September 25, 2013

Spicy Garlic Eggplant

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Spicy Garlic Eggplant

Spicy Garlic Eggplant

September 25: National Eggplant Day

We blogged about a Filipino-style eggplant omelet (tortang talong) before. This recipe post is about a Chinese-style side dish—eggplants in a spicy garlic sauce. Our Hawaii friends, Patrick and Phyllis S., introduced us to this appetizer when we all went to a Chinese restaurant in town. It tasted rich, spicy, garlicky and so very delicious!

We know that Patrick loves eggplants, so when we go to their house for a potluck meal, we bring tortang talong or this spicy garlic eggplant dish to make our host happy!

Celebrate National Eggplant Day with a simple Szechuan side dish and cook spicy garlic eggplant.

Recipe

(Adapted from AllRecipes.com) 

Ingredients

  • 2 Asian eggplants
  • 2+ tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons sugar, granulated white or brown
  • ½ teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • ½ tablespoon oyster sauce
  • sliced green onions or chopped cilantro (optional garnish)

Directions

Wash and dry the eggplant. Trim off the top. Dice into 1-inch pieces and cut in half (moon-shape). Heat the oil in a skillet or wok. Add the eggplant pieces and cook until soft, gently stirring occasionally. Add more oil a little at a time, if needed, to cook the eggplant.  Pour in the water and red pepper flakes. Cover, lower the heat and simmer until the water is absorbed.

Spicy Garlic Eggplant

Stir in the minced garlic. In a measuring cup, combine the sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Mix until smooth. Pour over the eggplant and mix well. When the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with green onions or cilantro. Serve hot with plain rice.

Spicy Garlic Eggplant

Notes

  • Other versions of this recipe include ground pork and minced ginger.
  • Asian eggplants are of the long variety, although the fatter, rounder eggplants may be used. Cut the latter into bite-sized pieces and cook until soft but not mushy. Cooking time may vary, depending on the thickness of the eggplant.

 

 

 

September 15, 2013

Linguine with Shrimp and Garlic Cream Sauce

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Linguine with Shrimp

and Garlic Cream Sauce

Linguine Shrimp

September 15: National Linguine Day

Islander’s co-worker, Luigi M., invited us to dinner with his wife and daughter to celebrate Islander’s promotion from a part-timer to a rare full-timer position in their department back when we lived in Illinois. The hospitable family from Sardinia prepared a delicious dinner of bruschetta (Luigi insists on pronouncing it “broos-ketta”), salad (made with fresh vegetables and herbs from their garden), linguine with shrimp and garlic cream sauce and tiramisu!

We remember Luigi and his family every time we cook linguine (his nickname in Islander’s department was “Luigi Linguine, ” although he always brought his beloved bruschetta to potlucks and probably reserved his pasta dish for special dinners at his place).

In honor of her co-worker and in observance of National Linguine Day, we made linguine with shrimp and garlic cream sauce. Buon appetito!

Recipe

(Adapted from Luigi M.)

  • ½ pound linguine pasta noodles
  • 1 dozen jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cook the linguine pasta noodles al dente, according to the package. Drain the water and keep the linguine warm. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil in medium heat. Sauté the garlic cloves until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley.

Linguine Shrimp

Add the shrimp and cook until pink. Remove the shrimp from the skillet. Stir in the sour cream constantly so it does not separate from the butter and oil. When the sauce has a smooth and creamy consistency, season with salt and pepper. Put the shrimp back into the skillet and mix with the sauce. Put the linguine on plates and pour the sauce and shrimp over the noodles. Garnish with additional parsley (optional) and serve immediately.

Linguine Shrimp

Notes

  • The garlic cloves may be minced instead of kept whole for this recipe.
  • National Pasta Day is October 17. Search our blog for more recipe posts on pasta.
 

September 1, 2013

Side Street Inn Fried Rice

Posted by HI Cookery under 09 September | Tags: , , , , , |
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Side Street Inn-Style Fried Rice

Side Street Inn Fried Rice

September: National Rice Month

When we are back home in Hawaii, we eat comfort food for cheap at L&L Drive-Inn or Loco Moco. But our best friends wanted to treat us to something a little more “gourmet” and took us to Side Street Inn on Kapahulu Avenue near Waikiki. That restaurant is always packed with people for good reason. The food is filling and tastes so ‘ono! We all ordered different dishes to share but had to double-up on the fried rice because our group can consume it quickly!

Rice is a staple in Hawaii where the food is influenced from Asia and the Pacific Rim. Like Hawaii’s cuisine, fried rice is a mixture of many cultures. Side Street Inn’s fried rice features Portuguese sausage, Chinese barbecued pork (char siu) and Japanese seasoning.

Rice is usually served as a side dish but when fried with a variety of vegetables and meat, it becomes a main entrée. For National Rice Month, cook some comfort food like the locals do and make Side Street Inn fried rice.

Recipe

(Adapted from The Honolulu Star-Bulletin)

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cooked rice
  • ½ cup Portuguese sausage, diced
  • 2 slices bacon, chopped
  • ½ cup green onions, chopped
  • ½ cup char siu (Chinese barbecued pork), chopped
  • ½ cup frozen peas and carrots
  • 4 tablespoons oyster sauce (not oyster-flavored sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons hon dashi (ramen/saimin noodle soup flavoring)

Directions

Refrigerate the cooked rice overnight to remove moisture. When ready to fry it, remove from the refrigerator and loosen up the kernels. Dice the Portuguese sausage.

Side Street Inn Fried Rice

Chop the bacon, green onions and char siu. In a large pot/pan/skillet, saute the Portuguese sausage and bacon until cooked through. Add rice and mix well.

Side Street Inn Fried Rice

Stir in the green onions. Add the char siu and peas and carrots. Season with oyster sauce, salt and hon dashi. Mix well. Transfer to a platter. Garnish with extra chopped green onions.

Side Street Inn Fried Rice

Notes

  • Day-old rice that has been refrigerated is best for fried rice dishes.
  • Although the Side Street Inn chef says that hon dashi is what adds flavor to the recipe, we eliminated the salt and lessened the oyster sauce so that the seasonings would not taste too overpowering. Hon dashi is available at most Asian grocery stores and markets.
  • Search our blog for more rice recipes.
 

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