June 8, 2017

Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

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Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

June 8: World Oceans Day

Islander grew up on the south-central shore of Oahu. But sometimes she and her family went up to the North Shore for some reason or another. The drive was about an hour one way but the mauka and makai scenery was a nice distraction that made the trip seem shorter. While on the other side of the island, we would stop to eat at one of the many food trucks/lunch wagons that sold shrimp dishes (classic cocktail, sweet and spicy, lemon pepper, fried coconut and garlic butter flavors). They taste so ‘ono (delicious)!

While the North Shore shrimp trucks use fresh shrimp from the Kahuku farms, we use sustainable shrimp harvested from the world’s oceans to cook our mainland meals. When trying any of the seafood recipes posted on our blog, we encourage readers to use brands that practice ethical and sustainable fishing and farming methods (look for labels on the package).

Celebrate World Oceans Day with sustainable seafood and cook Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp. Aloha!

Recipe

(Adapted from I Love Hawaiian Food Recipes)

Ingredients

  • 12 jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails intact
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1/8 – ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ stick butter
  • 12 cloves garlic, chopped
  • salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoon white wine
  • lemon wedges (optional garnish)

Directions

Rinse and pat dry the shrimp. In a pie plate, combine the flour, paprika and cayenne pepper. Dredge the shrimp in this mixture, shaking off the excess flour. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.

Saute the chopped garlic for about a minute. Then lay the shrimp on the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle salt to taste and cook for about three minutes. Turn the shrimp over and cook for a few more minutes. Finish the dish with white wine, cook until slightly evaporated, the garlic has browned and the shrimp is reddish in color. Serve hot with scoops of white steamed rice garnished with lemon wedges.

Notes

  • Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp is a variation of our shrimp scampi. Search our blog for other seafood recipes.
  • After eating at the shrimp truck in the North Shore, we would head to Ted’s Bakery for dessert and have a slice of chocolate haupia pie. Try our copycat recipe here.
  • One of our favorite movies is Disney’s “Moana” (“Vaiana”), which means “ocean” is many Polynesian/South Pacific languages. It is fun to watch this film on World Oceans Day.
  • Islander’s hometown is ‘Ewa Beach. Her ‘ohana (family) would spend some Sunday afternoons at the nearby beach park, with a distant view of Honolulu and Diamond Head. While Daddy would grill something on the hibachi, she and her brother and Mommy would gather a little limu (seaweed) for a side salad to complete our supper menu.
  • Islander is partial to the Pacific as her home state of Hawaii is right in the middle of the ocean. She used to participate with her schools to do volunteer trash pickup in ‘Ewa Beach so the community’s park and shore would stay clean. Please keep ALL beaches beautiful by picking up your trash (especially plastic products) and pet waste! Protecting our oceans from land litter is one of the premises of World Oceans Day.

 

 

May 28, 2017

Slow Cooker Brisket

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Slow Cooker Brisket

May 28: National Brisket Day

We have eaten our fair share of beef brisket as Texas residents. Whether barbecued, braised, baked, smoked or slow cooked, brisket is delicious shredded as a sandwich or taco filling or sliced and served with BBQ sauce, potatoes and sweet baked beans.

Brisket is a primal cut from the portion of beef breast or lower chest and can be a little tough and stringy. So the meat must be cooked slowly with some liquid to keep it moist and tender.

For a Tex-Mex touch, we slow cooked our brisket with beer/cerveza for a tender and tasty meat filling in soft or crispy tacos. Leftovers could be eaten with BBQ sauce between burger buns for a hearty sandwich. Whether for tacos or sandwiches, try this slow cooker brisket recipe for National Brisket Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Muy Bueno Cookbook)

Ingredients

  • 2-4 pounds beef brisket
  • 2 ounces liquid smoke (recommended 2 ounces per pound of brisket)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 12 ounces beer
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Line the crockpot container with slow cooker bags for easier cleanup. Place the beef brisket in the container, fat side up. Pour in the liquid smoke. Add the bay leaves.

Pour in the beer. Cover the crockpot with a lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 6-8 hours. Remove the brisket from the crockpot and transfer to a cutting board. Shred the brisket, discarding the fat, and place in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Notes

  • This slow cooker brisket is similar to our kalua pig (Hawaiian pulled pork) recipe.
  • Learn more about beef brisket from the Better Homes & Gardens website.
  • Smokin’ hot! We once attended Rodeo Houston’s World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest as guests of Highlander’s company’s associate sponsors. There were lots of tents/booths and barbecuing activities going on at the grounds of NRG Stadium. Coincidentally, the tent/booth to which we were invited won the contest in the best brisket division! However, unlike our brisket, they did not use a crockpot–just the Texas-sized grills!
 

May 16, 2017

Char Siu

Posted by HI Cookery under 05 May | Tags: , , , , |
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Char Siu

May 16: National Barbecue Day

Many people think that barbecues involve a grill. This recipe for char siu involves an oven.

Char siu, Chinese-style barbecue pork, is one of Islander’s comfort foods. After church on some Sundays, her family would go to Chinatown in Honolulu and buy a piece of red pork meat hanging by the Peking ducks in the windows of Asian grocery stores. Sunday dinner was simple: char siu, sticky white rice and a vegetable side dish (see Notes). Char siu is also chopped up as a filling in manapua (Hawaiian word for char siu bao—Chinese buns) or sliced as a garnish for saimin and fried egg noodles.

While it may be simple to buy it ready-made at the store, it is quite easy to make char siu at home. Meat is marinated in an auspiciously red sauce (which freaked out Highlander the first time he saw it in our refrigerator looking like something from a horror movie/insane asylum). It is then baked in the oven (which makes this seem more of a roast than a barbecue). Islander especially loves the char in char siu—the blackened parts of the juicy pork from being caramelized!

Try this baked BBQ recipe for Chinese barbecue pork as something different on National Barbecue Day. Char siu is also appropriate throughout National Barbecue Month in May.

Recipe

(Adapted from Foodland and Serious Eats)

Ingredients

  • 3-5 pound pork (loin, shoulder, ribs, butt or belly)
  • 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons sherry or rice cooking wine
  • ½ teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
  • few drops of red food coloring (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce and sherry or rice cooking wine.

Stir in the sesame oil, Chinese five spice powder and red food coloring. Mix well. Cut up the pork and place in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for a few hours (overnight is best).

Remove pork from the marinade and let the sauce drip back in the bowl. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet (easier for cleanup). Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for around 45 minutes or until the pork is cooked through (adjust cooking time for different pork parts). Remove from the oven and let the pork rest for a few minutes. Slice and serve.

Notes

 

 

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