Rice Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Vegetables, in loving memory of AuntieKH

Gung Hee Fat Choy!

The lunar new year will be upon us soon.  In a few days we will welcome the year of the goat.  How will you celebrate?

For me, it will be a work day, so there will not be much celebrating.  I'm sure the Ds will eventually coax a belated Chinese dinner out of Mr. Dependable.  I will probably end up cooking, which really isn't so bad.  Unless you are The Help.

The Help has decided to follow a strict eating regimen to bring down his blood sugar levels.  Since his last doctor visit, he has been steering clear of ice cream cookies, Napples, and other yummy goodies.  He has also been limiting his consumption of starch, replacing the mound of rice with a green salad.  I know how hard it is to stay away from foods which are unhealthy but taste so good.  I've been fighting the cholesterol war for years, trying desperately to stay off meds.  I applaud The Help's valiant effort. But that's sort of where it ends.

Unfortunately, the rest of us here, myself included, have not demonstrated compassion with our actions.  Last night I saw D2 polish off 5 ice cream cookies with her glass of milk.  D1 was busy unwrapping and popping Dove chocolates in between nibbles of li hing lichee.  Of course, I've been hitting the tin of Yoku Moku I received as a gift from Dee.  Yeah, I know it probably wasn't nice of me to stuff my face with those things, especially those rolled wafers (those are my favorite), but I really wanted to get rid of the temptation, for The Help's sake.  You know what I mean.

Anyway, for dinner on Thursday, I'll be making something we can all (even The Help) enjoy.  There is something for everyone in Rice Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Vegetables.  D2 will eat this because she loves baby corn and won bok.  D1 will eat this because she enjoys bell peppers and rice noodles.  The Help can eat this without restraint because it is light and low in fat.  Don't be fooled by the healthy sound of the recipe title.  This dish is extremely tasty, even to high school students.  Last year, D1 brought a pan of this to a junior council potluck.  She was a bit apprehensive about how it would be received, but she reported that they totally cleaned it up.  I guess I will do my part and have a serving of this too.  But I also plan on making gao and gai dan tat so I will have something to look forward to after dinner. . .sorry, but low-fat is really not my bag!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Rice Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Vegetables

     1 block tofu, sliced into 6 pieces and drained on paper towels overnight
     vegetable oil
     16 oz dried rice noodles (1/2" wide)
     1 1/4 c water
     1 tbsp dried salted black beans
     6 large dried shrimp
     1 medium onion, cut into 1" pieces
     2 large won bok leaves, sliced into 3/8" pieces
     1/2 zucchini, sliced then cut into fourths
     1 bell pepper, cut in 1" pieces
     1 can baby corn, drained
     handful garlic (flat) chives, cut into 1" pieces
     6 T oyster sauce
     6 T shoyu
     1 1/2 tbsp mirin
     1 1/2 tbsp shao xing
   

Heat 1/4" of vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet.  Cut each tofu slice into 6 pieces (3 x 2).  Fry tofu pieces until golden brown and crisp.  Drain on paper towels.  Soak rice noodles in warm water to cover for 30 minutes.  Soak dried shrimp and salted black beans in 1 1/4 c water for 5 minutes.  remove shrimp and black beans and chop fine.  Reserve soaking water.  Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok.  Saute chopped dried shrimp, black beans, and onions for 1 minutes.  Add won bok and zucchini and saute for a minute.  Add fried tofu cubes.  Add bell pepper, baby corn and chives.  Saute for another minute.  Remove everything from the wok and place on a platter.  Add reserved water to wok.  Drain noodles and cut into thirds.  Add to water in wok.  Cook until water evaporates.  Return tofu and vegetables to wok.  Combine oyster sauce, shoyu, mirin and shao xing. Add to wok, and toss to coat everything in wok.  Remove from heat and serve.



With a heavy heart, I would like to dedicate this post (and original recipe) to my beloved auntieKH.  auntieKH left our physical world  last Tuesday.  While I am devastated by her passing, I am comforted by the fact that she left peacefully, surrounded by those who meant the most to her.  We will all miss auntieKH, but as LA said, auntieKH lives on in our wonderful memories.  

And auntieKH, if you're reading this, I don't think I thanked you enough when you were with us. . .thank you for marrying UM.  Without your love and support, he would've been just another family weirdo!

Rest in peace, Auntie

January 30, 1947-February 10, 2015

Black Bean Crab

I am in Honolulu today!  I haven't been back here since March!  I will be back here next week for LA's wedding, but today's trip came as a small surprise.  Last week I was asked by several school administrators to replace a fellow teacher on a school team.  They said she (my comrade) had suggested me as a replacement for her, as she currently has her hands full with personal issues.  Once I agreed, I was told to plan to be in Honolulu this week.  Yikes!!!

And leave it to the state to be so inept.  They "designated" a hotel to stay at, trying to ply educators with discounted room rates.  What a crock of shit!  First of all, the hotel is in a seedy area, which is ridiculous if you are a woman staying alone.  Related to the seedy area is the "entertainment" choices surrounding the hotel.  NO!  There are hardly any food establishments (not watering holes) within safe walking distance.  The hotel reeks of the days when smoking in hotel rooms was prevalent.  DISGUSTING.  And the worst part...you can get a hotel room for the same $ or even less in a better part of town.  The discounted rate isn't really much of a discount at all.  And let's be clear...whether you stay at this dive or at a better place, the per diem offered as compensation is still the same...it's not like it will cost them more if you chose to stay at the Hyatt.

I plan to devote my attention during the workday to whatever the workshop is about.  When I agreed to be on the school team, I realized that it came with a certain expectation.  It is only fair.  But when the workshop is done for the day, I'm going to have some fun and enjoy myself.  I can't wait to jump on the opportunity to enjoy 2 dinners in Honolulu.  Hmmmmm...where to go and what to eat?  The options are endless.  Hope I get to see some old friends too.

There are so many great restaurants in Honolulu.  I think that's what I miss most.  It's the one thing that, even after moving to Hilo and living here for the past 20 years, I haven't quite managed to overcome.  Let's face it.  The dining out choices in Hilo are nothing compared to what you can find in Honolulu.

When I lived in Honolulu, me and my bff EDZ would dine out all the time.  We usually lunched together at Orson's on Sundays, although at any time during the week, we might hook up for a dinner.  Because EDZ was working with the inside-out aloha shirt crowd, he'd lunch during the week at all these places and we'd get to re-visit some of these places at night...Han Yang, Mama's, Kabuki...just to name a few.

Of course, if it was up to me, I'd invariably pick Chinese (this lapse in better judgment would eventually come around to haunt me in the future, and that itself would be enough fodder to begin a new blog).  Back then, THE dish I wanted to eat was black bean crab.  I must've ordered it at nearly every restaurant I visited.  Some places would just have some starchy black bean sauce poured over the cracked crab and vegetables.  At other places, the black bean sauce would be studded with ground pork.  It was a treat to eat the dregs (after all the crab pieces were gone) over a bowl of rice.

Now that I'm older and wiser, I've become rather adept at making this favorite dish at home.  I make it  the way I like it...crab and a hearty ground pork sauce...no vegetables.  The Ds (well actually just D2 since D1 is now allergic) would prefer an unadulterated crab...just heated and served with a pot of melted butter.  But The Help and I love it this way.  I've trained The Help to disjoint, clean and crack the crab.  Perhaps he might be able to find employment at a Chinese restaurant, should his helping gig not work out.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Black Bean Crab

     1 dungeness crab, cooked

     3 tbsp salted black beans, rinsed & chopped/mashed

     2 eggs

     1 tbsp sugar

     2 tbsp oyster sauce

     2 tbsp shoyu

     3 tbsp cornstarch

     1/3 c water

     2 tbsp oil

     2 cloves garlic, minced

     1" piece ginger, minced

     1/2 lb ground pork

     green onion, chopped

Clean and chop crab into serving pieces.  Combine black beans, eggs, sugar, oyster sauce, shoyu, and cornstarch.  Set aside.  Combine cornstarch and water, set aside.  Heat oil in a wok.  Saute garlic, ginger, and ground pork until pork is cooked.  Add crab pieces.  Stir until heated.  Add egg mixture.  Stir until cooked.  Push crab pieces to the side and add cornstarch.  Cook until thick, gradually stirring pork mixture into cornstarch mixture.  Remove to a serving platter and garnish with green onions.

What an up-and-down weekend!  My beloved Huskies lost a heartbreaker to Stanford.  They came so close to the upset but self-destructed in the 4th quarter.  I don't get it.  We were at home too.  Did we really hire the right guy for the job?  One must wonder.  I know I'm wondering.  Coach P, show us what you got.  Prove to me you deserve the job.  I'm still thinking MarquesT would've had my vote.  Not only did he get the bowl victory, but he is a hometown boy and a Husky. 

A bright spot of the weekend came late Saturday afternoon.  Leave it to high school football to rescue me from the dumps.  We scored a definitive victory over the Cougars to spoil their homecoming.  Actually, it was bittersweet.  Winning is always the goal, however when it's so lopsided, you can't help but feel for the other team.  Hopefully we can win our homecoming game next week.

Saturday evening turned out to be unexpectedly edgy.  What began as a calm night turned into turmoil just after midnight.  I felt something crawling on my tummy.  I flicked it off and was startled by the sound it made when it landed on some paper on the floor.  It was a blue centipede!  It took about 10 minutes of throwing things about to find it again.  It had crawled under some other papers and under the highboy before it crawled back out again.  The Help was able to snatch it up with a pair of tongs and douse it under the 190-degree tap.  Ughhhhh.  We haven't seen one of those in a while, but I suppose the hunt for water drove it indoors.

And just after the centipede incident, when I was already sinus-y from all the dust kicking up during the centipede safari, Mother Nature decided to have herself heard.  Flashes of lightning and loud bangs of thunder put the dogs on edge.  Between the thunder and the barking, I could not get back to sleep.

Black Bean Spareribs

Its Memorial Day!  Thank you to all who have sacrificed so the rest of us can enjoy the good life in the land of the free!

And speaking of free, we are free. . .free (almost) for the summer!  Yay!!!  I guess my new job (chaffeur) begins soon.  We head back to work on July 16, a date which, to most people in the Northern Hemisphere, is still considered Summer.  Unfortunately, some people where I live must have missed the "seasons" lesson while they were in school, so the rest of us will be back at work for Fall term in the middle of July.  Shit!

And for those of us working in certain geographic areas, the school day will actually be even longer, with days ending at 4:00 pm for teachers.  More time to leave more kids behind.  Double shit!!

I guess I'm feeling especially salty now because I need to go in to work this week and next week, and one of those days entails driving 1 1/2 hours to Naalehu for an all-day meeting.  I'm debating whether or not to place an order for macadamia nut cream pie from Hana Hou Restaurant.  The pie is close to $30, and I will likely be sick of it after eating it for a week, but the first 3 pieces will be thoroughly enjoyed.  And no, buying a slice is NOT enough.

So in between the inconveniences called work, I hope to make it to Oahu for a few days to enjoy the perks of city life.  I miss living in Honolulu and being able to go down to Chinatown and have dim sum at a moments notice.  Hilo has no dim sum restaurants (my freezer has the second largest assortment on dim sum in Hilo, second only to Kilauea Market), and I'm not even sure if many people here have ever experienced dim sum.  That's a shame because dim sum is one of the "musts" whenever I go to Honolulu (or Seattle or San Francisco or Woodbridge).

While there are dishes which I enjoy, black bean spareribs is one of those things that I invariably order every time.  It a challenge to nibble out the bits of meat from the bone and gristle.  Each morsel is succulent and filled with flavor.  Knowing I can make it at home doesn't stop me from ordering it in restaurants.  And since the plates tend to be really small, each taste is especially cherished. 

I've had black bean spareribs at parties (someone else made), and one thing I notice is that I seem to be partial to the versions that are steamed (the way the dim sum places do it).  Somehow, cooking it in a pot does not give the meat that same velvety texture.  Yummy!

Tomorrow I'll find out where D1's summer internship will be.  Tomorrow is also the 1st day of cheerleading tryouts, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for D1.  D2 gets a break until next week Monday when her sewing classes begin.  She chose to go to sewing lessons.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Black Bean Spareribs

     1 1/2 lbs spareribs, cut into 1" pieces

     2 tbsp salted black beans, rinsed and chopped

     1 clove garlic, minced

     1 tsp minced ginger

     2 tsp shoyu

     1/4 tsp salt

     1 tsp sugar

     1 chili pepper, chopped (discard seeds before chopping)

     2 tbsp cornstarch

     green onions for garnish

Poach spareribs for 30 minutes.  Drain and pat dry.  Combine spareribs with remaining ingredients (except for green onions) and place in a heat-proof bowl.  Steam for 30 minutes.  Garnish with green onions.

Steamed Fish

Steamed dishes evoke feel-good moments.  Theres something very pristine and simple about eating food cooked with steam.  Oil is kept to a minimum, allowing food flavors to shine through.

Steamed fish is very popular here, especially during mullet season.  The Seaside Restaurant has built its reputation on fresh steamed mullet done simply with lemon and onion slices.  A variation to steaming fish with lemon and onion is to steam fish "chinese style".

"Chinese style" usually means that shoyu, and green onions are involved in some way.  Many different methods exist, and I use different  methods/ingredients depending on the fish.  A mullet, mu (big eye emperor), or opakapaka (snapper), would be doused with hot oil for the sizzle effect after the fish emerges from the steamer.  For fish slices, mahimahi being a favorite, I go with a method which does not entail the sizzling apres-steaming show.

Arrange fish slices in a steam/heat proof dish with a low rim or flange.

Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Smear sauce over fish slices and top with slivered green onions.  Steam for 20 minutes.

Dinner is ready!

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Chinese Steamed Fish Fillets

     1 lb fish fillets

     1 tbsp salted black beans, rinsed & mashed

     1 tbsp cornstarch

     2 tbsp shoyu

     1 tsp sugar

     1 tsp oil

     1 piece ginger, grated

     1 clove garlic, grated

     1 tbsp salted turnip, minced

     2 stalks green onion, chopped

Slice fish fillet into pieces 3/8" thick.  Place in a steam-proof dish.  Combine all remaining ingredients except green onions.  Spread over fish slices.  Sprinkle green onions.  Steam for 20 minutes.