How about some quick gourmet for Star Wars Day? Then try these recipes for “Rey’s Portion Bread”. The “bread” heats up instantaneously, just like in the movie “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens”, and it is enough for a single serving (or two petite portions) for geeks on the go!
We have adapted two recipes for this blog post and used the magic of the microwave for the bread to cook quickly. They are as “appetizing as they look” (honestly, these mug cakes don’t taste that bad!). For Rey, the portion bread was her sustenance on the desert planet of Jakku; for film fans it could be an extra amusing snack or dessert on Earth. Either way, this is a fun food to eat on Star Wars Day. May the Fourth be with you!
Grease a large ramekin or microwave safe mug or small bowl with the oil. In a separate bowl, combine the cake flour, sugar and matcha powder.
Add the baking powder and pinch of salt. Stir in the milk and vanilla until the ingredients are well combined.
Pour into the greased ramekin. Place in the microwave and heat on high for 40-45 seconds. Carefully remove from the microwave and cool slightly before eating.
In a bowl or plastic bag (the latter is for later use), combine the matcha powder, flour, salt and sugar. In a small bowl, melt the coconut oil. Stir in the milk (cold milk will solidify the melted coconut oil).
Beat the egg into the oil-milk mixture. Add the dry to wet ingredients, stirring with a clean finger (like Rey did) or a whisk, until smooth and well blended. Portion the batter into two small ramekins (or one large mug). Microwave for 1½ minutes. Carefully remove from the microwave and cool slightly before eating.
Notes
In the second recipe, place the dry ingredients in a zipper top plastic bag (Rey received her rations this way) for later use. Whenever hunger hits, strike back like the Empire and prepare the portion bread by mixing the contents of the dry pack with fresh liquid ingredients.
If the mug cake looks a little undercooked, zap it in the microwave for another five seconds. Take it out and let the heat continue to cook as it cools slightly. Avoid overcooking as it will turn as hard as an asteroid rock.
Thanks to Islander’s brother for letting us borrow his Star Wars book, “The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary”, for the food photos above.
We have attended “Star Wars Celebration III” in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2005. Islander and her brother attended “Star Wars Celebration” in Chicago, Illinois, in 2019. Both were FANtastic experiences!
Look for more Star Wars recipes on our blog by searching under the Theme Menussection.
We can’t afford to fly business class and collect other cute mini houses. But we can easily make a mini Dutch butter cake. We halved the original recipe because it is rich (like people who can travel luxuriously on KLM), especially since we used European-style butter with a creamier and higher fat content. This type of butter makes this snack cake very flavorful. So splurge on this ingredient to make boterkoek on National Butter Day.
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened (we used European style butter)
¾ cup sugar, granulated white
½ tablespoon almond extract
1 egg
1 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup sliced almonds
Directions
In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Stir in the almond extract. Beat in the egg. Set asude, In another bowl, combine the flour with baking powder.
Gradually blend this into the butter mixture until smooth. The batter will be thick. Grease a 6-inch round cake pan. Press the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, testing the cake with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove from the pan. Slice and serve.
Our favorite Korean restaurant back in Hawaii is Yummy Korean BBQ. It is informal, fast and relatively cheap for huge portions—and it lives up to its name! Islander and her ohana (family) order Korean plate lunches at the food court (Navy Exchange Pearl Harbor, Don Quijote/Daiei Waipahu, Ala Moana and Pearlridge centers) where Yummy Korean BBQ is located. As creatures of habit, Islander always gets kalbi, Highander orders bulgogi, Mommy and Daddy share a combo plate with barbecue beef and chicken and Islander’s brother gets meat jun.
Meat jun in Hawaii is basically soegogi-jeon in Korean. The pancakes are thinly sliced marinated pieces of meat, usually beef, dipped in flour and eggs and fried in a pan. It is a very flavorful food and we sometimes cook this for Islander’s brother when he visits us. It reminds us of the local ethnic cuisine from home as well as our good times together as ohana.
Make yummy memories—and meat jun—for the family during National Beef Month!
1 pound of beef ribeye or top sirloin, sliced thinly across the grain
¾ cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup sugar
½ cup water
8 eggs, beaten
flour
oil for frying
Directions
Slice the beef across the grain. With a meat mallet, pound it down to 1/8-inch thin. In a bowl, pour the soy sauce.
Mix in the minced garlic. Stir in the sugar and water. Add the thin slices of meat.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs. In a flat pan, add the flour. Take a slice of meat and let the marinade drip back into its bowl. Dredge it on both sides with flour, shaking off excess. Coat in egg mixture. Fry in oil in a skillet, browning both sides. Drain on paper towel. Slice and serve hot with dipping sauce (see Notes) and steamed rice.
Notes
Dipping sauce is optional. To make it, combine 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and a pinch of red or black pepper in a measuring cup. Mix and dish out on dipping saucers.
Dia duit and aloha. Failte and
e komo mai. Greetings and welcome to HI Cookery! Highlander and Islander (HI) are gradually building this blog by attempting to "cook the calendar" with ethnic and eclectic recipes.
HI COOKERY 