donuts)
sweet chicken - from hanamaulu cafe
lau lau
manju - from lawai store
poi
kulolo
kona coffee
chicharon - made by my dad
pork guisantes
authentic bento box / box lunch
fresh sashimi
char siu
lumpia
bundai bundai
boot boot
POG

java kai *never been here but I hear it is THE place for coffee on Kauai

Kinja II - Galbi

I love going to Kinja II. The ladies there now recognize me as a regular, even over the phone when I call in my pickup order. There's the one out front who is the hostess/ waitress/ cashier; the one who is the sushi chef; and the one who works in the back cooking. The one in the back is older and I think the mother of the other two. I'm all about supporting the family enterprise.

Today I decided to get the galbi plate. Galbi is Korean short ribs which are marinated and then grilled. The marinade usually consists of soy sauce, garlic, and sugar. While this version is delicious (maybe a tad bit salty), I think my mom's is way better. She got her recipe from my grandfather who got it while he was over in Korea during the Korean War.

The galbi is served with a generous portion of steamed white rice and some common Korean sides: kim chee (fermented cabbage), daikon (pickled radish), and beans which I don't know the name of. The Korean sides are served cold and the aroma instantly takes me back to childhood. At dinner someone would usually crack open a bottle of kim chee or daikon and there was no mistaking the smell.

As I mentioned before, the prices at Kinja II are a bit steep for lunch ($15.95 for this plate which is the most expensive thing on the menu) but considering the quantity of food served, this is really enough for two meals. In fact I am saving the rest for lunch tomorrow.

Nothing beats steaming hot rice, some good protein, and familiar spicy side dishes--this is comfort food to me, forget the mac 'n cheese!

My rating (on this dish): 3.75 out of 5

Kinja II Sushi Express
1944 Walton Way
706-737-3333

Mom's home cooking

I haven't been back home to Hawaii in 5 years so I am really looking forward to this trip. I have already told Mom that I am preparing a list of things she NEEDS to cook while I am there so 1) I can learn how to make it, 2) I can take a picture of it as it's supposed to look, 3) I can satisfy these cravings I've been having for her cooking for a long time.

So here is the list so far (I reserve the right to update it as I think of more):

Chicken Kalamungai: made with green papayas, kalamungai leaves, a light broth, and of course, chicken. This is so good over rice with soy sauce. Total comfort food.

Pancit: filipino noodle dish made with shrimp, onions, carrots, and a host of other veggies. There is a lot of prep work involved with this dish but that is part of what makes it so special to me. I have fond memories of making this on Thanksgiving mornings with mom.

Patele: puerto rican dish similar to a tamale, except the masa is made from green bananas instead of corn and the inside stew meat is very different in flavor and texture. There is an enormous amount of preparation that goes into this dish requiring all-hands-on-deck-all-day. We would make many dozens of these and freeze them individually so that you could later take out just what you needed, steam them, and devour them.

Adobo: tangy, vinegary, aromatic filipino dish that smells up the whole house. There's no need to ask what's for dinner when this is cooking! Pork or chicken, it's all good.

Chicken Long Rice: shredded chicken, ginger, mushrooms, green onions, and cellophane noodles in a light broth. Another broke-da-mouth dish when served over rice with soy sauce. Mmmm.

Blueberry fun

With our trip to Hawaii quickly looming, I’ve been thinking about putting together some goodie bags for my family. Nothing complicated or fancy, just a few things to bring my “mainland” world back home. Since we now live out in the country with Brian’s family, and summertime means an abundance of blueberries on the farm, doing something homemade with them popped into mind...as in blueberry jam, perhaps?

I had never canned anything in my life and didn't know the first thing about making jellies or jams, but I knew my mother-in-law did and I thought this would be a fun project for us to do together. She was happy to oblige so Brian and I spent about an hour yesterday picking them. Later that night we made up a batch of the jam and while it was more time-consuming than I imagined, the end results were scrumptious. I can’t wait to share this with my family in Hawaii! Yum!

Recipe:
(from the Certo box)
4-1/2 cups mashed blueberries (about 4 pints pre-mashed)
7 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon butter
2 packages liquid Certo fruit pectin

WASH jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water (tip: wash jars in the dishwasher and leave them in until ready to use). Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

STEM and crush blueberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 4-1/2 cups prepared blueberries into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. Stir in lemon juice.

STIR sugar into prepared blueberries in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly.

INVERT jars for 5 minutes; then place right-side-up (this is the inversion method, I had no idea there were multiple ways to do this!).

Then wait on pins and needles for 24 hours to see if all your hard work paid off. If it sets up and tastes good you have yourself a winner! This recipe yielded 10-1/2 jars.

TakoSushi

Last night Brian and I went to TakoSushi, the "it" place for sushi here in Augusta. The food was good, but perhaps I expected more considering how much everyone raved about it. We got there a little early (5:30'ish) so we weren't suprised to be the first guests; but we were surprised that only one other table filled up by the time we left an hour later.

We started with the shrimp shumai which was just like I remembered it growing up. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a rich shrimp filling. Brian actually thought he was ordering gyoza (potstickers) and was surprised to see the little round dumplings on the plate when they arrived. I gave him a brief lesson on the differences between the two.

For the main course we got four different rolls:

• Super Krunchy: shrimp tempura, smoked salmon, avocado, cucumber, teriyaki glaze
• Crazy Roll (aka Kevin's Roll): shrimp tempura, fresh shrimp, crab, cucumber, avocado, teriyaki glaze, and aioli
• Cary's Roll: flash-fried tuna, salmon, yellowtail, cream cheese, with takkosushi sauce & teriyaki glaze
• Yasai Roll: japanese pickles, avocado, cucumber, asparagus, sprouts, scallions, & shredded veggies

They were all good but we decided the Yasai Roll was our least favorite and wouldn't get it again. It was dry. I guess vegetarians would probably enjoy it, but some type of sauce would make it a lot better. In fact, we ended up rolling it around in some of the leftover teriyaki glaze from the other rolls and found it much more appealing that way.

My favorite was the Crazy Roll as the shrimp and crab had a lovely texture. Brian liked the Super Krunchy roll as it reminded him of the Super Crunch we would always get at our favorite restaurant in Birmingham (Surin West). The description of the Cary's Roll was misleading as the entire roll was fried instead of just the tuna which is how we interpreted it. I have to admit it was still yummy, but an indulgence not to be had very often.

Would I recommend this restaurant? Sure. The food was fresh and the service was great. Our waiter was attentive and jumped in with suggestions. He also ensured our request for no avocado was carried through as Brian is allergic to the stuff. The decor is eclectic with earthy/southwestern colors. In fact, one half of the menu is southwestern so even non-sushi lovers should find something to appease them.

My rating: 4 out of 5

TakoSushi
Surrey Center
437 Highland Avenue
706-736-9191
http://www.tako-sushi.com/

Kinja II

I love sushi. Love-love-love it. I actually like most things asian, specifically Japanese, Thai, Korean, and Filipino but I digress...

Birmingham had a few sushi spots but nothing convenient to work or home so imagine my delight at finding Kinja II--sushi, Japanese, and Korean cuisine--only a few blocks from my new office. I am in heaven! They are moderately priced/bordering expensive for lunch, but I cannot help and indulge at least 2 times a week. And even though Brian and I carpool most days, I have found it to be a nice little walk--.6 miles one way, 1.2 round trip. So not only do I get my fill of asian, I walk it off too!

My first foodie post

I guess there is no time like the present to begin this blog. I'm not exactly sure in which direction I'll go with this, but my hope is to include photos, recipes, restaurant reviews, and whatever else is on my mind related to food. The whole world of foodie-ism opened up to me a few years ago when I stumbled across this blog: http://scentofgreenbananas.blogspot.com/.

Not only did Santos actually write about foods I knew about, but the storytelling and especially the photos really captivated me. I guess I hope to someday inspire people to let loose the foodie within the way Santos did for me (okay, that sounded pretty lame).