IP Food: Boiled Peanuts

Happy Birthday to The Help!

The Ds and I got him his birthday gift a few weeks ago. . .a Yeti cooler for his ride.  We managed to find it in the ever-elusive gray color.

We will celebrate later today with a cake.  I am hoping Hilo will not be as crazy as it was this past week. 

Whenever it's Merrie Monarch Festival time, the town takes on a whole different persona.  We get inundated with visitors.  This is great for our economy but creates havoc with the normal flow of business and traffic.  Nakaz said it took him close to an hour to get from his place (just across the "Singing Bridge") to Target!  To put it in perspective, it took The Help, D2 and I about an hour to drive the entire length of the Saddle Road!

In an attempt to escape the craziness in Hilo, The Help, D2 and I ventured to the other side of the island.  Apparently, the rain had the same idea and met us in Kona!  Upon embarking on our journey, we passed a familiar sight...the pop-up tent on the side of the road selling boiled soybeans and peanuts, two of D2's favorite snacks.

Over the past few months, I've made multiple attempts to perfect boiled peanuts in the Instant Pot.  I have found that the ideal cooking time is somewhere between 8-15 minutes.  If you prefer your peanuts on the crunchier side, go for 8 minutes.  If you prefer them softer, then go for 15 minutes.  A 6-quart Instant Pot will hold a pound of raw (dried) peanuts. 

Many other recipes suggest using something inside the pot to keep the nuts submerged.  I have never done that.  I find that by allowing the pressure to come down naturally (about 45 minutes) and waiting an additional 15 minutes, the peanuts will all be submerged when the pot is opened.  This wait time allows the brine to penetrate and flavor the nuts.

If you prefer to make this the conventional way, I posted a recipe a few years ago.  You can find the post here.

 click on recipe title for printable recipe

Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts

     1 pound raw peanuts (dried)

     1 1/2 quarts water

     3 tbsp rock salt

     2 star anise

Place all ingredients in Instant Pot.  Place a heat-proof plate on peanuts to keep submerged. Set cooking time for 8 minutes (crunchy nuts) to 15 minutes (softer nuts) on high pressure.  When cooking is done, leave for 60 minutes before removing from pot.  Drain and serve.

Tea eggs

Happy May Day!  I can't believe it's already May.  In a few weeks, D1 will be home.  I hope she is able to power through her final exams.  She probably doesn't realize how much I stress over her.  It's probably more stressful than when I was in college.

May is also the month of Mother's Day.  Things will be different this year.  In honor of my mom (and D1's homecoming), the recipe for this month is tea eggs.  My mom enjoyed having these to snack on, and D1 loves them too.  The picture above is how I would serve the eggs if I was having a potluck.  The star anise and stray tea leaves look striking among the bronze-colored eggs.  I saw a similar recipe on the internet which called for a cinnamon stick, so I tried making a batch with the cinnamon stick.  It was okay, but I prefer it without the cinnamon.

A nice thing about tea eggs is that they don't need any additional seasoning (no need to carry a salt shaker).  The eggs are flavored during the simmering.  Be prepared for a beautiful surprise when the shells come off.

Tea Eggs

click on recipe title for printable recipe

     6-8 eggs
     2 tbsp pu'erh or black tea
     1/2 c shoyu
     2 tsp salt
     2 tsp sugar
     3 star anise
     1 strip orange peel

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan.  Gently slip eggs into boiling water and set timer for 11 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare an ice water bath.  When timer rings, use a slotted spoon to transfer eggs to ice water.  Add remaining ingredients to water in saucepan.  Stir to dissolve salt and sugar.  When eggs are cool enough to handle, use the back of a spoon to gently crack eggs all over.  Do not remove shells.  Return cracked eggs to saucepan.  Add water to cover eggs by at least 1/2".  Simmer eggs for 1 hour.  Drain and serve.

Sui Gao: Mom's Water Dumplings

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  I didn't get to celebrate the day with Kikukat Mom because I was in Honolulu with D1 and her friend.  But I did call my mom to wish her a happy Mother's Day, so that should count for something, right?  I'm thinking about taking my parents out to a nice dinner when it gets closer to Father's Day so we can celebrate both occasions at the same time.  I think they'd really enjoy the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel's Clam Bake. . .all you can eat Maine lobsters, sashimi, and oyster shooters.  That's my idea of a feast.

It will be a nice change to take my mom out to eat.  My mom was the eldest of seven children, so going out to eat was out of the question for her family.  I guess old habits die hard because even now, while she can afford to go out, she will opt to slave all day and prepare a huge spread for the extended family.

I guess that's why, when I graduated from college, she did not even flinch when I asked her to cook for my graduation party with all my UW friends.

Graduation was such a busy time.  Many of my friends had family flying in from Hawaii.  Commencement exercises took place in the morning in the Hec Edmundson Pavilion (where the UW basketball home games are played), and we followed it up with a 10-course meal at the House of Hong in the International District.  That afternoon, my dad went with some of my friends to pick up a keg of beer, while my mom and the rest of the family got busy with making dinner.  They brought the food from UGeo's place in West Seattle to my apartment in the U District.  The one request I had were these dumplings.

My mom used to make these all the time when I was younger.  I remember eating these and thinking "this will be my last one" with each successive dumpling.  I had a hard time stopping.  On occasion I helped her fill them, but she had a specific way of pleating them (I know my pleats are not the same as hers).  I didn't dare help with the cooking because I know there was some kind of formula for cooking them...wait for the water to boil, add a cup of water, wait for the water to boil again...or something like that.  I didn't want to be the one to mess up the system.

In the wisdom which accompanies the fat of middle age, I've learned that its much easier to clean up water than oil.  It's also a lot healthier to eat a boiled, rather than deep fried, dumpling.

I still don't know how KikukatMom boils them, I still don't make my pleats like hers, but my dumplings are pretty close to the ones she used to make...or at least I think they are because they have the same effect on me...it's hard to stop eating them.

 click on recipe title for printable recipe

Sui Gao (Water Dumplings)

     1 lb ground pork
     1 box (about 10 oz) frozen chopped spinach
     1 can water chestnuts, chopped
     1/2-inch piece ginger, grated
     2 tbsp shao hsing wine
     3 tbsp shoyu
     1 tbsp sesame oil
     1/2 tsp salt
     round wrappers (If using Twin Dragon brand, buy 2 packages)

Mix all ingredients.  Place 1-2 tsp filling in center of wrapper.  Moisten edge, pleat, and fold over.  Pinch to seal.  Cook 6 at a time in gently boiling water.  Remove from water with slotted spoon and place in a single layer on large, rimmed cookie sheet.  Use plastic wrap if adding a second layer.  Serve with dumpling sauce.

Boiled Peanuts

I barely survived the long weekend (for those of you not familiar with Hawaii history, this past Friday was Statehood Day/Admission Day).  While county and state government employees get the day off, not everyone is pleased with the day.  Many native Hawaiians are still angry at the overthrow of the monarchy and being made the 50th state, so the day is also a day for demonstrations.  While I'm glad to have the day off, I do respect the opinion of others and am sensitive to the fact that not everyone sees this day as a cause for celebration.

The long holiday allowed D2 to host a sleepover for her birthday.  This was the first sleepover party D2 ever hosted...she had friends over for the night before, but 2 girls are a lot different from 8!  I must've been intoxicated when she asked me for permission to have a sleepover.

The party began with a pizza dinner, followed by the showing of Rise of the Guardians dvd with popcorn & kakimochi.  I went to bed before 11 pm, and I was awakened by laughter at 4:00 am.  I fed the kids blueberry muffins and apple strudels for breakfast.  I was planning on making li hing mui lollipops with them, but some kids were already in the pool.  At that point, I decided to forgo the lollipops.  While the kids were playing, The Help went to pick up the birthday cake and enough bentos to feed us all.  Kids had lunch, cake, ice cream, and pinata treats.  Then it was time to go home.

I barely had time to rest before it was time to watch D1 cheering at the 1st football game of the school year...a pre-season duel with the cross-town rival.  It was a great game, especially for my school because we won handily.  I hope this is a sign of a great season for the Viks.  I also got to flash my employee ID to get into the game at a major discount!

In honor of D2's birthday, this week's recipe is something she really enjoys. . .boiled peanuts.  I totally get why she loves this.  Boiled peanuts were one of my favorite snacks when I was younger.  I still can't resist buying a bag when I see it in the stores (supermarkets in Hawaii sell boiled peanuts near the produce department).

I've seen boiled peanuts for sale in the Smithfield Marketplace catalog, and GP, my former coworker, would tell me that boiled peanuts were a popular snack in parts of the south.  But I was taken by surprise one day when he asked me why the peanuts on my plate were so dark.  I told him they were boiled, and it was like he had never seen a boiled goober before.  So now I'm curious about what southern boiled peanuts are like.  The ones I see in Hawaii are all dark.

My buddy Tyson swears that the best peanuts in Hilo are sold at George's Meat Market.  I've had theirs, and he is right.  The salt is just right, and the peanuts are cooked just right.  George's Meat Market has some oddball hours, so if you find yourself jonesing for some good nuts and can't get to George's, you can always make your own.  It only takes a few hours to make, and if you are like me and D2 and have an affinity for flavor of anise, you can throw in a couple of stars for the "Chinese" taste.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Local Style Boiled Peanuts

     2 lbs fresh peanuts
     1/4 c rock salt
     2 star anise
     2 qts water

Place peanuts into large pot.  Cover with water.  Add salt and star anise.  Bring to a rolling boil.  Start timer (25 minutes) when water is at a rolling boil.  Remove pot from heat, but leave peanuts in pot until they all sink to the bottom.  Drain.

6/2014 update:  KTA sells raw peanuts with their signature "1916" label.  These peanuts are huge!  If using these special 1916 peanuts, boil peanuts much longer than 25 minutes.  Begin checking after 45 minutes of boiling.  You will also need to add water during the boiling process.

Cold Noodles with Boiled Pork Topping

In spite of it being July, the weather here in Hilo has been awfully unpredictable.  At times, it feels like its November in Seattle instead of July in Hawaii.  Other times, it really does feel like I'm on a tropical island.  Those are the days I love, and dining on a cool meal is the way to go.  While I enjoy salads, not everyone here feels the same way, but a bowl of noodles, be it hot noodles on a cool day or cold noodles on a hot day, is something we can all agree upon.

 I look for fresh noodles whenever possible.  KTA now carries a variety of fresh noodle brands:  Maebo (Hilo-based, family-run business), Crown, Chun Wah Kam, and Sun Noodles (the last three are Honolulu-based companies), and Kilauea Market brings in noodles from both the mainland and Asia.  While I'm all for buying local, I find Chinese noodles to be the best suited for eating cold with boiled pork.  Cook noodles al dente, rinsing well with cold water to remove excess starch (I hate gummy, stuck-together noodles).

Boiled pork is something you'd likely not think of making, but its great to have on hand to nibble, either by itself or as a garnish for a bowl of noodles.  

A leg piece works best, as the fat is primarily limited to the perimeter and can easily be removed after boiling.

Slice pork thinly (1/4 inch).

Assemble sauce in a separate bowl

Garnishes such as slivered Japanese cucumber are delicious dipped the sauce along with the pork slices.

An alternative to serving as a noodle topping:  in a small dish, arrange slices of cold pork with sauce alongside.

click on title below for printable recipe

Boiled Pork

     1 piece of pork (leg, if possible)
     1" piece ginger, smashed

     water

Place pork and ginger in a pan.  Cover with water.  Bring water to a boil, then lower heat to simmer.  Simmer for 20 minutes per pound or pork.  Drain and rinse pork well.  Remove skin and fat.  Slice meat into thin slices against the grain.  Pork can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Dipping Sauce/Noodle Sauce

     1 tbsp oil
     1 stalk green onion, minced
     1" piece ginger, grated
     1 clove garlic, minced
     1 chili pepper
     3 tbsp shoyu

     2 tbsp black vinegar
     2 tbsp water

     1 tsp salt

     2 tsp sugar

     2 tsp sesame oil

     1/8 tsp chicken powder

Place green onion, ginger, garlic and chili pepper in a small, heat-proof bowl.  Heat oil until smoking then pour over ingredients in bowl.  When sizzling subsides, add remaining ingredients.  Stir gently until salt, sugar,and chicken powder are dissolved.  Serve in small dishes alongside pork slices.
For Noodle Sauce:  Double sauce recipe, adding another tablespoon of water.  Ladle over noodles, cucumber strips, and pork slices.