The Kahiki’s Beef Ka Tiki

While searching for some food recipes, I stumbled upon this little ditty that was published in a restaurant journal in 1963 (that's what the site said) Just thought I'd share it.

The Kahiki’s Beef Ka Tiki

1½ lb lean beef, cut crossgrain and sliced
1½ lb chopped tomatoes
1 lb precooked green pepper, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup tomato catsup
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp seasoning powder
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in ½ cup water
Saute onion, garlic, meat in skillet. Add green pepper, tomato, celery, cornstarch mixture, catsup, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and seasoning. Bring to boil. Simmer until the water has been absorbed and the mixture thickened. Makes 4 servings.

Seasoning powder? Is that like natural flavor? Maybe MSG?

Looks good though, simple.

Gee never thought about it.. My guess is it's probably Chinese Five Spice which can be purchased at the supermarket. I've used that in some of my Chinese cooking..

Cheers!

Rick

Unfortunately it's probably MSG. Seasoning Powder was a common name for it in those days. Another possibility is that they had a "House Blend" that they made at the restaurant, but I would think that it would have been clarified in the recipe if that was the case. Five Spice wasn't very well known 45 years ago.

I know everyone is afraid of MSG, what would the recipe be like without it? It's already got plenty of seasoning, what else could it need? (besides Tabasco, of course*)

*There are only 2 types of food in this world; those you eat with Tabasco and those you eat with chocolate syrup.

So, what is it about MSG that is so bad for you, that people freak out over it ?

I'm not being facetious, just curious.

I really want to try the Kapu Kai slad dressing posted by the owners son, but that calls for MSG too.

On 2009-01-05 15:19, tikiyaki wrote:
So, what is it about MSG that is so bad for you, that people freak out over it ?

I'm not being facetious, just curious.

I really want to try the Kapu Kai slad dressing posted by the owners son, but that calls for MSG too.

Gives (some)people migraines and can make a grown man devour an entire 1 pound bag of Doritos in one sitting.

Does that mean that football it bad for you too? It can make me devour a whole bag of chips at one time.

MSG can aggravate several pre existing health issues. Even without them it can trigger migraines and also abnormal swelling in some people. Bad enough that rings have needed to be cut off of fingers.

However, this was 45 years ago. I personally think "Chinese Food Syndrome" is not nearly as common these days for 2 reasons: We have built up a tolerance for MSG over time, and people have limited the amounts used or eliminated it completely.

I pal around with a lot of the old timers from the restaurant business and the stories about MSG use are shocking and hilarious. Some guys used to mix straight MSG 50/50 with table salt in the shakers for the tables. Chinese restaurants would buy 50 lb. bags for the week, with some recipes using 2 Tablespoons per portion!

Obviously were not talking about anywhere near those amounts or eating them on a frequent basis. I personally think you'll be fine making this recipe.

If you're looking to follow the recipe to the letter, you can buy MSG in the store under the brand name of "Accent" in the spice aisle. Sometimes it's in the "Ethnic" section.

Welcome to "More than you wanted to know!"

Glutamate, the G part of MSG, is a combo of two amino acids which help lend a more "savory" flavor to dishes. Glutamate is available in natural sources in amounts your body can deal with. MSG allegedly delivers a mega dose of glutamate, killing neurons in the brain through over stimulation. Not good for anyone. It's kinda scary how many soups, junk foods, etc have unnaturally high glutamate levels because of specific ingredients, but are not labeled for MSG.

Protip: Leave MSG out of your food chain. :D