PCC KNOCK-OFF FRIED RICE

PCC KNOCK-OFF FRIED RICE

When I lived in Laie, Hawaii (on the North Shore of Oahu), for 3 years in the mid-1970's, the Polynesian Cultural Center was the hub of activity for those of us who were students nearby.  Many of us worked there and we would hang out behind the scenes during breaks and after hours.  I was given this recipe and one for poi bread by a friend who worked in the kitchen (it has been reduced from enough to serve one thousand people or more!).  

INGREDIENTS:

1 c ham, in small cubes

2 eggs, scrambled in 1 Tbs oil

1/2 c carrot, grated

1/2 c green onions, sliced

3 c cooked rice

1 clove garlic, minced

shoyu (soy sauce, they used Kikkoman), to taste

oil, about 1 Tbs (adjust if needed)

Salt, to taste, if needed

INSTRUCTIONS:

Use an iron skillet or a griddle.  Scramble eggs in the oil. Add ham, carrots, and onion. Saute until carrot wilts, add garlic at end.  Add rice and mix well.  Continue cooking until rice starts to brown around edges (if needed, add a little more oil to prevent sticking).  Pour enough shoyu into mixture to make rice golden to medium brown.  Add salt, if needed (wait to see how salty the shoyu makes it first). 

PULINGI (Samoan Steamed Pudding)

PULIGI

I was given this recipe by an elderly Samoan woman when I was living in Hawaii, around 1975.  I have tried to word it so the instructions maintain the integrity of the original recipe, which was handed down to her.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c water

2 c sugar (1-1/2 c. to “burn”, 1/2 c added to dry ingreds.)

1-1/2 c oil

1 can condensed milk (NOT the sweetened kind)

3 eggs

6 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

Sauce:  2 cups milk, 2 c water, tapioca to thicken, sugar to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a small saucepan, boil the 1 cup of water.  “Burn” 1-1/2 cup sugar by putting it in a hot frying pan, stirring until it melts/bubbles and turns a caramel color (don’t let it get dark brown).  Then slowly add the boiling water, stirring until any lumps are melted.  Slowly stir in the 1-1/2 cups of oil.  Set aside in a large bowl until cooled. When mixture is cooled; in a small bowl mix the can of milk and 3 eggs together.  Add to cooled sugar mixture.  Then gradually stir in all dry ingredients (flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt).  Put mixture in greased and floured coffee can(s) and steam for 2-3 hours.  To make sauce, boil 2 cups milk (can use canned milk, if desired)  and 2 cups water, with sugar, to taste.  When this comes to a boil, add enough tapioca to thicken, stirring constantly to prevent burning.  Pour sauce over pudding when serving.

POLYNESIAN RECIPES TO COME!

When Neisi Leka, my daughter, and I started this blog a few months ago, one of our intentions was to share some of our Polynesian recipes (foods from Tonga, Samoa, and Hawaii, mostly).  I see that so far we only have a few of them here!  This coming week we will be working on making that right!  So, if you are up for some delicious AUTHENTIC Polynesian-style cooking (no, you won’t need an umu/imu/underground oven!) check back every few days! Malo!  Fa’afetai! Mahalo!

MELI’S MEXICAN RED-GREEN SAUCE

I participate in a wonderful program called Bountiful Baskets, where we get beautiful produce right from the farmers at really great prices!  Every other Saturday I pick up my baskets full of fresh fruits and veggies (see last photo in "Images of Summer" Post, just before this one). We also have the opportunity to get "extras", one of them being the Mexican pack. In this recipe I used part of 7 of the 10 items in the pack!  I started out to make a green sauce but decided along the way to add a can of crushed tomatoes. So, that's why it is now a red green sauce!  This is my original recipe. I think for a Gringo, I did pretty well!  If you try it and have any suggestions, let me know!

Oh, and I can't believe it, I forgot to take a photo again!  I used a little of the sauce in some leftover cheddar broccoli rice- yum!- and put the rest in the freezer (for enchiladas next week). Will add photos when I use it!

INGREDIENTS:

5 Anaheim chili peppers

3 large poblano peppers

7 tomatillos, outer skin removed

1-1/2 cup chicken broth

1 can crushed tomatoes (you could use fresh if you want)

6 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

cilantro, about 1/3 cup, chopped

7 leaves fresh basil (or 1-1/2 tsp dried)

2 sprigs of fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)

2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)

salt, about 2 Tbsp

1-1/2 Tbsp sugar

optional: 1/4 jalapeno, seeded (adjust this to how much heat you like)

DIRECTIONS:

Ahead of time (can be the day before), roast the first 3 ingredients. Brush with cooking oil and put in oven at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour, until skins bubbles and peppers start to brown.  Let cool, then remove outer skin on the peppers (tomatillos are fine as-is).  

In a medium-large pan combine all ingredients, including prepared peppers and tomatillos.  Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about a half hour.  If sauce is too thin, remove lid and simmer until desired consistency.  Add more broth if it is too thick, and simmer 5 minutes more.  When done, adjust salt if needed. When sauce is cool enough, put in blender and process just until it is semi-smooth (should still look a little chunky).  

Sauce freezes well.  Is excellent for making enchiladas or Spanish rice.

IMAGES OF SUMMER

As the summer comes near to an end, I want to share some iconic photos, for each of you, as well as for myself to look back on some dreary winter day! This summer contained some "firsts" for me.  First time to grow a garden, "grow" being the operative word here! Also, the first time to keep herbs alive through the hot spells of summer. And,  I preserved about 1000 apricots (which I also picked)!  I made freezer jam, prepared and froze apricot halves for pies and crisps, as well as freezing cubes of sweetened apricot puree.  Next summer my goal is to learn how to can them in bottles! Also, I am including a photo of last Saturday's Bountiful Baskets' haul!  This is a grass-roots, non-profit co-op where you get fresh produce directly from the farmers.

ZESTY OVEN FRIED SWAI FISH

Two days ago I was looking for an inexpensive cut of fish (I know, that's an oxymoron!) and saw something called Swai for #3.99/lb.  The butcher said it is a mild white fish from Vietnam, similar to catfish or tilapia. So I decided to try it out and bought a pound.  Since my son doesn't care for fried fish (which would have been MY first choice!), I decided to "oven fry' it. It is definitely a mild fish yet has a nice flavor and it held up well when cooked.  

I used a fairly basic profile of ingredients but I did do one thing which I think is original. I grated lemon zest into the egg that I dipped the fish in. This gave a nicely distributed hint of lemon.  The recipe follows, sorry I forgot to take pictures until it was all gone!

ZESTY OVEN FRIED SWAI

Ingredients:

1 lb. swai fillets

1 large egg

2 Tbs water

Fresh lemon zest, about 1-2 tsp, don't pack

1 cup Panko

1 tsp dried chives

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dill

1/4 tsp garlic powder (not garlic salt)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste (I did 20 1/2-twists, but I like pepper!)

Non-stick oil spray

Lemon wedges

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray it well with non-stick spray.  In a cereal-sized bowl whisk the egg, water, and lemon, set aside.  In a flat-bottomed dish mix the Panko and seasonings.  One fillet at a time, dip the fish completely in the egg mixture, then dip it in the Panko mixture, coating it thoroughly (there is enough to give 4 fillets a nice coating).  Place the fillets on the foil, leaving space between them.  Bake for 15 minutes, turning them over after about 9 minutes.  When you turn the fillets over, give them a light spray of the non-stick oil spray.  When they are done, the meat should flake with a fork.  Serve with lemon wedges to drizzle over fillets.

Serving suggestion:  

Serve with rice, a green vegetable (i.e., broccoli or green beans), and slices of fresh mango or peach.

PORK ROAST

This is my own creation. I pretty much threw it together in the crock pot turned it on high and hoped for the best lol. Lucky for me it turned out amazing!

What you will need:

3 lbs pork roast

1 onion

2-4 cups water

3oz dry gravy mix

2-3 cloves of garlic

fresh rosemary to taste

*crock pot*

Preparation:

Put the roast in the crock pot. Slice the garlic into generous pieces then slice little slits in the roast and stick the garlic pieces into it. Slice the onion in half and place it around the roast. Pour out the dry gravy mix onto the roast and onion. Add water to the crock pot, water should cover roast about halfway. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary. Cook on HI for about seven hours.

My thoughts: This recipe of mine turned out amazing! The meat was tender and favorable. When I stuck a fork in the roast to check on it the meat just fell apart. The leftover roast meat is great for burritos or sandwiches.