Almost Kay's Lunch Center: Fried Sesame Chicken

Perhaps it was blog reader BrendaC who is responsible for my wave of nostalgia.  Perhaps it could have been triggered by Kikukat Dad who said he had dinner at Restaurant Kenichi.  Perhaps I equate the Super Bowl with partying.  I don't know.  But whatever it was, I've been bitten by the nostalgia bug.

If you spent some time in Hilo during the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century, you likely had a meal at Kay's Lunch Center (today the location is occupied by Restaurant Kenichi).  Kay's Lunch Center served local, Japanese, and Korean foods.  They were best known for two things:  fried chicken and blueberry cream cheese pie.

The blueberry cream cheese pie was alright.  I'm really not a fan of that kind of thing.  I am usually put off by the icky gooey goop of canned pie filling.  And the cream cheese layer in a round pie just seemed too thick for the amount of topping.  You can have all the blueberry cream cheese pie you want.  I will pass.

It was the fried chicken that brought me back to Kay's Lunch Center time and time again.  Sometimes I would eat-in, but many times, I did the take-out...chicken in the cardboard box with the pointy lid.  I loved the mild shoyu-sugar flavor and the random sesame seeds strewn on the coating. 

Kay's Lunch Center closed up a few years ago.  As I was watching the Super Bowl yesterday, I couldn't help but think about all the parties missing the cardboard box with Kay's Lunch Center chicken.  I know I was missing it, especially since the Seahawks lost (No, I am not much of a Seahawks fan, but having lived in Seattle, I feel a little guilty if I don't cheer for them if they are not playing a team I like more).  So if you are like me and have a hankering for Kay's Lunch Center fried chicken, you can go ahead and make your own. 

Now I realize there are two divergent methods one might try for making the chicken.  I've seen recipes which call for flouring and frying the chicken and then dipping it into a sauce.  I call that "Korean Chicken", and I will share the recipe in a separate post.  But I never noticed any green onion bits on the Kay's version; I only noticed sesame seeds.  My method for making the Kay's Lunch Center chicken calls for marinating the chicken overnight and then frying it.  It seems to be less messy and more straightforward than the alternate method.

And if you happen to have leftover fried chicken, you can do what Kay's Lunch Center did. . .pull all the meat off the bones and use it to top a salad.   Mmmmmm.  

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Fried Sesame Chicken

     5 lbs chicken wings

     1 c cornstarch

     1/2 c flour

     1/2 c sugar

     1 tsp salt

     6 tbsp shoyu

     2 tsp oyster sauce

     4 eggs

     4 stalks green onion, thinly sliced (optional)

     2 garlic cloves, minced

     4 tbsp sesame seeds

Cut each chicken wing into 3 pieces (tip, flat, drummette).  Discard tips or save for stock.  Combine remaining ingredients and place in a ziploc bag.  Add chicken pieces.  Turn bag to coat evenly.  Allow to marinate overnight.  Deep fry wings until golden brown.

Ginger Sesame Lavosh

Well, it's game day.  As a die hard Washington Huskies fan, this season has been hard to stomach.  It bugs the shit outta me to see the Oregon Ducks doing well.  I still remember when the Oregon teams were at the bottom of the Pac-10 conference (actually one team still is, but I like the Beavers), and their annual football meeting was known as the "Toilet Bowl" instead of the "Civil War".  Its okay if USC or UCLA dominates, but really, NOT the Oregon Ducks.  Needless to say, I'll be cheering for Ohio State.  My favorite school administrator is a Buckeye.  His late sidekick, "Sugar Daddie", was also an Ohio State alumn.

In addition to being game day, it's also an administrative day at school.  The students come tomorrow, but today will be filled with meetings and the like.  That part sucks, especially since a nasty cold robbed me of the full enjoyment of a vacation. I teach year-long classes, but I was told that I'd be getting some additional students who were failing other classes.  I suppose I'll be expected to "courtesy pass" these new ones.  Well, I don't play that game.  They will be expected to work and submit quality work if they hope to pass. 

After months (yes, months) of being bombarded with requests for lavosh, I finally got off my ass and made some for D2.  The pictures for this post were taken a few years ago, and, for whatever reason, never got posted.  D2 would scream if she knew I put up this pic, especially since she looks so different now.  Oh well, she can just take a number in terms of getting in line to bitch me out. 

I'll be back to my old cheery self next week (it will be a holiday!) and I should be done licking my wounds from bowl season. . .looking forward to the next college football season since Marcus Mariota should be in the NFL by then.  and if he isn't it will be apparent that he is either afraid of the big boys or a closet scholar

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Ginger Sesame Lavosh

     2 3/4 c flour
     1/2 tsp salt
     1/2 tsp baking soda
     1 tsp powdered ginger
     1/2 c sugar
     1/2 c butter
     1 c buttermilk
     3 tbsp black sesame seeds

Sift flour, salt, baking soda, powdered ginger, and sugar together.  Cut in butter until crumbs form.  Stir in buttermilk and sesame seeds.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Using a #40 disher (a generous tablespoon), scoop dough into balls onto floured surface.  Flour hands well and smooth balls.  Flour dough balls well.  On a piece of parchment paper, roll ball of dough out as thinly as possible.  Repeat with remaining balls of dough.  Place lavosh, parchment paper and all, on cookie sheet.  Bake for 23 minutes.  Remove lavosh to cooling rack and cool completely before storing.

Namul: Korean Bean Sprout Salad

This is probably not a good time to be posting a cold vegetable picture and recipe.  But I MUST.  After all the feasting over the weekend (feasting actually began on Friday), I realize I need to scale back a bit.

But I HAD to celebrate on Friday.  No, not because it was my birthday, but something else happened...something I've been waiting a whole year to happen.  I hadn't expected it to turn out so deliciously well, but it did.  Thank you, 3M for making IT happen and for allowing me to be there to witness it all.

Sometimes assholes really DO get what they deserve!

I had a great lunch on Friday, and it was followed by an onolicious dinner at Miyo's.  I got to eat fried oysters.  Even better, the Ds were with me.  I didn't hafta share them this year.

On Saturday, The Help suggested we make it a double buffet day.  On one of his 10k-step walks, he noticed a breakfast buffet being served at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.  It wasn't crowded, and the bacon was crispy.  It was definitely NOT the Hawaii Prince breakfast buffet, but for Hilo, it was pretty good.  The bread pudding was delicious, and there weren't too many raisins to pick out.  Have I ever made it clear how much I hate raisins?  It is right up there on the list, a few notches away from the devil's condiment.

The second buffet was something I've been wanting to try but always found the near-$100/person pricetag daunting.  Leave it to The Help to surprise me with a drive out to the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel for the Clambake.  Wow!  Among other things, I consumed a dozen oysters and 2 lobster tails and a set of lobster claws.  I love lobster!  The Help likely ate only a fraction of what I did, eating mostly shrimp cocktail and sashimi, and he even managed to sneak in some salad selections. There was a guy on the next table who definitely beat me.  He ate 3 whole lobsters.  I know because I watched him (couldn't help it...he was in my line of sight).  He also had a slab of prime rib in between all that.  I don't expect to get back to the Clambake any time soon, after all, I can't be going there with D1!  But now, I'm excited to try the Let's Go Crabbing buffet at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.  Its a fraction of the price (under $70 for adults) and features all kinds of crab.  Maybe when D1 goes on her spring break trip. . .

So after all that feasting and pigging out, it's time to lay low on the food, especially the cholesterol.  I soaked some chicken in a kal bi-type marinade, and I made some namul.   There is nothing better to eat with hibachi food than namul.  "Namul" is what I call Korean bean sprout salad, but I know namul actually refers to various vegetable dishes served as banchan, those small dishes with tasty morsels served at Korean restaurants before the meal comes.  All I know is they never give enough namul, and the bean sprouts is what I always hope to hoard!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Korean Bean Sprout Salad

     1/2 - 1 lb mung bean sprouts
     1 1/2 tbsp green onion, chopped
     1/2 tsp sugar
     1 tbsp sesame oil
     1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
     3 tbsp shoyu

Clean bean sprouts and wash in cold water.  Boil water in a medium saucepan.  Add bean sprouts to boiling water and leave in for 1 minute (Can also steam over water for 5 minutes in the microwave...high power).  Drain, rinse well in cold water, and drain well.  Add remaining ingredients and chill thoroughly before serving.

While all this was going on, it was a rather disappointing sports weekend.  All the teams/individuals I was cheering for did not prevail:  high school football, college football, professional football, Formula One.  On the other hand, I did manage to attempt knitting again. . .I had lots of time to sit and give it another go.

And after spending the better part of an hour taking stuff apart, I'm asking myself why I choose to take part in such torture.

Lavosh

This past week was an eating out week.  3M and I enjoyed a tasty lunch at Hilo Rice Noodle and the very next day, we had a nice breakfast at Coqui's Hideaway.  When we were hiding away, I saw LAMN's aunt having lunch with her lady friend.  Seeing LAMN's aunt, coupled with the ongoing conversation with 3M about our days in the Pacific Northwest, took me on a journey back to college days with LAMN.

LAMN's mom, unlike Kikukat Mom, would write to her nearly daily.  She would also send care packages with HOMEMADE goodies in them.  In case my mom is reading this, let me say that my mom sent me care packages too, but they were usually filled with purchased snacks...won ton chips, crack seed, colored popcorn, etc.

Okay, now where was I?  Oh yeah...LAMN's mom would send  care packages with HOMEMADE goodies in them.  One goodie stands out above everything else...her lavosh.  Mmmmmmmm. . .it was like a sweet cracker, which was ono enough to eat plain, without any cheese spread, potted meat, or fruit butter.

LAMN's mom's lavosh was very different from my first introduction to lavosh, the one at the now-gone Gourmet Hut Hawaii in the old Kaiko`o Mall.  They sold lavosh in waxed-paper wrapped parcels.  If you went in and requested a sample of a spread, it was likely given to you on a small piece of lavosh (or Carr's crackers).  The lavosh there was not something you'd eat plain. . .it had to be topped with a spread.

LAMNs Mom

Now, several local companies make lavosh.  If you go to the local snack aisle (by the bakery) at KTA, you can find many different varieties/flavors of lavosh.  All pieces are nearly identical in size.  It's lavosh like the kine LAMN's mom made...local kine lavosh...somewhere between a cookie and a cracker.

A few years ago, I tried to make lavosh (local kine).  I remember seeing a girl doing a 4-H demonstration on lavosh.  She couldn't have been older than 13, so I didn't think it would be difficult.  My attempt turned out to be an epic fail.  The dough was sticky, and no matter how I tried, I couldn't get it thin enough to be crisp.  And to make matters worse, even with sticky dough, the poppy seeds went all over then dang place.  I had poppy seeds all over the floor!

Being older and wiser now, armed with a Dyson and having discovered the magic of parchment paper, I thought it was good time to give it another try.  This time, I added the poppy seeds in the dough (no more having to sprinkle it on each piece).  While I was able to roll the dough thinner and not worry about how I was going to get it on the cookie sheet, the baking time was still something I needed to work on.  The 8 minutes called for in the original recipe was not anywhere long enough to yield a crispy product, and soft lavosh is not acceptable in my book.  I fiddled with the baking time in order to get snapping-crisp lavosh. 

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Local-Style Lavosh

     2 3/4 c flour
     1/2 tsp salt
     1/2 tsp baking soda
     1/2 c sugar
     1/2 c butter
     1 c buttermilk
     3 tbsp poppy seeds (or sesame seeds, or combination)

Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar together.  Cut in butter until crumbs form.  Stir in buttermilk and poppy seeds.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Using a #40 disher (a generous tablespoon), scoop dough into balls onto floured surface.  Flour hands well and smooth balls.  Flour dough balls well.  On a piece of parchment paper, roll ball of dough out as thinly as possible.  Repeat with remaining balls of dough.  Place lavosh, parchment paper and all, on cookie sheet.  Bake for 23 minutes.  Remove lavosh to cooling rack and cool completely before storing.

Sesame Chicken Pasta Spinach Salad

I played tennis when I was in high school.  While I was good enough to make the team and get regular playing time, I was not good enough (not good enough=too lazy) to continue competitive tennis in college.  There were tennis courts near my dorm, but I think I never went to hit more than twice (okay, once).  There was a cute guy in the dorm next door who was a paraplegic as a result of an MVA.  He competed in wheelchair athletic events and always suggested we challenge.  Uh, no. . .cute or not, I always politely declined.  Ask me to dinner, not a tennis match, you moron!

My tennis hobby remained dormant for over a decade before I decided to play again.  By that time, racket engineering had come a long way so the racket I played with in high school was a total relic.  Yes, I seized the opportunity to buy a new racket.  I had to.  I was too embarrassed to be seen with my Pro Kennex Silver Ace.  Okay, anyway, back to my tennis story. . .

When I finally decided to play tennis again, I got rated (USTA) and joined a team for the HTL (Honolulu Tennis League) season to warm up for USTA season.  We had so much fun, we continued playing together for the USTA season.  What I liked about playing league tennis on Oahu was the orderliness of matches.  You show up to the site, play your match, then leave.  Our team got together at the end of the season for a potluck.  That was it.  Being fairly antisocial (group gatherings are really not my thing), this pattern was a good fit for me.  I liked that I could play a morning match and then meet friends for lunch.  In other words, my whole day wasn't taken up with tennis.

When I moved to Hilo, things were so different.  You show up to the site, play your match, have a potluck, and then hang out until dark at the courts.  The Hilo tennis day was indeed a full day long!  I never enjoyed that part of league tennis, which was just another reason why it was so easy to stop playing.  Of course, Hilo being Hilo, standard tennis equipment also included a squeegee.  One would expect, in a town known for rain, there would be ample covered tennis courts in order to provide a venue independent of the weather.  There are 3 (three, in case numbers aren't your thing) public covered tennis courts in Hilo.  There may be a few private covered tennis courts, but they are certainly not available for public play.

But not every aspect of the Hilo tennis scene was a bad experience.  At one of the after-league match potlucks, someone from another team (yes, you had to put on a smiley face even after they whooped yo' ass on the court/made bad calls/argued with you about the score) brought this fabulous salad to share. 

I used to make this salad quite often, but I noticed I had a real gritty feel in my mouth after eating all that spinach, so I stopped making this and forgot about the recipe.  But last school year, D1 would come home and rave about her friend Casey making the best chicken pasta salad.  I decided to try this recipe again, using baby spinach instead of regular spinach leaves.  The baby spinach leaves didn't leave my mouth as gritty.  And the kicker. . .D1 said the salad was good!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Sesame Chicken-Pasta-Spinach Salad

     3/4 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

     6 oz curly pasta

     2 tbsp parsley

     1/4 c green onion, chopped

     6 oz (around 6 c) baby spinach leaves

     1/2 c vegetable oil

     1 tsp sesame oil

     1/3 c shoyu

     1/3 c rice vinegar

     3 tbsp sugar

     1/4 c sesame seeds

     1/4 tsp pepper

     1/2 tsp grated ginger

Boil chicken for 10-15 minutes.  Shred into strips.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  drain well.  Combine vegetable oil, sesame oil, shoyu, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame seeds, pepper, and grated ginger.  Toss with chicken and pasta.  Add spinach, parsley, and green onions just before serving.

Upon the advice of coworkers, I took a few minutes to acquaint myself with a TLC show called Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.  My coworkers felt the family resembled a common acquaintance we have.  While they were right on the money, I was only able to watch 25 minutes of it before straying.  It was awful.  Talk about lepo!