What's "Cooking" in Tiki Central?

How'd that turn out bamalamalu?

One of my local carniceria's (Mexican butcher shop) now makes Puerco Asada, a pork lover's answer to carne asada. It was delicioso!

Lebanese food for my son's birthday

Kobayat Cooler with Cardamom Candied Apricot, Mint, and Dried Rose Petal garnish

Hummus Appetizer Plate

Lebanese Salad with Fried Halloumi Cheese and Pomegranate Seeds

Grilled Veggies (Zucchini, Mushrooms, Butternut Squash, Eggplant, Artichoke Hearts, Bell Peppers, Cauliflower) with Hummus Sauce, Chicken Kebabs with Garlic Aioli on a bed of Couscous

Baklava Cheesecake

Are Pomegranates in season there?

We don't get Pomegranates till like November, even the October ones we get here are not so good.

Love Pomegranates.

MadDogMike - you're killing me here. Man that looks good!!!

Skip I found pomegranates at Cardenas, my local Hispanic grocer. I have a pomegranate tree the house I have rented out but Cardenas was closer :lol:

Space Monkey, glad you enjoyed it :D

One of my bonus daughters requested Hawaiian Shredded Pork for a small dinner party so of course I jumped at the opportunity :lol:

Spam Musubi Bites, Poke Cucumber Cups, Spring Rolls, Asian Slaw, White Rice, Kahua Pork, King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, Pineapple Upside Down Cakes, Hot Molten Lava Cakes.

Omg Mike, I am real hungry and everything looks delicious.

Mike
What time should I be there?

Mrs. Monkey made me Eggs Benedict for breakfast! (Extra Hollandaise at my request) :)

I can feel my arteries hardening as we speak...

Wait
I don’t see eggs
:)

Looks great

Oh, they're in there. They just like to hide out under a blanket of wonderfulness... I'm a sucker for good Hollandaise (just give me a straw). So I asked for extra extra...

Those look good SpaceMonkey!

Experimenting with Thai BBQ Chicken for a party. I wanted crispy skin but didn't want flare-up on the grill. I pan fried chicken bone-in thighs first, but not enough to completely cook it. I threw them on the grill and no flare-up. When they were almost cooked I slathered them with bottled Mae Ploy sauce and a little Siracha. Let them glaze over a bit and VOILA! Crispy skin, sticky, spicy, and sweet!

Sounds great Mike.

This is the first time I have used the oven since summer started. San Fernando Valley is hell in summer, hehe.
Time for my world famous Banana Bread, :) not really just kidding..

[ Edited by: hiltiki 2018-10-17 20:24 ]

Ok
Vegan trial over

Wanted to get off the cholesterol rx
So

Stopped rx
Vegan for 14 months
(Didn’t miss the meat but man did I go through cheese withdrawals)
:)
Just check
Cholesterol went way up
Whatever
Done

So now: anything goes
:)

Cheers and keep posting those pics

[ Edited by: hang10tiki 2018-10-18 16:53 ]

Hilda that looks world famous to me! I like that long loaf pan.

Jon, maybe it's genetic and your diet doesn't really matter much? In the words of the Greek poet Hesiod "Moderation in all things"

Yup
That’s what the test was for

Thanks Dad
:)

Fondue party at Jon's house!

As usual, no actual cooking. But I did make some snacks for a Halloween party.

Chocolate covered spiders legs (chow mein noodles)
and Ginger Rum Balls

You had me at Ginger Rum Balls :o

Yum.

It's cooling off, time for soups again. Tonight was "semi-homemade" Pho. I was introduced to Pho by thread founder Atomic Tiki Punk, I hope you're out there Lance.
I start with cartoned Beef Bone Broth, add some charred onion, garlic, ginger, some star anise, a cinnamon stick and let it simmer about an hour. In the meantime I thin slice some sirloin and veggies. When the broth is ready I let the dinner guests fill their bowls with their choice of vegetables, uncooked rice noodles, and raw meat. I pour boiling broth into the bowl, cover it with a plate and wait about 10 minutes. Pefectly cooked fresh soup

On 2018-11-03 19:36, MadDogMike wrote:
It's cooling off, time for soups again. Tonight was "semi-homemade" Pho. I was introduced to Pho by thread founder Atomic Tiki Punk, I hope you're out there Lance.
I start with cartoned Beef Bone Broth, add some charred onion, garlic, ginger, some star anise, a cinnamon stick and let it simmer about an hour. In the meantime I thin slice some sirloin and veggies. When the broth is ready I let the dinner guests fill their bowls with their choice of vegetables, uncooked rice noodles, and raw meat. I pour boiling broth into the bowl, cover it with a plate and wait about 10 minutes. Pefectly cooked fresh soup

Pho is amazing, but you need some fresh bean sprouts and some sliced bamboo shoots on that tray.

My family is crazy for Pho,

Bean sprouts on the platter at 11:00 but no bamboo shoots. Can you get fresh bamboo shoots or do you have to use the canned ones? I never have been too impressed with the canned.

More soup tonight, Peruvian Pork and Quinoa Soup with Parmesan Cheese Beer Bread

My new revolving pu pu platter, mini hibachi, scorpion bowl, and long straws all arrived (from different parts of the world) between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.

So, late Saturday afternoon I started cooking a bunch of appetizers for the platter and ended up having a very tasty dinner.

The pu pu platter's five sections were filled with:

• teriyaki beef strips
• fried chicken wings (Kowloon Restaurant's recipe)
• chicken fingers
• fried shrimp
• "Peking Ravioli" (Boston-style Chinese dumplings)

Everything was tasty (although I'm still looking for an authentic Boston-styled chicken finger recipe), and with two people drinking a cocktail designed for three ot four, we both got a bit buzzed.

Bam, Mad Dog 20/20, Michelle: AWESOME

On 2018-11-03 22:08, MadDogMike wrote:
Bean sprouts on the platter at 11:00 but no bamboo shoots. Can you get fresh bamboo shoots or do you have to use the canned ones? I never have been too impressed with the canned.

My local Chinese grocery has a big tub of fresh bamboo shoots you can fish out and bag yourself. Same with several types of seaweed/kelp.
I'm not generally impressed by canned ones either, but if you can find whole bamboo shoots in a can they're definitely better quality than the pre-sliced ones.
Less woody, better flavor.

https://meiwei.en.made-in-china.com/productimage/qKVEmplrJOcx-2f1j00UyvQDOanfFqi/China-Super-Quality-Canned-Whole-Bamboo-Shoots.html

On 2018-11-08 03:38, Michelle66 wrote:
My new revolving pu pu platter, mini hibachi, scorpion bowl, and long straws all arrived (from different parts of the world) between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.

So, late Saturday afternoon I started cooking a bunch of appetizers for the platter and ended up having a very tasty dinner.

The pu pu platter's five sections were filled with:

• teriyaki beef strips
• fried chicken wings (Kowloon Restaurant's recipe)
• chicken fingers
• fried shrimp
• "Peking Ravioli" (Boston-style Chinese dumplings)

Everything was tasty (although I'm still looking for an authentic Boston-styled chicken finger recipe), and with two people drinking a cocktail designed for three ot four, we both got a bit buzzed.

That's one heck of a delicious looking spread!

"Boston-styled chicken finger"

What is that?
I have never heard of such a thing.

On 2018-11-09 19:44, tikiskip wrote:
"Boston-styled chicken finger"

What is that?
I have never heard of such a thing.

If you’ve ever had chicken fingers in the Boston area, you get a puny piece of meat surrounded by miles of batter.

The batter stays very crunchy for the entire meal.

I’ve tried various recipes, but they never produce the same extremely thick coating. The results look like typical fritters, and while not exactly soggy, don’t have much crunch at all.

If you’ve ever been to Kowloon, Bali Hai, or any other kind of Chinese restaurant in the Greater Boston area, you will find dishes (and terminology) not used in the rest of the country.

My goal is to find recipes that will produce similar results for me at home, because what they call “Chinese food” here in Japan is completely different.

Michelle, love the pupu platter and mini hibach!

Michelle, your posts are killing me! That chicken finger description is spot on and making me drool. What they call "Chinese food" in San Diego is also completely different (there's no place that even LOOKS like a Chinese restaurant!)

One of these days I'm really going to have to book a trip back just for Chinese food and pizza.

Ok thank you.
It sounds like that batter may have say a soda or something like that as that will give you that really thick batter from the air in it.

Like beer batter, but I could be wrong.

This one looks good too.
https://www.plainchicken.com/2012/02/tempura-chicken-fingers.html

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2018-11-10 20:57 ]

I did find this on the net.
Not sure if this could be it.
Most of these places use a mix believe it or not they don't make their own batter most times.

You know to coat chicken you should flour then wet then batter this is how you get batter to stick.
This is what the CIA chef taught us.
Good luck!

These homemade Chinese chicken fingers are JUST like from a restaurant. Crispy and golden on the outside and filled with juicy chicken on the inside. Perfect with sweet and sour sauce!
Ingredients
US CUSTOMARY - METRIC
•2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
•1/2 cup self-rising flour
•1/2 cup cornstarch
•1.5 teaspoons salt
•1/2 teaspoon sugar
•1/2 cup of water
•1 quart canola oil

How to make your own self rising flour:
•Add 1 + 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt for each cup of flour.
Wa-Bam. BY the way, I published this recipe for the first time in 2014, but decided to bring it out of the ol’ archives, as I only do for my very favorite recipes.

Instructions

1. Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl and mix them until well-combined.
2. Slowly add the water and mix thoroughly, (don't add too much, but I did use all of it)- it should be a very thick batter.
3. Cut the chicken into strips and
4. sprinkle with salt.
5. Dunk the chicken into the batter, ensure each piece is thoroughly covered.
6. Carefully lower the chicken into a preheated deep fryer and cook for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. They will be white for a while before they turn brown and start to look like real chicken fingers, have faith and be patient. You want that rich gold color! Serve warm, with sweet and sour sauce.
   Recipe Notes
   *You want a nice, thick batter. To thicken more, add more flour. To decrease in Thickness add a splash of water.

Well, my quest for (Greater) Boston-area Chinese/Polynesian dishes continued today as I tried my hand at another full-blown pu pu platter. (Since the darn thing has five sections, trying to come up with five different appetizers for it is a challenge.)

Today, the Kowloon-style chicken wings from two weeks ago were replaced with Trader Vic’s fragrant wings, and I tried making Crab Rangoons fot the first time.

Tonight’s cocktail was Trader Vic’s “Rum Giggle”, but doubled so it would fill the huge scorpion bowl.

Trader Vic’s Fragrant Chicken Wings are so good! (The recipe is in that “Trader Vic’s Tiki Party” book.)

The chicken finger batter is also great for shrimp!

I tried making chicken fingers again tonight, and they came out much better than before. (The recipe calls for 8oz of water in the batter. I cut it down to 5oz.)

Teriyaki beef strips are so tasty! (Heating them up on the mini hibachi really makes them yummy!)

My first attempt at making crab rangoons. The texture was OK, but they lacked flavor.

Tonight’s double-sized Rum Giggle

As you can see from this picture, the batter is much improved if you cut the amount of water the recipe calls for.

The original plan for Saturday’s big meal was to include Peking Raviolis, but from a different recipe than before.

However, after realizing we already had five appetizers for the pu pu platter and one main dish (chicken chow mein), we decided to make the ravs the next day instead.

They were fantastic!

If you were looking for an authentic plate of Boston-style Peking Raviolis, this recipe is what you want. (Unlike typical “potstickers”, there is no Chinese cabbage in this recipe.)

The recipe was found here: http://cooking.bcneuman.com/recipes/neuman-potstickers.html

Filling:
1 lb Ground Pork
3/4 Inch Fresh Ginger (chopped to consistency of coarse bread crumbs)
4 Scalions (chopped to size of match heads)
3/4 tsp Ground roasted Szechwan Pepper
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Corn starch
2 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tsp Sesame oil
1 Egg

“3/4 inch fresh ginger” is arbitrary because the width of fresh ginger varies so much. I went with about two teaspoons, and grated/minced it instead of chopping.

For the skins, store-bought gyoza skins were used, but three were fused together for each rav by brushing water between the layers and squeezing hard. (In the Boston area, restaurant-style skins are very thick.)

The page linked to above has recipes for two different dipping sauces and cooking instructions.

This recipe is definitely a keeper. Now, whenever I crave real Peking Raviolis, I’m covered.

Damn looks good.
Yeah it is a lot easier in a restaurant to make all that stuff because all the stuff is prepped and the fryer sits there ready to go.

Now you got me wanting beer batter shrimp.

That all looks delicious! Sabu's Spicy Chicken Skewer's is another great appetizer for a Pupu platter but it looks like you may be looking for certain "nostalgia" foods.

On 2018-11-19 14:57, MadDogMike wrote:
That all looks delicious! Sabu's Spicy Chicken Skewer's is another great appetizer for a Pupu platter but it looks like you may be looking for certain "nostalgia" foods.

If by “nostalgia foods”, you mean old-school Boston-area Chinese/Polynesian fare from Kowloon or Bali Hai, then you’re absolutely right!

“Chinese food” in Japan is completely different from what is served in the USA. So, whenever the cravings hit, I either need to make it myself, or go without.

(About 10 years ago, I was feeling hungry for chow mein. The only place in Tokyo that came up when I googled for it was Trader Vic’s (still unknown to me at the time). So, I made my way over to the New Otani hotel and got sticker shock when I saw it cost about $25 for an order of chow mein, and even more money for fried rice (but, both were super tasty!). While I’ve since grown to love TVT, I can’t afford to go there every time I’d like.)

My sis and brother-in-law are hosting dinner tomorrow, and I'm in charge of cranberry sauce, dessert, and drinks. Just finished the pumpkin pie (entirely from scratch [well, except the pumpkin was from a can]), apple crisp, and cranberries in a spiced wine syrup made in the crockpot.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[ Edited by: Hamo 2018-11-21 22:47 ]

Great looking food all, and I hope Thanksgiving was nice. Michelle66, thanks for rekindling my memories from the Polynesian restaurants I grew up on in Maine. Our typical non traditional Thanksgiving meal (we are not Turkey fans) that was "plume de veau" Veal Parm, Baguette Garlic Bread, and salad. Topped off with an awesome Pumpkin Bread Trifle-topped w/ Bourbon Vanilla-Maple Pecans and Caramel Sauce. My wife knocked it out of the park!

[ Edited by: Or Got Rum? 2018-11-23 10:00 ]

Hamo and Or Got Rum, just wow, everything looks delicious.

WOW! Lots of good food this week!

Up for me tonight, Chicken Fried Bacon Sandwiches (I hear it's a Texas thang?) I want to play food blogger like Hilda so I took some pics :wink:

Thick sliced bacon woven into a patty before being breaded and fried. FAIL!!! I couldn't get it to stay together for breading so I kept it in strips :lol:

Egg, flour, egg, panko

Frying pan

Drain

Toasted 21 Grain Bread, Beefsteak Tomatoes, Leaf Lettuce, Chipotle Aoili, and Bacon

Tonight semi-homemade Ramen Soup

Started with a pork belly, never cooked one of those before.

Seasoned with salt, pepper, ginger, & garlic. Roasted 2 hours at 310 degrees, then 10 more minutes at 550. Turns out I was supposed to slice it thinner, should have waited until it was cold.

Clockwise from top; Nitamago soft boiled and marinated eggs, green onions, faux Narutomaki fish cake (mine is noodle :lol: ), Pork Belly

Packaged Ramen Noodles, great flavored rich broth. Bought some on Amazon then found them at my local WalMart

Finished

Served with Little Miss Saigon
2 oz Sake (I used 3)
1 oz Canton Ginger Liqueur
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/4 oz Lime
Shake and pour, stir in
1 oz Seltzer
Very refreshing

It's one of those rare rainy nights on the Anvil of the Sun, perfect for Creamy Gnochi Soup

OK, this is a left turn at Albuquerque. I looked at the recipe for the Angostura Sour which includes raw eggs whites, it kind of put me off. But then I read that you could make it with the liquid from canned garbanzo beans instead (it's called aquafaba). What does this have to do with dinner? I had a drained can of garbanzos and needed something to do with them so I made Mediterranean Garbanzo Bean Soup garnished with a dallop of pesto and fresh basil

Bacon.
I cooked so much bacon that I'm not one of those OMG BACON! guys.

But here it is the OSU bacon vending machine.

They had healthy snacks on the table behind this machine for free.

BACON!!!!