Tempura

January 7: National Tempura Day

Hawaii has a large population of Japanese immigrants and tourists. Islander grew up among Japanese neighbors. She also was selected at her university to participate in the competitive Japanese Exchange Teachers (JET) Programme (she declined the JET Programme offer but accepted Highlander’s marriage proposal that same year!). Japanese culture—and cuisine—have long been of interest to her.

Now Islander has an excuse to post a blog recipe of her favorite Japanese comfort food, shrimp and vegetable tempura, on National Tempura Day. And because the Japanese-style, lightly battered, fried shrimp and sliced vegetables are easy to prepare, tempura is a tasty and terrific dish that can be served on any day!

Recipe

(Adapted from Suite 101)

Ingredients

• 1 dozen jumbo shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined
• 1 large sweet potato, washed, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch thickness
• 1 onion, peeled, sliced and separated into rings
• other favorite vegetables and mushrooms

For the batter

• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• ¾ -1 cup ice cold water
• ¾ cup mochiko (sweet rice flour)
• ½ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• salt and white pepper to taste
• vegetable oil for frying

Directions

Straighten out the shrimp by making small cuts in the undercurve. Lay them flat to dry on paper towels. Slice the vegetables.

Make the batter by beating the egg white with ice cold water in a small bowl, then pouring the liquid into a larger bowl of mochiko, flour, baking powder, salt and white pepper. If the batter is too thick, add a bit of the ice cold water at a time until a desired dipping consistency is reached.

Coat the vegetables in the batter, letting the excess drip back in the bowl, and fry in hot oil, being careful not to splatter. Avoid overcrowding in the fryer. Cook until golden. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Dip the shrimp in the batter and fry in the same manner. Serve hot with steamed rice or sushi and tempura or soy sauce.

Notes

• Mushrooms and other vegetables, such as beans, potatoes, broccoli, eggplant, zucchini, etc. can be used to make tempura.
• Serve the tempura with a favorite dipping sauce. Specific bottled tempura sauce as well as mochiko (sweet rice flour) can be found at Asian markets or in the Asian-ethnic aisle of major grocery store chains.

Chicken Fried Steak

January 6: National Chicken Fried Steak Day

Howdy, y’all! Having lived in Oklahoma and currently in Texas, we are used to eating authentic, delicious down-home, Southern-style cooking. One comfort food we like is chicken/country fried steak (CFS), which is on Oklahoma’s official state meal list and is reputed to have originated in Texas from German and Austrian immigrants who introduced wienerschnitzel (see our blog post for a wienerschnitzel recipe) to the area in the 19th century. Ironically, there is no chicken in CFS—it is battered beef (tenderized cubed steaks) and fried like chicken. It fills up folks when served with buttermilk biscuits, cornbread or mashed potatoes with gravy and a side of vegetables. Celebrate National Chicken Fried Steak Day by cooking CFS!

Recipe

(Adapted from What’s Cooking America)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds cubed steaks, ½-inch thick
• ½ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1+ cup buttermilk baking mix (we used Bisquick brand)
• oil for frying

Directions

Pound the steaks to tenderize them and cut into individual portions. In a bowl, combine the flour with the garlic powder, salt and pepper. In another bowl, pour in the buttermilk. In the last bowl, put the buttermilk baking mix. First coat the steaks in the flour mixture and shake off any excess. Next dip in buttermilk.

Finally dredge the steaks in buttermilk baking mix. Fry the steaks in hot oil until browned and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.

Notes

• CFS is traditionally fried in a heavy cast-iron skillet so that a pan gravy can be made from the leftover grease. To make the gravy, skim off all but two tablespoons of grease from the pan. Stir in 2-3 tablespoons of the seasoned flour and whisk in about one cup of milk, scraping up some of the brown bits from the pan, until the sauce is thick and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. This gravy can be used to pour over the CFS and buttermilk biscuits (see our blog recipe post for buttermilk biscuits for National Buttermilk Buiscuit Day on May 14).

Galette des Rois (King’s Cake)

January 6: Epiphany/Feast Day of the Three Kings

Like many of her girlfriends, Islander has a fascination with royalty. Her home state of Hawaii was once its own thriving country ruled by a monarch (from King Kamehameha to Queen Liliuokalani) and she enjoys visiting their Victorian-influenced palaces that still remain as historic landmarks. Islander was also transfixed on the television during the worldwide broadcasts of the fairytale wedding (1981) and solemn funeral (1997) of Princess Diana, and she anticipates celebrating the royal nuptials of her son, William of Wales, heir to the British throne, and Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011.

For a simple yet regal observance of the Feast Day of the Three Kings (Three Wise Men or Magi), Islander makes a simple French-style king’s cake, galette des rois. Like many special dishes associated around the new year and Epiphany, this king’s cake may contain a hidden trinket, such as a dried bean (la féve), porcelain figurine, ceramic trinket or gold coin, to symbolize the Baby Jesus hiding from King Herod. Traditionally, the one who finds the trinket in his/her slice will be blessed with good luck for the rest of the year and even gets to be king or queen for the day. Top the galette des rois with a crown to represent the real royal of our lives—Jesus Christ, the King of All Kings!

Recipe

(Adapted from Group Recipes)

Ingredients

• 1 box (2 sheets) of puff pastry, thawed
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• ½ cup sugar, granulated white
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
• ½ cup almond flour/meal or blanched ground almonds
• 3 eggs, divided use
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 dried bean
• powdered sugar (optional)

Directions

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Add the extract, almonds, two eggs and cornstarch and mix until smooth. Cover and chill the filling for an hour or overnight.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unfold the thawed puff pastry and, using a round template, cut two circles.

Lay one circle on the parchment paper. Moisten a 1 ½ inch rim with the remaining beaten egg, being careful not to go over the edge or it might prevent the pastry dough from rising.  Spread the filling mixture on top. Place the dried bean on the filling.

Lay the other puff pastry circle on top. Seal well by pressing the tines of the fork on the edges. Make decorative score marks on top with a sharp paring knife. Prick a few vents on top. Freeze for about an hour or refrigerate overnight.

Transfer the cold galette des rois to a slightly larger round cake or tart pan with a lip. Brush with egg wash, being careful not to let it drip on the sides or it might prevent the pastry dough from rising. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. The galette des rois is done when the pastry if puffed up and turns a golden brown color. Remove from the oven to let cool. Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar (optional) and decorate with a paper crown or toy tiara.

Notes

• We used an 8-inch round pan as a template to cut the puff pastry. We used a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom lined with wax paper in which to bake our galette des rois.
• Let others know about la féve or hidden trinket in the cake. Explain its symbolism and issue a safety warning before eating a slice of it. Traditionally, the one whose slice contains la féve or hidden trinket becomes the king or queen of the day and is entitled to wear the paper crown or toy tiara.
• January 6 signals the end of the Christmas season as it is the 12th day of Christmas or Twelfth Night. The Christian calendar then returns to Ordinary Time in the liturgical year.
• There are many variations of king’s cakes around the world. Search our blog for different recipes for the new year, Epiphany and Mardi Gras.