September 1, 2013

Side Street Inn Fried Rice

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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.
 

September 1, 2012

Khao Pad

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Khao Pad (Thai Fried Rice)

Khao Pad

September: National Rice Month

Rice is one of the first things that the keiki (children)of Hawaii and Asia learn how to cook.

When Highlander visited Oahu to “meet the parents” of Islander, he was asked to cook rice for the first time and help prepare the family’s meal. When measuring the grains from the cup to the cooker container, he spilled the rice all over the kitchen floor. What a way to impress his soon-to-be in-laws! But he learned how easy it is to cook rice and can confidently make it now without a mess.

For our wedding, we were gifted with a large rice cooker from Islander’s co-workers. We use it to cook big batches of rice when we host a lot of people in our home. We also have a smaller rice cooker from Islander’s college days which we still use to prepare enough rice to feed just the two of us. If we have a lot left over, we simply stir-fry it for another meal.

One of the dishes we cook is khao pad with leftover jasmine rice. This Thai-style fried rice is hearty and fragrant and is our featured post for National Rice Month.

Recipe

(Adapted from About.com Thai Food)

For the stir-fry sauce

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 tablespooon lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons sugar 

For the fried rice

  • 2-3 cups leftover cooked rice (we recommend jasmine rice)
  • 2 tablespoons oil, divided use
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
  • 3-4 dried red chili peppers (optional)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup shrimp, shelled and deveined
  • ½ cup frozen peas
  • 1 cup fried tofu
  • 2-3 green onions, sliced
  • cilantro sprigs and sliced cucumbers (optional garnish)

Directions

Cook the rice several days in advance (measure, rinse/wash and steam in the cooker). Or use leftover rice.

Khao Pad

Prepared the stir-fry sauce by combining the soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Mix well and set aside. Separate any clumps of leftover rice by gently working 1 tablespoon of oil through the grains with your fingers. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large skillet. Stir fry the garlic for about a minute under medium-high heat. Mix in the red chili peppers, if using. Push the garlic and chili peppers to the side of the pan. Crack the eggs and scramble them. Push to the side of the pan.

Khao Pad

Saute the shrimp until pink. Fold in the rice with the stir-fry sauce and mix well. Add the peas, tofu and green onions. Remove from the stovetop and serve hot. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and sliced cucumbers.

Khao Pad

Notes

  • Fried rice recipes are very versatile and other ingredients may be added. Substitute the shrimp for thinly sliced pork, Chinese sausage (lap cheung) or chicken pieces. Add frozen diced carrots with the frozen peas and tomato wedges to the stir-fry for more of a vegetable medley.
  • Thanks to Lisa L. for the Thai silk skirt which we used as a background for our final food photo above. She got it for Islander when she was stationed in Thailand.
  • Search our blog for more rice recipes.
 

September 1, 2012

Spam Fried Rice

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Spam Fried Rice

Spam Fried Rice

September: National Rice Month

We blogged about Spam musubi before. Now we are posting our family recipe for fried rice which incorporates Hawaii’s favorite luncheon meat—Spam! Like most locals, leftover rice is made into another meal by frying it up with meat (Spam or sausages, such as lap cheung 臘腸, longganisa, Portuguese or Vienna sausage, etc.). Sometimes vegetables and a fried egg are added. But the concept/process is the same and it is onolicious! We garnished our Spam fried rice with omelet curls, just like Islander’s Daddy does to make it more fancy for his family and friends. Make National Rice Month special by making Spam fried rice!

Recipe

For the Spam fried rice

  • 2 cups leftover rice
  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • ¼ cup onion, chopped
  • 1 small can (7 ounces ) Spam, diced
  • 1-2 teaspooons garlic powder
  • 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce (we used Aloha Shoyu brand)

Directions

Loosen the rice with a little water so the grains are not sticky. Set aside. Chop the onions and dice the Spam. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok and stir fry the onions until fragrant. Add the Spam and cook until lightly browned.

Spam Fried Rice

Mix in the rice. Season with garlic powder and stir well. Pour in the soy sauce and blend well. Prepare the omelet curls.

Spam Fried Rice

For the omelet curls (optional garnish)

  • 1 egg
  • oil or cooking spray for frying

Directions

In a small bowl, beat the egg well. In a skillet or wok, heat a little oil or cooking spray. Pour the beaten egg and spread it thinly over the bottom. Fry until lightly browned. Flip the omelet over and fry again. Transfer to a cutting board, blotting out excess grease with a paper towel.

Spam Fried Rice

While still hot, roll tightly. Press gently to set its shape. Cut into slices. Use to garnish the Spam fried rice.

Spam Fried Rice

Notes

  • Mix the Spam with some vegetables for a colorful medley. Stir fry ½ cup frozen peas and carrots before adding the rice in this recipe.
  • Sprinkle nori komi furikake for some sesame seaweed flavoring.
  • If feeling a little lazy to make the omelet curls, just crack an egg into the hot rice and keep stir frying until cooked and well blended.
  • Make musubi with Spam. Check out our blog post—in pidgin (Hawaiian creole)!