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Oodles of Vegetarian Chow Fun noodles

Mention Chow Fun noodles to anyone who grew up in Hawaii, and chances are what immediately comes to mind is the “Manapua Man”, or an Okazuya. For the latter, my pick for “best Chow Fun” goes to Matsumoto’s on Gulick, and the “keep it simple” approach to perfection at St. Louis Delicatessen on Waialae.

Chow Fun is another of those seemingly simple dishes, yet it can also be ambiguously complex, with so many interpretations, and no “local standard”. It’s easy to mess up it up by overdoing it and adding too many ingredients, where it ends up “lost”.

Recently a new member on a discussion board I frequent shared a recipe for her “Vegetarian Chow Fun”, which had me intrigued to try, since she mentioned she used to operate an Okazuya shop herself.

I’m assuming it’s called “vegetarian” due to the lack of chicken, charsiu or luncheon meat in it, which is most often what Chow Fun is prepared with here in the islands. But what had me most curious was the use of Hijiki, which I’ve never cooked with before.

So I went for it. Here’s the recipe…

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Vegetarian Chow Fun Noodles
by kani-lehua
Serves 4

Ingredients:
• 1 package dried chow fun noodles (Hula brand)
• Shiitake mushrooms (don’t forget to soak them first, julienned)
• Carrots and onions, julienned
• Green onions, chopped (for garnish)
• Broccoli and zucchini, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 can water chestnuts (the ones already sliced)
• Hijiki (dried black looking seaweed, soak in water to rehydrate)
• Oil for stir frying
• Sesame oil for drizzling when everthing is pau cooked.
• Grated ginger and garlic (according to taste)
• 2T shoyu (i guess you could sub bragg’s amino acids, but i don’t know)
• 1T vegetarian style oyster sauce (if no more, use regular)

Boil noodles until al dente. You have to keep checking on them. app. 9 minutes. rinse in cold water and drain. Cut noodles in half and set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, saute the garlic and ginger (do not burn) for app. 1-2 minutes in the oil. add the shoyu or bragg’s and oyster sauce. mix until well blended.

Stir fry all the veggies until al dente. Add the cooled noodles and heat through. Drizzle with sesame oil (don’t over do it) and then toss in the hijiki at the end.

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What’s obviously the most important factor in this recipe is the type of Chow Fun noodles, as in this case is called for HULA BRAND…

Hula Brand Chow Funn, purchased recently at Tropic Fish & Vegetable Center on GOB clearance for just 50 cents a bag!

Interestingly, when uncooked and dry, these noodles appear “pasty” and delicate, but once they begin to cook in the water, they really tighten-up and become resilient. I think that has something to do with the Potassium Carbonate in it. I’d go as far saying you could make a darned tasty Fetuccini Alfredo out of this.

What’s nice about this package is that it includes 4 individual servings bundled up separately, which should come in handy for restaurant service.

Here’s the cooked Chow Fun (Funn), perfectly al dente…

So while that’s set aside, you saute all the veggies…

When these are all cooked, throw the cooked Chow Fun into the pan with it, combine and finish the dish according to the instructions in the recipe above.

I actually rushed this job, not paying particular attention to how I cut the veggies, as you can tell. As far as the quantity of veggies, it’s really up to you. For that one package of Chow Funn, I used half a Zucchini, 1 large carrot, and about 8 medium-sized Shiitake mushrooms. I also only used only about 1/3 of the can of sliced water chestnuts, as any more than that looked like it would have been too much.

I must note, sometimes the noodles may be sticky or dry from sitting, so when I added them in, I also sprinkled some water and a drizzle of extra cooking oil to “loosen” it up. That worked. I also had to readjust by adding a little more Oyster Sauce.

Speaking of Oyster sauce, that’s another key ingredient here, as that’s the main “flavorizer”. In this preparation, I used Shirakiku brand Premium Oyster Sauce, which was fantastic. Others swear by the Lee Kum Kee brand. Up to you.

I added very very little Sesame oil at the end, as the stuff can be overpowering. But what little was added gave it that “nuttyness” that helped punch out the flavor of the Shiitake mushrooms.

That first photo shows the finished dish in the pan, all done and ready to serve.

Note that I also added Beni Shoga on the right side (red stuff), which goes well with anything savory.

What does bring savoriness to the table here is of course the Shiitake mushrooms, but also the Oyster sauce, along with the way the garlic, ginger and onions are sauteed in the oil before everything goes in.

The Hijiki added a “seafood” like element to it, along with it’s crunchy texture, yet I added just enough, but not too much where it may have been overpowering. You have to be careful how much you add in.

As for the “vegetarian” part, most carnivores would be hard-pressed to find anything “not meaty” about this dish. It doesn’t miss the chicken, char siu or luncheon meat at all.

Now the devil on my right shoulder knocks on my brain and says, “Wait a minute? No meat you say? Well, let’s add some on top of it, Okazuya style!”
So I added a cooked Teriyaki Winner on top. This kine..

I swear, these are one of the BEST hot dogs on the market. I’m not really a huge Teriyaki fan, and I try not to eat too many hot dogs for health reasons, but for what it’s worth, this one has that perfect balance of savory-sweet going on, with hint of shoyu-laced depth that’s unlike any other hot dog I’ve ever had. Knowing how popular Teriyaki is in Hawaii, If Costco sold these at their concession, they’d probably move containers full of the stuff.

The devil made me do it…

I think I’ll name this one “Da’ Hana-koko-lele” Okazuya plate

Hey, this was somethin’ yum! There’s almost this “surf ‘n turf” thing going on with the combination of the Hijiki and the savory-sweet hot dog. I’d take out the Shiitake mushrooms next time though, if I’m gonna’ “carnivorize” this Chow Fun, as that, combined with the porky wiener was a little too “meaty”. Still ono though.

Back to the original recipe, this Vegetarian Chow Fun recipe, as is, turned out to be a winner. It’s relatively cheap and easy to make, and best of all, it can be served as a delicious, satisfying, nutritionally balanced, guilt-free (if you resist the hotdog!), all-in-one meal.

Mahalo kani-lehua for sharing it!

Mention all-you-can-eat Japanese buffet and the likes of Todai and Makino Chaya immediately come to mind. Yet another popular, though inconspicuous place for this type of dining is Hanaki Restaurant, tucked way behind Manoa Marketplace in Manoa Valley.

We’ve dined here several times over the years, taking advantage of their free birthday meal promotion, where the person who’s birthday falls on that day eats free (must show valid ID) with the purchase of 2 or more paid meals.

While the selection isn’t as large or diverse as Todai or Makino Chaya, most of what you’d expect at a Japanese buffet are there, with the emphasis Hanaki being the sushi, and the Pièce de résistance… the shrimp tempura! We’ll see.

“Chef’s Specials” at the hot food station on this visit included teriyaki chicken, potato hash, grilled saba, shu mai, nishime, somen, soba, miso soup, fried rice, white rice and fried saimin noodles.

The sushi station included quite a variety of nigiri, maki and other more eclectic creations, ranging in style from the traditional to the contemporary.

There’s also a salad station that had all the usual vegetables and condiments, along with a Kamaboko salad and Mac salad. Yes, even a Japanese restaurant must serve Mac salad when in Hawaii. lol

Let’s take a look at some of the dishes that landed on our table…

Soba noodles with kombu, tofu and negi in a simple dashi broth

Miso soup

Nigiri Sushi

Plate of (counterclockwise from top): Nishime (in bowl), potato hash, eggplant tempura, zucchini and carrot tempura, shrimp tempura, various tsukemono and hamachi sashimi

These last three plates shown here are mostly the same things in different order and quantities, but there surely are other things to try at Hanaki not shown that may be more to your liking. Indeed.

Along with the sushi, the star attraction here is the Shrimp tempura, and it’s always been fantastic on past visits. But this time they were over-battered. Most of us ended up pulling and scraping off some of the excess deep-fried bits, as the shrimp became lost in it. The excessive batter also made it a bit greasy. It still had that light, flaky, delicate, crispy golden texture that Hanaki is good at - just too much of it this time.

Thankfully the shrimp itself were a fairly decent size (can’t give you a “U” figure) and were flavorful and sweet. Another slight disappointment was the unavailability of grated daikon for the tempura dipping sauce. Gladly again, the sauce itself was good enough to still work on its own.

The buttery fresh Hamachi sashimi was by far my favorite. Easy to please, ain’t I? I could have just piled a gigantic mountain of sashimi on a plate along with a bowl of wasabi and shoyu and lived happily ever after for that day, but surely not without getting “stink eye” from other diners and scoldings from the owner. lol

The Nigiri sushi was decent. It tasted like they had been sitting on the serving trays for a while, but were still acceptable. Otherwise, if you prefer it being absolutely fresh and made-to-order, a sushi chef is on duty behind the counter to serve you. I’ll try that next time.

The “sleeper” was the miso soup, which had a surprising depth to it. Sometimes this side dish basic is overlooked and is just passable “big deal Miso soup, wow-whoopie”, but theirs had some TLC that went into it. Condiments were the usual cubed tofu and green onion. If only there were Asari clams!
I didn’t grab any Maki or other types of sushi, or much else of the “hot” items, but those who did enjoyed it, finishing whatever was on the plate.

For dessert, there’s various flavors of Jello, and a “snow bowl” station…

Rainbow-flavored “Snow Bowl”

Similar to shave ice, obviously not as finely shaved.

I’m not sure what the capacity is of the place is - it’s neither big nor small - but it does get packed. Here’s the main dining area…

Surprisingly on this Wednesday visit at noon it was quite empty.

Aside of that Shrimp Tempura batter “issue”, everyone enjoyed the meal. Nothing really stood out as being exceptional, yet nothing was really bad either. Again, the sashimi on this visit was my favorite. Overall, a good selection of Japanese favorites at a competitive All-you-can-eat buffet price of $15.99 for lunch. Plus the birthday girl ate free.

Hanaki Restaurant
Manoa Marketplace (behind Safeway)
2756 Woodlawn Dr
Honolulu, HI 96822
(80 988-1551

The Tasty Island Rating:

(2) Very Good.

Related Links:
• Hanaki Offers Solution to Potluck Problems

Kozo Sushi - 15 Piece Lunch Box, $5.49

There are now many imitators around town, but the original take-out Sushi in Hawaii is Kozo Sushi. At least, they were the first and only one of its kind to set up shop in my hometown of Kaneohe way back in the 80’s.

To this day, it never ceases to amaze me how affordable the prices are at Kozo, yet the quality of ingredients, made-to-order freshness and overall execution is nearly flawless. You’ll easily pay two or three times the price - in some cases much much higher than that - for the same set at other Japanese restaurants. Especially those that specialize in sushi or seafood.

Just look at that lunch box above, which I enjoyed for lunch today. Fresh Ahi (raw tuna) Nigiri, Ika (squid) Nigiri, Ebi (shrimp) Nigiri, Salmon Nigiri, Egg Nigiri, 2 Inari (Aburage), 2 Futo Maki, 2 cucumber Hosomaki, 2 Tekka (Ahi) Hosomaki and 2 Shinko (Daikon) Hosomaki… that’s 15 pieces, including fresh seafood Nigiri items for just $5.49! Common! That’s gotta’ be one of the best bargains in town.

There are several other combination bentos like this, but the lunch box has all my favorite selections all in one, well-rounded assortment. Nice.

They also have many other types of sushi on the menu, which you can check out at their website.

The most important and defining factor that makes take-out Sushi places like Kozo so great is that they make the Nigiri to order - never premade. So it’s very fresh and the rice is at an ideal state when you get it. Not dried out, stiff or too cold like it often is when you buy those Sushi bentos in the refrigerator case at the local supermarket. The rice has that all-important stickiness to it. Some of the Maki rolls are premade, but always made that day and kept at room temperature, which is important. Refrigerated sushi is just not good.

They’re also very consistent. I’ve NEVER been failed by Kozo. Always satisfied with my orders from the various locations around the island.

Following their business model are some new kids in town such as Aloha Sushi and Sushi Man, which are also respectfully good. I’ll add them here in future “Sushi Quest” chapters.

The company that owns the Kapahulu Kozo Sushi franchise also owns four other locations in Kahala Mall, Pearlridge Shopping Center, Moili’ili and Pearl City near Walmart.

There are also additional locations on Oahu who are owned by various independent franchisees.

Keep in mind that Kozo Sushi is strictly take-out. Most locations usually don’t have seating in the establishment, although they’re usually located in malls where there are seating outside the establishment, like the location on Kapahulu which is tucked between Star Bucks and Jamba Juice.

Whenever folks ask where to go for good sushi, I always suggest Kozo for best bang for the buck, and best of the take-out joints. Highly recommended!

Related links:
• KozoSushiHawaii.net

Fresh, made-to-order Ahi Poke: Diced fresh raw Ahi (Tuna), Ogo (seaweed), White Onion, Green Onion, Hawaiian Chili Pepper, Shoyu & Sesame Oil, $12.00/lb.

It’s true. The best. That’s their slogan, and I agree!

Most places that sell Poke usually have it made in advance in large service pans on display in refrigerator cases, deli style. The problem with this is, if you don’t get there early when it was just made, after hours of sitting, the salt and/or shoyu in the marinade tends to eventually “cook” the delicate raw fish, causing it to stiffen and lose that buttery texture. The onions get soggy too. Eventually, the moisture in the fish escapes and makes the marinade watery, and just overall not good Poke.

Enter Ono Seafood, where the Poke is always made-to-order using fresh, top quality ingredients.

Ono Seafood is a small hole-in-the-wall store located on the ground floor of an inconspicuous low-rise apartment complex about halfway up (or down, depending where you’re coming from) on the Diamond Head (east) side of Kapahulu Avenue. Blink or sneeze and you can easily miss it. A recognizable landmark to help find them is Shell Gas Station; Ono Seafood is just next door makai-bound.

If you’re not familiar where Kapahulu avenue is, it’s on the east end of Waikiki, so it’s nearby if you’re a visitor staying in a hotel in that area.

Oh, and do not confuse Ono Seafood here with Ono Hawaiian Food, which is just a few blocks makai (towards the ocean) on the same street. Ono Hawaiian Food is a small restaurant that specializes in exactly what it’s named: “Ono Hawaiian Food”!

Upon entering this very small store, to your left is a refrigerator stocked with various dried and smoked seafood pupus. More on that later. There’s also a refrigerator display case in front next to the service counter that’s mostly empty, except to store the whole tako and slabs of Ahi to be to sliced up for the made-to-order poke. Visually, very low key.

Here you can see the very straight forward menu board…

As you see, the Ahi Poke is currently $12 per pound, which is on the high end, but believe when I say, this poke is worth every single ounce, right down to the last little piece of ogo.

If you look at the bottom center of the menu, those are the ingredients you select to go into your poke. Very simple, yet so effective. Choose White Onion, Green Onion, Hawaiian Salt, Chili Pepper, Kukui Nut, Sesame Oil, Ogo and Shoyu. Choose all of the above, or some of the above. Up to you. It’s all included in the current $12/lb. price. Once you tell them what you want in it, they quickly combine each ingredient in a mixing bowl, toss it up, put in the container, weigh it and it’s done. Very fast.

We always choose everything except the Kukui Nut, only because my girlfriend doesn’t care for that. Otherwise, I’d throw that in too. You can order it in quarter, half, three-quarter, or one pound-plus increments of quantity.

Trust me, order at least a pound. After one bite, you’ll want much, much more! This Poke has got to arguably not only be the best Ahi Poke in Honolulu, but on the entire island or state! The bite from the chili pepper, aroma from the sesame oil, and crunchy texture of the onions and ogo are just a magical combination with the top-quality Ahi, which just melts in your mouth like “buttah”… like “BUTTAH” I tell ya! The made-to-order freshness can’t be beat. The pictures here don’t even do it justice. You have to get some from there and try it yourself.

A good tip if you’re buying poke from here is to bring a small cooler with ice and keep it chilled and keep is as fresh as can be. This is very important. Poke sitting in the trunk of a car sitting in the hot sun? Not good. Ice cold Poke? Good! Ono!

Now let’s look what’s in that refrigerator to the left…

Dried Ahi and Spicy Smoked Tako

Dried Tako, Dried Shrimp (Opae), Smoked Tako and Boiled Peanuts

Tako Kama, Fish Jerky, Namasu and Kinilau

Sashimi Tray

Kukui Nuts (Inamona)

Good Lord, this is heaven. Folks, if someone shows up to your party with a cooler full of the stuff above, make friends with them… really good friends. lol!

1 pound Boiled Peanuts and 1 pound Ahi Poke

Their boiled peanuts are the bomb too. Nice and el dente, still slightly crunchy, with the perfect balance of salt and wetness. They run $2.50 per pound.

Best of all they’re consistent. We go here at least two or three times a month for the Ahi Poke, and it’s always top notch. For real, Ono Seafood is where to go for the best Poke in Honolulu. Guaranz!

Ono Sea Food Products, Inc.

747 Kapahulu Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96816
Tel. 808-732-4806

Related Links:
• Best Poke in Hawaii - Ono Seafood Products - Dan’s Hawaii blog
• Ono Seafood- Yelp user review listing

Teppanyaki master. Magician. All-around great guy. All those descriptions pretty much describe Chef Kevin Matsuda of Musashi Japanese restaurant at the Hyatt Regency and Spa Hotel in Waikiki.

Kevin was one of four chefs featured on the Food Network’s Flying Knives Teppanyaki competition which aired last July.

On our visit at Musashi, he was much more relaxed than he appeared to be on the show, and spent as much time with his magic tricks and joking around as he did cooking for us, making the experience that much more interactive, fun and exciting.

Musashi is one of four featured restaurants at the Hyatt Waikiki, along with Colony (steaks), Ciao Mein (Chinese-Italian fusion) and Terrace Grill (continental).

While there are private table also available for dining at Musashi, the highlight of the experience is at the Teppanyaki station; the price for the latter about $50 to $75 per person, depending which meal set you choose.

Here, your meal begins with a sushi set served by the wait staff…

When this arrives, the Teppanyaki chef - in the case Kevin - arrives and begins his preparation, including introductions to everyone on the table surrounding the grill. By this time, you get to know all the parties you’re dining with, as there are seating for 12 at each station, and you’ll likely be sharing the experience with folks you may not formerly know. Good fun!

I might add, that sushi was absolutely perfect.

Then as the chef begins cooking, you’re brought accompaniments for the meal, which includes rice, Tsukemono (picked vegetables) and Miso soup.

Chef Kevin likes to make things personal, and since he knows my girlfriend and her friends who we dined together with, Kevin carved our names into cucumbers and set them on the grill in front of our seat…

How cool is that?! He also uses it as a barricade for the onslaught of mushrooms that start the grilling session. Yum.

Here you can see how he carefully organizes his arrangement, with the lobster and scallops sitting off on the cool spot on the side awaiting their turn…

A pinch of salt is all that’s needed!

As you’ve seen in the first photo, here it is again in proper sequence as he builds the “Volcano”…

Oh, don’t mind, just a couple pieces of lobster wanted to get acquainted..

As the scallops cook, he take time out to bust out another magic trick…

Kevin, the show’s name is “Flying Knives”, not “Flying Lemons”…

lol

Yeah, yeah, O.K., wait, another magic trick!…

1-2-3… voila!…

Grilled cucumbers, mushrooms, scallops shrimp and lobster? Folks, it doesn’t get any better than this! While this doesn’t have any presentation factor, keep in mind that this is a dynamic cooking environment, and the chef doesn’t have time or space to “plate” each dish. Everything on the grill is distributed in bite-size portions to each diner’s plate as the show goes on.

This is as much a show as it is a dining experience.

Since these are simply seasoned with salt and pepper, you’re given a misoyaki and sesame-shoyu dipping sauce…

And just when you thought that was great, now comes the prime - not choice - New York Strip Steaks!…

The magic continues, the food excellent and everything was perfect. Mahalo Kevin!…

Teppanyaki Chef Kevin Matsuda

Links
• Food Network Challenge: Flying Knives
• Kitchen Magician
• Hyatt Regency & Spa Hotel Waikiki

Sun Noodle Shio Nama Ramen

Fellow food blogger and Ramen junkie “Edjusted” has so far covered many brands and flavors of “nama” or fresh noodle packaged ramen (see link), including Myojo. One he hasn’t done yet is Myojo’s Shio flavor that we have here in this entry, along with Sun Noodle’s Shio Ramen to start off with.

Like him, I’m pretty much partial to Shoyu Ramen, but we’re both open-minded people, willing to try new things, so here we go with Shio Ramen.

Shio Ramen is based on a simple salt and vegetable broth, unlike Shoyu or Tonkotsu which is flavored by pork bones. With that, I wasn’t expecting it to pack as much depth in flavor, and this assumption held true upon tasting these two store-bought Nama (fresh) Ramen versions of it.

Sun Noodle Shio Ramen, 2 servings. Purchased on sale for $1.89

Sun Noodle Shio Ramen broth before being diluted with water

Sun Noodle Shio Ramen after being diluted with 1-1/2 cups of hot water

Notice how light the broth looks. The ingredients in Sun Noodle’s Shio broth are: Water, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Salt, Canola Oil, Fermented Seasoning, Flavor Enhancer, Ethyl Alcohol, Dried Bonito Fish Extract, Sesame Oil, Vinegar, Flavor Extracts from Kelp, Onion, Chinese Cabbage, Carrots, Garlic and Ginger.

The benefit of this lighter, less imposing broth is it allows the toppings such as the Chashu to stand out more. But in and of itself, the Shio broth is rather silent. Expecting this, I really went for the toppings in this bowl, adding two generous slices of Chashu pork, slices of Gyoza (next to the Chashu), half a boiled egg, sliced fresh Daikon and another brand of Menma (marinated bamboo shoots) I found in Marukai recently…

Pirikara Menma

This menma is delicious. It’s lightly spicy from chili and sesame oil.

I made another batch of Chashu, this time using Dashinomoto, shoyu, mirin and sake. Excellent. This time I sliced and wrapped them in plastic about 2-3 pieces each for individual servings for storage in the freezer.

Home-made Chashu (simmered pork) for ramen

Once again, Sun Noodle Shio Ramen

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Next here we have Myojo Brand Shio Nama Ramen…

Myojo Shio Ramen with home-made Chashu pork, egg and green onion garnishes. This was actually made about 2 weeks ago, before the Sun Noodle demo above.

This is the “Nama” type of ramen, which includes fresh noodles and a liquid broth, making it far superior to those deep-fried wheat-wire bricks with the powdered MSG bomb packets. Being fresh, it needs to be refrigerated. These also freeze well. This package of 3 portions costs just $2.79 at the local Marukai. Here’s the contents…

With this Myojo brand, the included Shio liquid broth packet is made with the following ingredients: Water, Vegetable Oil, Salt, MSG, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Onion Extract, Yeast Extract, Sugar, Bonito Extract, White Pepper, Disodium Inosinate, Malic Acid and Curry Powder.

Here’s the concentrated broth before adding hot water…

Here’s the Shio broth after adding 1-1/2 cups of hot water to that concentrated base…

“Salt-seasoned”? It looks more complex than that. Well, as you seen in the ingredient roster, bonito (dried fish) and curry powder did make the mix in at least small quantities. The beauty about these liquid broth packets is that they have lipids in it (oil), which gives the broth an added, almost 3-dimensional depth.

Now the fresh noodles. Here how it looks before being cooked (boiled)…

They’re lightly dusted in flour, which helps to keep them from sticking together. So you simply drop them in 4 cups of rapid boiling water for about 3 minutes and/or until they reach el dente. What’s important after you do this is that you aggresively shake the water out. Doing this helps the noodles marry with the broth flavor better, which is very important.

After the noodles go into the bowl of broth, there’s only one thing left to do: add the garnishes. So I cooked up some home-made Chashu, this time simmering it in shoyu, ginger, green onion and corn syrup. Yup. Corn syrup. It gave it this nicely-glazed “crust”…

Actually, the glaze was a little too thick for my liking, so next time I use a slice from this slab, I’ll rinse the glaze off. Otherwise, very tender and flavorful. Certainly an asset. Chashu pork is ALWAYS an asset to Ramen. More like a requirement, IMO.

One condiment I’m missing, and I did miss it, is Menma (marinated Bamboo shoots). But that’s OK, as I wanted to taste the broth more than anything else.

So what did I think of this Myojo Shio Ramen. It’s alright. Of course, that chashu made what would otherwise be just “OK”, fantastic. But speaking of the broth itself, it’s just…. well, OK. Not bad, not great. That hint of curry and bonito does stand out, which makes it that much less boring than if it were indeed just seasoned with salt.

The noodles are actually quite good. It has that slightly “eggy” flavor accent and decent “chew”, also taking on the broth flavor well.

All said and done, in the sum of its parts, I’ll give this Myojo Shio Ramen 2 (out of 5) SPAM Musubi.

And if “Nama” or any instant, packaged ramen isn’t challenging enough for you (actually, not a challenge at all), you can always make it from scratch as fellow food blogger ChubbyPanda has done with his Niko Niku Ramen!

Tonkatsu (Pork Cutlet) with Bull-Dog sauce (left) and Ikari Tonkatsu sauce (right)

Tonkatsu, a Japanese-style breaded deep-fried pork, is one of those dishes that require the proper sauce to accompany it in order to complete the dish. And there really is only one true companion for it, which would be none other than Tonkatsu sauce. An absolute must.

Bull-Dog brand has been our favorite for over a decade, which thankfully we were introduced to by a Nihongin friend of ours way back then. Before this, we longed for that unique flavor that we thought we only could get in Tokyo from this small Tonkatsu shop we frequented in the Sukiyabayashi mall, located under a subway track near the Imperial Hotel where we stayed.

Just recently I discovered another competitive brand called Ikari Tonkatsu sauce. Most likely you’ll only find Bull-Dog or Ikari in markets that specialize in Japanese/asian products, but you might get lucky and they’ll at least have the Bull-Dog brand, which actually has a made-for-export English label on it.

Kikkoman (the Shoyu company) also makes an acceptable Tonkatsu sauce that’s close to these in flavor, but a bit more “generic” if you will. If you can’t find the Bull-Dog or Ikari brand, do use the Kikkoman, which is widely available in the US.

Ikari Tonkatsu sauce (left) and Bull Dog Tonkatsu sauce (right)

This built-in “limiter” spout makes drizzling a small line of the sauce over the Tonkatsu easy, without dumping too much out at one time. Very nice.

Comparing Bull Dog with Ikari Tonkatsu sauce raw on a spoon, Bull Dog is just slightly more more intense and acidic, while the Ikari is just slightly sweeter and smoother. Which is kind of odd, as the Bull-Dog lists sugar as its first ingredient (after water), having you think that one would be sweeter.

Of course, eaten plain doesn’t do neither one justice. It’s only with the deep-fried breaded pork, do these sauces shine. And that they indeed do.

Eaten with the Tonkatsu pork, you’ll probably be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Speaking for myself, if you gave me a blind taste test, I honestly don’t think I could tell. Both have that authentic deep, spicy-sweet “twang” to them that compliment the pork cutlet so perfectly. Both are also equal in viscosity, with just enough body to stay stay put wherever you pour it without running off. Tonkatsu with these sauces are just such a unique, fantastic combination of flavor and texture that’s like nothing else out there.

Notice on the Bull Dog label that it says “Vegetable & Fruit Sauce”. We all know how fruit can compliment pork quite well. Think pineapple honey-glazed ham. Well, with these type of Tonkatsu sauces, it takes this concept of savory-tart-sweet to a whole new level. And they work equally as well on Chicken Katsu.

Which brings to mind how repulsive that Ketchup and Worcestershire stuff is that so many plate lunch stands serve here with their Chicken Katsu plates. I can understand cost concerns (ounce-for-ounce, Tonkatsu sauce is considerably more expensive ketchup), but still, that really is an unacceptable substitute for the real deal.

Also critical to a good Tonkatsu or Chicken Katsu dish is the finely sliced bed of cabbage. You NEED that. But that’s another story for another day.

Next time you order or make Tonkatsu (or Chicken Katsu), INSIST that it’s served with authentic Tonkatsu sauce.

Tonkatsu (Pork Cutlet) with Bull Dog sauce (left) and Ikari Tonkatsu sauce (right)

Rice bowl

Tonkatsu Sauce Specifications

Ikari Tonkatsu Sauce
Exported by Kawa Corporation
Product of Japan
Ingredients: Apple, Tomato, Onion, Water, Distilled Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, Spices, Corn Starch
10 oz. bottle
Place of purchase: Marukai Market (Ward, Honolulu, HI)
Price: $2.99

Bull-Dog Vegetable & Fruit Sauce
Tonkatsu Sauce
Manufactured by Bull-Dog Sauce Co., Ltd.
Product of Japan
Ingredients: Water, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Apple, Salt, Tomato,m Hydrolyzed Soy Protein (Contains Glutamates), Corn Starch, Prune, Carrot, Spices, Caramel, Coloring, Onion, Garlic & Ginger
10 oz. bottle
Place of purchase: Marukai Market (Ward, Honolulu, HI)
Price: $3.49

Hot on the heels, err, make that bowl of yesterday’s Gyudon, I present to you my very own creation here in what we’ll affectionately name SPAM Donburi! I’m not sure if anyone out there has done this before, as I couldn’t find one online with proof. So I figured, what the heck; if SPAM tastes great on a musubi, it’s gotta’ work as a donburi, right?

So this morning I put on my “Doctah’ FrankenSPAM” lab coat and went to work.

I took the basic Gyudon broth recipe, which is 2-1/2 cups of water, 1 packet of dashino-moto, 5 tbsp. each of shoyu, mirin and sake, and simmered thin, bite-size slivers of SPAM in it, along with sliced onions and shiitake mushrooms. Simmered it long enough for the onions to soften and the SPAM to cook through. Test-tasted to make sure the SPAM absorbed some of the flavor from the broth and that it tasted cooked. Poured all that over hot rice, along with extra broth, and topped it with Beni Shoga.

And how did this SPAM Donburi taste? Ono! A little salty, since I used regular SPAM. But oh man.. the combination of the SPAM with the Shiitake, onions and Beni Shoga is a winner! Add that tasty, broth-enhanced rice as the supporting act and this bowl rocks!

Next time I’ll try using the low-sodium SPAM (or Tulip). I also may add an egg in there, either in raw form and let it cook with the other stuff like Oyako Donburi, or cook an omelet on the side and then slice it up and add it with the other ingredients in already-cooked form. Perhaps some Furikake sprinkled over it might work too.

Seriously, you should try it. Especially if you’re a SPAM-with-rice fan. This is certainly an interesting and unique twist on it.

See Nate what you got me started on!

Gyudon “Beef Bowl”

Get your groove on with Gyudon! A simple all-in-one “beef bowl” made with thin strips of beef and onion, cooked fairly quick in a savory-sweet Dashi-based broth and served over hot steamed rice and garnished with Beni Shoga, an Umezu pickled red ginger.

It’s one of the most popular fast food dishes in Japan, thanks to chain restaurants such as Yoshinoya and Sukiya. Think of it like this: Where as in the US we have hamburgers, in Japan, they have Gyudon.

“HynPake” Nate recently blogged his Gyudon recipe, which looked and sounded really oishii and easy to make, so I decided to give it a try. The following recipe is based on his, yet I modified it just ever-so-slightly, based on the ingredients I had on hand, taste and serving portions needed.

So let’s get our groove on and do this!

GYUDON
“Beef Bowl”
Serves 2

Ingredients:
• 8-10 oz. (approx. 1/2 lb.) beef, thinly sliced and cut into bite-size strips (pre-cut “Sukiyaki” beef is an ideal choice for this, if available)
• 1 handful (about 5-7 caps) Shiitake Mushrooms, cut into thin strips (if dried, soak in hot water for 20 minutes and squeeze excess water)
• 1 medium-sized white onion, sliced
• 2½ cups water
• 1 packet dashino-moto
• 5 tbsp. shoyu
• 5 tbsp. mirin
• 5 tbsp. sake
• Cooked white rice (enough for 2 generous servings)
• Beni Shoga (Umezu pickled red ginger)

This highly-marbelized, thinly sliced Sukiyaki beef cooks quickly, is very tender and takes on the flavor of the broth quite well. One of the slices are folded over on the left corner so you can see just how thin it is.

Raw ingredients: Sliced Onions, Shiitake Mushrooms and Beef

Dashino-moto powdered soup base

Beni Shoga - Ginger pickled with Umezu and colored red. This large package was just $2.99 at Marukai. It was transferred into a glass jar for easier storage in the fridge.

Directions:

Begin by adding water, dashino-moto powder, shoyu, mirin & sake in a deep skillet pan. Heat on stove then add onions…

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let the onions simmer in the broth for 10 minutes, or until they soften.

Add the sliced Shiitake Mushrooms and beef…

Use a spoon or chopsticks to gently incorporate and mix all the ingredients evenly in the pan with the broth. Cook another 2 minutes longer, or until the beef is just cooked through, then turn heat off.

Using a slotted spoon, serve the cooked beef, shiitake and onions over a bowl of hot steaming rice, and top with Beni Shoga. Pour extra sauce into the bowl over the rice to your own taste. Serve immediately while it’s hot.

Itadakimasu!

Notice the unorthodox rectangle serving “bowl”. Think of this as the “Wendy’s hamburger” of Gyudon. You rebel. lol!

Notice that I also added chopped green onion, julienned fresh daikon and carrots on the side, which not only added color, but also a crisp and fresh texture and flavor contrast to the savory beef and onions. “Hardcore” Gyudon enthusiasts may frown upon that, but hey, this is MY kitchen!

So this was actually the second night in a row that I made this, as I really enjoyed the first night’s bowl. Only thing was, the market didn’t have Sukiyaki beef at the time, so on my first Gyudon session I used Teriyaki-style cuts of Beef…

Teriyaki beef (not marinated, just cut in that style)

Notice how there’s much less fat marbeling, and also what you can’t see is that it’s sliced a bit thicker than Sukiyaki… about a 1/4″, compared to the Sukiyaki, which is about 1/8″. This made it more difficult for the broth to penetrate and flavor it. So I ended up simmering longer than usual to absorb the flavors and cook through. The teriyaki-cut beef was also half the price of Sukiyaki, which says something about the difference in quality. Because this is a quick-cooking method, you need the best quality possible in order for it to be tender.

I also didn’t have Shiitake on the first session. Here you can see how the slices of beef are a bit thicker, more like stir-fry cuts…

So here you can see the finished “Gyudon” on my first night..

Looks pretty, but those cuts of beef are way too thick. It appears more like a stir-fry than Gyudon. It was still oishii, but I’ll stick with the Sukiyaki beef, which was much more tender and flavorful, and true to the dish.

I’ll also have to say you MUST have it with the Beni Shoga, or at least Daikon or some kind of tsukemono, as, IMO, the dish needs that contrast to really shine. The combination of the savory beef and onions, and slightly sweet “sauce”, along with the tangy-bite and crunch of the Beni Shoga is a fantastic marriage, and provides that critical and most tasty finishing touch.

So get your groove on and give Gyudon a try. A perfect comfort food for these chilly winter nights. Highly recommended. Arigato Nate!

Moriawase Sashimi: (top row) Maguro (Tuna), Ebi (Shrimp);
(bottom row) Sake (Salmon), Toro (Fatty Tuna), with Julienne Daikon and Wasabi. $9

In Hawaii, every year in late December following Christmas, there are two things you can be sure will be in high demand: Fireworks and Sashimi. The former from China, the latter from Japan; yet both completely established through generations as a “local” New Year’s tradition in the islands.

During this time of peak demand, folks flock to the markets in droves seeking out the best cuts of Sashimi grade Ahi they can get their hands on. The best grades sometimes running over $30 per pound, depending, who, where and what.

I won’t sit here any longer explaining what exactly Sashimi is or the specifics of the traditions, as I’m by far no expert; I just know I love it.

If you gave me a choice between a full-course prime rib dinner, or that platter of Sashimi I have pictured above, I’d more than likely choose the Sashimi. Well, depends on my mood, but just saying, that’s how much I adore this dish.

We had a conservative spread of Sashimi and Poke for our little New Year’s gathering this year, but that was wiped out no sooner than I could get my camera out and say “Ahi!”.

Not to fret, as still craving more, I was able to get my hands on this freshly-made Moriawase Sashimi platter from Marukai at Ward Farmer’s Market today. This beautiful, fully-loaded assortment of Sashimi-grade Maguro (Tuna), Toro (Fatty Tuna), Ebi (Shrimp) and Sake (Salmon) was just $9, just 2 days after the high-demand New Year’s Eve rush.

The only traditional item this spread is missing is the Shiso leaf. No biggy. Heck, this fish is so fresh, it makes those plastic green “garnishes” almost come alive! At least it has shredded Daikon, which I love, as it gives the delicate fish some texture contrast.

Here, have a bite of some Maguro Sashimi…

Fresh Maguro (raw tuna) Sashimi with thinly-sliced Daikon

I tell ya’, this stuff was so fresh, tender and “buttery”, I could barely keep it on my chopsticks (hashi) while taking that photo before it was ready to tear apart and fall off on its own. As you can see, there’s a dab of Wasabi on it, and also a quick dip in shoyu. Sink that piece whole, along with the shredded Daikon in one bite and… MMMMMMM… Oishii desu yo! Like “buttuh”. In fact, this entire platter pretty much fit that description. I want more!

If I were to make the Sashimi myself, I’d simply put just Maguro (not all the other varieties) over a bed of thinly-sliced cabbage, and garnish with chopped green onion. Instead of wasabi and shoyu, I’d use Coleman’s Mustard and shoyu, which has Chinese influence. This is how our family has always prepared Sashimi at home, and it’s really ono that way. But of course the traditional Japanese presentation is fantastic as well.

Well it’s 2008 gang, and WOW, how time is flying, yet still so much more to share here on The Tasty Island.

With that, in an entry following soon, I’ll showcase some interesting Poke varieties available in our local markets, including one I seen recently made out of Kamaboko (fish cake).

Shinnen Omedeto Gozaimasu
Hau’oli Makahiki Hou
Happy New Year!

I traveled to Japan many times throughout childhood, and we dined at so many awesome restaurants within the Ginza area of Tokyo. This molded what would become an absolute love of Japanese cuisine.

One of the most fascinating and alluring things I remember about most of the Japanese restaurants were all those amazing plastic (artificial) food displays in glass showcases fronting the establishments. It’s one thing to read the menu, but to physically SEE it almost immediately sells it. Genius!

Bringing this custom here, upon walkin past a Japanese ramen shop in Waikiki last night, I snapped these shots of their plastic food display in front…

Yes, these are all plastic displays of the real deal. Looks pretty real to me! From that chashumen, to the peas on that fried rice, to the foam “head” topping that Kirin beer, good gracious, I want a bite and a sip! Hold the polystyrene, please. lol

When my dad was running Hawaii’s papaya industry and doing marketing in Japan, he had to get a couple of those plastic displays that depicted a papaya in really ono-looking service form. It costed a hefty $500 for a custom-made plastic papaya with a scoop of of plastic ice cream in it. And another 5 “Bens” for a simple plastic papaya with a plastic lemon wedge in it.

Front to back: SPAM, TULIP and TREET Musubi

Back in 2003, a new kid, umm, make that can in town entered Hawaii’s ever-popular luncheon meat market by the name of Tulip Luncheon Hash “with Real Bacon”. With Hawaii statistically being the nation’s largest consumer of Hormel’s SPAM, the distributor of Tulip thought their product, which is imported from Denmark, would be a formidable contender to grab some of that market share.

Soon after its debut, the Honolulu Star Bulletin held and published a TULIP vs. SPAM blind taste test, with results having SPAM maintain its dominance by their judges, both by familiarity of its flavor, and more importantly its brand name. Still, Tulip did prove its worth and stood up to SPAM on almost all aspects, even winning over one of the judges. What Star Bulletin DIDN’T do in that likely fun and tasty (hey, I like that word!) showdown was to pit the two against each other in their truest form… as SPAM MUSUBI!

Funny enough, as long as TULIP has been on our store shelves, this is the first time I’ve tried it, hence why this entry was thought up. Also, I don’t eat luncheon meat that often, but when I do, 95% of the time it’s a musubi.

Another peculiarity is the name: SPAM Musubi. What about “TULIP Musubi”? Or “TREET Musubi”. Does that sound right? Me thinks not. No matter what it’s made out of, it just HAS to be called a SPAM Musubi! What do you think?

So my friends, the saga continues here in 2007, where here I present the first (as far as I could currently NOT find in GOOGLE) comparison of not just SPAM vs. TULIP, but also vs. TREET “SPAM MUSUBI” showdown!

TULIP was on sale at Times Supermarket for $1.99 per can. Regular shelf price was $2.79. I don’t know how much the SPAM or TREET costs, as I already had them in my pantry. TREET is usually the cheapest. I was a bit surprised to find that Foodland no longer stocks TULIP. Neither did our local Safeway.

Looking at the 3 contenders’ unique rectangular-shaped cans from top view…

…you see how TULIP (left) and TREET (middle) share identical tins, which I’m guessing are supplied by the same packaging manufacturer. The unique SPAM can (right) is just a tad wider, but SHORTER than the other two. This may have one think the SPAM has more (or less, depending how you slice it!) than the other two, but in fact they’re all the same in net weight at 12 oz. each.

Like all good food packaging goes, a handy recipe (or two) are provided on the back of the cans…

Must say, in all its 56 grams of fatty glory, that TREET Reuben Sandwich sounds pretty darned good!

Here we reveal how these logs of processed porkies appear out of their colorful tin skin…

The first thing I noticed was TULIP’s absence of any slimy gelatinous “mystery goo” in the can, and was rather dry. TREET had the most “mystery goo”, followed by SPAM which had some, but not as much as the TREET. Just when you thought the mystery was only in the meat. LOL!

Cutting it up. The most common thickness to slice this “local style” is about 1/4″ thick, straight and even across the log. In fact, due to SPAM Musubi being so popular in the islands, there’s even a SPAM Musubi slicer out there, which is made of multiple wires strewn across a lever arm that slices the entire brick in even slices in one fell swoop. Cool. Or you can do the “Waianae Cut” and just cut the whole brick in half. There you go.. two MASSIVE slices of SPAM. lol!

While (like hot dogs) claiming to be “fully cooked” out of the package, to fully enjoy it, luncheon meat should be pan-fried to a golden brown finish in a little bit of cooking oil…

TULIP at front center, SPAM at top left and TREET at top right

Looking at the slices before they’re browned, you can see variations in color and marbling, with treet being noticeably darker. The SPAM is distinguishable from the other two by its wider profile. So with that, if you were to cut all three in equal 1/4″ thick slices, you will indeed get a tad bit more SPAM. lol

Here’s the three fully browned and cooked…

SPAM bottom left, TULIP bottom right and TREET top center

To make this fair, along with the key “musubi” comparo’, I had to try each slice cooked plain like this as well, which I’ll share the results of later.

Now that they’re all fried up, it’s time to make some Musubi!…

Here we have all the essential ingredients: Nori (dried seaweed), Shoyu, Mirin, sugar (in the brown bowl) and an acrylic SPAM Musubi maker molding kit. Behind that package of Nori is a bottle of Rice Vinegar, which I ALWAYS add just a little to the pot of cooked rice to prevent it from molding and prolong its counter life.

Begin by cooking 3-5 cups of white medium-grain rice (I used Hinode, the island favorite!). Make sure you add the proper amount of water, as it’s critical that the rice has enough moisture to hold together when pressed in the musubi maker. Too dry and it will fall apart.

5 cups of cooked Hinode rice

When it’s finished cooking, let the rice fully steam and cool a little, then sprinkle just a little rice vinegar (about 1 to 2 tablespoons) in the pot and “fluff” the rice to combine the vinegar evenly. Now make all your musubi rice molds by pressing in the acrylic musubi maker, one by one, until you have enough to accommodate however many slices of SPAM/TULIP/TREET you’ve cooked.

Prepare the Teri’ glaze. Some folks make their SPAM musubi without the simplified teriyaki glaze, but most vendors in stores make them with it, which really punches out the flavor . I prefer it with it as well.

Simplified Teriyaki glaze for SPAM Musubi:

1/4 cup Shoyu
1/4 cup Mirin
1/4 cup Sugar

Add all ingredients in pan on low heat and stir to combine until sugar melts and reduce until it becomes a slightly thickened glaze.

Give the cooked SPAM/TULIP/TREET slices a quick soak on both sides in the pan of Teri’ glaze…

Looks ono already! Take them out evenly coated, slightly “wet” and transer directly onto your formed musubi rice…

SPAM front center, TREET top left and TULIP top right

Notice how the teri’ glaze soaks into the top layer of the bed of rice… this my friends is “oishii-ville”. LOL!

Finish them by cutting (approx.) 2″ wide strips of nori and wrap. Use a little water on your fingers to help the Nori to bind.

Pau. Itadakimasu!…

Here’s the Tasty Island taster’s results!

Comparison in plain, cooked form:

FLAVOR PROFILES
3 musubi being most to 1 being least (obviously)

Most salty flavor:
SPAM -
TREET -
TULIP -

Most “Porkiest”:
SPAM -
TULIP -
TREET -

Most “Mystery Meat” like:
TREET -
TULIP -
SPAM -

TEXTURE PROFILES

Most moist:
TREET -
SPAM -
TULIP -

Most fibrous and/or chewy:
TULIP -
SPAM -
TREET -

OVERALL PERSONAL FAVORITE (plain)
(and this isn’t a compound result of the scores above)
SPAM -
TULIP -
TREET -

Comparison incorporated as a MUSUBI:
3 musubi being most to 1 being least (obviously)

Compliments (enhances)…
the rice:
TULIP -
SPAM -
TREET -

the nori:
SPAM -
TULIP -
TREET -

the teriyaki sauce:
TREET -
TULIP -
SPAM -

OVERALL PERSONAL FAVORITE (as Musubi)
(once again, this isn’t a compound result of the scores above)
SPAM -
TULIP -
TREET -

Comments
Times Supermarket didn’t have any regular TULIP in stock on my visit, so I had to go with this 25% LESS SODIUM version here. I’m guessing that probably gave it an unfair disadvantage, but still, at least I got an idea of what the stuff is all about. I’ll certainly get a can of the regular TULIP next time and add it to this comparo’ just to be fair and complete.

I must say that Tulip struck me as very DRY, which as you can see in the scores was given a 1, but in reality it was more like -1 in comparison to the others. It certainly was a contender for 1st place in MUSUBI form, but absolutely behind SPAM in and on its own. Some have said the bacon flavor was pronounced, but I didn’t really have that impression; probably again a result of this being the lower-sodium version. It WAS the most “ham” like. Which can be a good thing, depending how you’re using it in the dish.

TREET was the most “Hot Dog” like in both flavor and texture. It just had that “what is this stuff?” thing going on. I gave it 1st place in the “compliments teriyaki sauce” category, as this one really NEEDED that other element of flavor to make it work, and it DID help it in the Musubi. I actually really liked that TREET Musubi!

As you see, SPAM won both the PLAIN and MUSUBI categories. I may be biased towards SPAM (as probably many of us are) because I grew up with that stuff. Still, I believe even someone who’s never tried any of the above would, 9-out-of-10, choose SPAM over the other 2 if given this same taste comparison.

Don’t get me wrong. Each one is has their own individual qualities (aside of any drawbacks), and worth the price, if they’re on sale (I’d never buy any of this stuff at regular price). I actually enjoyed each one in their own way, even enjoying TREET now more as an adult, where which as a kid, didn’t care for at all.

If most locals were given the three musubi varieties here in a blind taste test, I’m willing to bet most would know which brand is which, as they’re all certainly unique in their own way. And I do like all of them for their individual characteristics.

Still, brick-for-brick, wrapped-in-nori-with rice, eggs-with-luncheon-meat-for-breakfast (and perhaps until I get my hands on “regular” TULIP), SPAM is still king and STILL the one and only SPAM MUSUBI!

Okahara’s Saimin - Pomai’s “Deluxe” version

Hawaii’s supermarkets carry two prominent brands of locally-made, FRESH Saimin: S&S (now owned by Sun Noodle) and Okahara’s. What I mean by fresh is the noodles, in which they’re mostly cooked, only requiring a quick dip in boiling water to heat them up. This also means this type of saimin requires refrigeration or freezing for storage.

So enter Okahara’s, which we have here as the “Saimin Lovers Pack”…

As you can see, it’s similar to how S&S packages their fresh Saimin, in what I’ll call, “Semi-Ready-to-Eat Saimin”. Just add garnish.

Inside of this bag, you get 9 packages of 4.5 oz. single serving Saimin…

Each individually-sealed package contains fresh 4.5 oz. of pre-cooked Saimin noodles and a packet of powdered broth.

Let’s start with that broth, because that’s the most important part! Now I’m not a chemist, but if you ask me, this is basically HON DASHI, or Bonito Fish Soup Stock, in powdered form. Here’s the ingredients to Okahara’s “Soup”: Salt, MSG, Sugar, Powdered Bonito, Powdered Soy, Powdered Onion, Caramel Coloring and Green Onion (made in Japan).

Common! That’s just Dashi! Da’ kine’ you use fo’ make Miso Soup. I know it! Don’t get me wrong. Not knocking it. It’s just really so basic, that it begs you to add more stuff to your saimin, as you can with the all the garnishes I’ve added.

Here’s how the contents look unpackaged…

The ingredients for these pre-cooked noodles are: Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Iron, Ascorbic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin added as dough conditioner), Water, Salt & Potassium Carbonate.

“Cooking” this type of saimin simply requires a quick 2 minute boil in water, then serve. The instructions say to add the powdered soup into the water with saimin as it boils, but I opt to mix it directly in my serving bowl with hot water, so I can adjust the intensity of the broth. That’s the “Ramen” in me. lol

That first bowl I pictured above was my girlfriend’s, as she doesn’t care for green onions, so I kept them whole (for presentation purposes), which she simply fished out.

Here’s my “Supah’ Deluxe Saimin”…

Okahara’s Saimin - Pomai’s “Supah’ Deluxe” version

“Supah Deluxe Saimin” eh? So what do we mean by that? Well my friends, it’s all about the toppings. The “icing on the cake” if you will.

First witness not 1, not 2, but EIGHT pieces of fried SPAM. That’s what I’m talkin’ about! Then take hold of not 1 but FIVE slices of Kamaboko fish cake. Throw in half of a hard-boiled egg and CHOKE green onions, and that’s it. These are the CORE ingredients of what we consider “Local-Style Saimin”. Another popular (local style) meat option to SPAM or luncheon meat is Charsiu (Chinese roast pork), which is actually my preference, but I didn’t have any on-hand for this occasion.

So how does Okahara’s compare to S&S? In my opinion, along with a few of my coworkers, Okahara’s broth has more flavor. S&S is bland by comparison. But really, we ARE just talking about a basic Dashi broth, aren’t we? Also, as many locals often do, adding shoyu for a “boost” is protocol. Also keep in mind that I’m a Japanese style Ramen fanatic, so Saimin “broth” really is substandard for me, but hey, that’s only if we’re nitpicking. I still love this stuff!

If you’ve ever been to Hamura’s on Kauai (they won a James Beard award), then you get a sense of what Okahara’s tastes like. This is just your everyday Saimin that does what it’s supposed to do: taste like Saimin, do a great job at it, and most of all, satisfy your hunger. It does that, and does it on time and on budget. This package of 9 single servings cost just $3.99 on sale at Marukai. What a bargain!

It really comes down to how you garnish Saimin to your liking. Right out the package it isn’t going to “wow” you. But when you “Go Fo’ Broke” like I did here, then it’s the ultimate.

A while back I posted an entry about S&S’ ready-to-serve bowl…

S&S Saimin - Ready-to-Eat Bowl

Well, Okahara’s also has a competing product…

Okahara’s Saimin - Ready-to-Eat Bowl

Renote in the S&S bowl that I added Menma, which are marinated bamboo shoots. Otherwise it includes the 1 piece of luncheon meat, Kamaboko (fish cake) and green onions.

Now, looking at the Okahara’s Saimin ready-to-eat bowl, it includes Kamaboko, along with a significantly-more generous helping of sliced luncheon meat (like SPAM), along with a generous amount of sliced eggs (omelet), along with fresh sliced green onions. Nice. These ready-to-eat bowls are a godsend for work, and BLOW any “Cup Noodle” stuff out the park. Now if they’d only do this with Ramen!

A great way to enjoy Saimin, which I learned from a friend a long time ago, is to enjoy it along with a hamburger. Instead of french fries, have a Saimin!

Yes, Saimin is one of the true culinary icons that represent Hawaii’s plantation heritage, where cultures blended and came up with the perfect comfort food. Gotta’ love Saimin!

P.S. If you want to see one version of “non-soup” Saimin, that would be in the form of the Somen Salad…

As you can see, this Somen Salad is from Zippy’s. It’s made up of Somen Noodles, which are skinnier and more delicate than Saimin Noodles, garnished with chopped ham, Kamaboko, egg, cucumber, and green onion, served over a bed of mixed green lettuce, along with a sesame and shoyu dressing that you pour over it upon digging in.

The other version is the local style fried noodles, which I’ll post later when I order some.

Okazuya plate from Masa & Joyce: (left-right, front row to back) Okinawan Yakisoba Noodles, Teriyaki Fish Patty, Vegetable Tempura, Ume Musubi & Nishime (in the plastic container)

Continuing the Uchinanchu spirit from last week’s Okinawan Festival, today we decided to make a stop over in Kaneohe at Masa & Joyce Okazuya. A first for me, yet a frequent stop for my Uchinanchu friend, who’s order is shown above.

On the right side of the establishment as you enter is a glass refrigerator case with various poke, seafood and other pupu items. Head straight towards the front counter where the menu board is hanging and there under the glass case you’ll find the various trays of daily Okazuya items to pick from. This is “the gold”! All the other stuff on the menu looks ono, but we’re here today for Okazuya!

As is typical of many Okazuya shops, there aren’t any signs with descriptions or prices on each item, making it a little challenging to make your choices if you’re not a regular here. I arrived around 10:30am, thinking I’d beat the lunch hour rush. Which I thought I had done, as it was rather empty when I walked in, but before I knew it, there was a line building behind me that was already practically out the door! So I had to hurry and select items for two plates to go, which totaled $15 for both of them.

There’s also (limited) tables and seating if you prefer to dine in.

So the plate shown above was my friend’s order, and here’s my order…

Okazuya plate from Masa & Joyce: Okinawan Yakisoba Noodles, Vegetable Tempura, Ahi Tempura, Ahi Belly, Hot Dog Maki Sushi

So how is it?

The stir-fried Okinawan Yakisoba Noodles are a meal in itself, el dente, with generous slices of SPAM, carrots, white and green onions in it; the sum of its parts seasoned nicely in a shoyu-base that we can’t pinpoint, but works perfect. This the OTHER chow funn!

The Ahi Belly… OMG, this is like “buttah”. Being the fatty party of the tuna, this piece was super moist, very very flavorful, and gladly hardly had any bones in it. It had a light shoyu and sugar glaze on the seared exterior which gave it that signature “Okazuya style”. Highly recommended!

The Ahi Tempura has a rather thick and chewy, somewhat salty batter, which contrasted, yet complimented the tender ahi meat inside nicely. Here’s how that looks on the inside…

The Vegetable Tempura seemed to share the same thick, chewy and slightly salted batter as the Ahi version, except in this case being made up of carrots, onions, green onions and string beans.

Because of the batter, both these had character on their own, and didn’t need any kind of dipping sauce, as is usually the case with Japanese-style Tempura. Both good choices.

The Hot Dog Maki Sushi is such a no-brainer idea as far as “local food” is concerned, yet I don’t see this too often. This is a great alternative to the more familiar “Spam Musubi”. Here’s a cross section showing how it’s constructed…

Each bite: rice and hot dog, rice and hot dog, rice and hot dog. Life is complete!

That sums up my plate. My friend ordered the Teriyaki fish patty, which he gave me a sample of. OMG! That ROCKS! Order that on your next stop at Masa & Joyce. Trust me. I know I am. It’s not “fishy” at all. It taste nothing like the fish patty at Tanioka’s, which is excellent in its own right. It’s almost like hamburger-like, yet has something “Japanese” about it, and not fatty like a burger. I’d love the recipe for this.

He approved of the Nishime, which was the first time he’s ordered that from here since they didn’t have Kinpira (Gobo) today. While he says it doesn’t beat Ige’s, it was ono.

Other items included Okinawan Sweet Potato patties, various other fish items, Okinawan Long Rice, Teriyaki Fish Meatballs (same like the fishcake patty, but in different form), Aburage, Spam Sushi, Fried Tofu, and many other dishes just I can’t remember or identify.

Besides Okazuya, they also have a regular menu to order from, including a basic breakfast and soups such as Ox Tail, Ju Shi Me (Okinawan Rice Soup) and Okinawan Soba (like Saimin). There’s also plate lunches, bento lunches and Hawaiian Food, including all the favorites.

The Okazuya offerings are located in that glass case under this counter. “Da’ Gold”!

Now that I’ve sampled their Okazuya, which is on par with the best the island has to offer, next time around, I’m gonna’ go for one of the Hawaiian plates and see how M&J stacks up with Young’s Fish Market and Ono Hawaiian Food.

If you’re ever in the Kaneohe area and looking for Japanese, Okinawan, Hawaiian and overall local ‘kine grindz all in one stop, check Masa & Joyce out. Buggah stay winnahz, ono and oishii all at da’ same time! Go check ‘em now go!

Masa & Joyce Okazuya
Hawaiian & Japanese Foods
Sashimi - Poke - Bento - Etc.
45-582 Kamehameha Hwy.
Tel: (80 235-6129
Fax: (80 235-0992

Tasty Island rating:

Winnahz!

*Masa & Joyce Okazuya is located across Windward City Shopping Center (Foodland and First Hawaiian Bank). They’re in a small business plaza complex on the corner of Kamehameha Hwy. and Luluku Rd. (mauka side), and are also neighbors with Kin Wah Chop Suey, another popular place!…

Foodland’s Ala Moana Center store was closed for renovation for several months now, and just reopened their doors this past Thursday with a new Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, a Beard Papa’s, and an overall fresh, updated look.

Beard Papa’s is a franchise from Japan that specializes in freshly made Cream Puffs. Their Hawaii locations, which have been in the islands for several years now, are operated by Foodland’s Sullivan family. Which explains why many of their shops are located within their stores; the first of which to arrive on our shores being in the Waikiki Food Pantry supermarket. The last of which I’ve visited before this one being at the Koko Marina Foodland.

Beard Papa’s motto is “to only serve the freshest cream puffs”. With that, every one served is made from a choux pastry shell that’s baked fresh on site. They’re very light and airy, with a slighty crisp, browned outter crust, and by nature of a choux pastry, a cavernous interior makes them ready for the filling of your choice. The original vanilla custard filling is prepared fresh, flavored with hand-picked whole vanilla pods from Madagascar. Wow! There’s several other filling flavors to choose such as chocolate, strawberry, Grean Tea, Coffee and Caramel.

In my order today, I went neopolitan with the original vanilla, chocolate and strawberry…

Front to back: Original Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry ‘fresh’n natural cream puffs

The fresh-baked choux pastry shells are kept in a bin awaiting service…

The fillings aren’t added until the customer makes the order. Upon making your choice(s), the custard is injected from a pump canister nozzle, as you can partially see in this photo…

So how are they? First of all, after looking at Ono Kine Grindz post about the place, I notice Reid’s order had an abundant dose of powdered sugar on it… hey, where’s mine!? That indeed would’ve added a nice extra kick of sweetness to it. And I didn’t have any powdered sugar in the pantry to add my own.. oh well. Next time I may have to remind them!

Although they claim it’s made with “two European Chocolates”, I didn’t care for the chocolate one too much, as it wasn’t quite sweet enough, and wasn’t as complimentary to the choux pastry as the other two were. Perhaps that powdered sugar on top would have helped here.

The strawberry flavor tasted genuine to the actual fruit, with pulverized bits visually seen in it. It even has a slight tang which makes it that much more convincing, and not so “candy-like”. Pretty good. I bet the Éclair version, with dark chocolate over the top would make this one dynamite.

By far, the original Vanilla is the one to get, and defines what Beard Papa’s is all about. Light and creamy, not too heavy or oversweet, and whatever this madagascar vanilla is, it’s doing a good job here. That cool, creamy custard, combined with the airy and crisp choux shell is a fantastic flavor and texture combination. Just overall yummy.. oishii!

Japanese have a great reputation for quality packaging, and Beard Papa’s is no exception, where they’re off to go in this nifty little carry box…

And each one has their own package wrapper to hold while you eat so the cream filling (which is kind of loose) doesn’t drip on your hands…

They cost $1.65 each for the vanilla and $1.85 for the other flavors, which can add up if you’re planning to buy a few dozen for the office gang. But if you’re just going for a one’z-two’z, not a problem.

Freshness is key here, and with that, they date stamp your order, with a reminder to keep them refrigerated and (preferably) consumed within the day you bought them…

Foodland Ala Moana’s renovated storefront, located street level on the mauka-ewa side of the center near Sears

For more information, visit their Hawaii website at:
www.BeardPapasHawaii.com

Tasty Island rating:

Supah’ Ono!

…although next time, don’t forget the powdered sugar!

Kurume Tonkotsu Ramen

The latest ramen import from Japan available at our local Marukai market arrives under the name Kurume of Ogawaya, exported by Kawa Corporation. There are 5 different flavors, packaged the same way as our locally-made Sun Noodle brand, with fresh ramen noodles and a liquid soup base. Because the noodles are fresh, they require refrigeration. You can also place them in the freezer for long-term storage.

What stood out was this 2-flavor twin pack…

Kurume Ramen Futatsuno Aji

Yes, this package includes two “futatsu no” different broth flavor packets…

The red packet on the left is Tonkotsu, and the white one the right is Tonkotsu Shoyu. How cool!

Here’s a package of Kurume Ichiban Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen…

Kurume Ichiban Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen

There were several other flavors I have yet to try such as Nagohamakko Ramen Tonkotsu Miso Aji and Pirikara Hakata Tonkotsu Miso Ramen, the latter being a spicy type. There’s a fanstastic review of those flavors, as well as the ones I’m reviewing at this ramen blog!

Here’s how the ramen noodles look unpacked and uncooked…

Begin by boiling about 7 cups (or a full pot) of water.

A good tip is to place the broth packet(s) in the boiling water for about 20 seconds to loosen the oils that are in there, making it easier to get it all out. Remember, with ramen it’s all about the BROTH. And you want ALL THAT GOODNESS in your bowl, not in the rubbish.

Empty the soup broth packet(s) in your serving bowl(s)…

Kurume Tonkotsu broth soup base

Kurume Tonkotsu Shoyu broth soup base

Pour about 1-1/2 cubs of boiling water for the ramen noodles and add it to your bowl with the broth soup base and stir to combine.

Here’s the Tonkotsu broth, after the water has been added…

Kurume Ramen Tonkotsu Soup Broth

And here’s the Tonkotsu Shoyu soup broth (white packet)…

Kurume Ramen Tonkotsu Shoyu soup broth

The Tonkotsu Shoyu soup broth is noticeably darker for an obvious reason.. there’s shoyu in it!

Add the ramen noodles to the rapidly boing water, separating them from sticking together using a chopstick. These type of fresh noodles cook quickly in about 2 to 3 minutes. As soon as they’re done al dente (test one out with your chopsticks), drain the noodles in a colander and vigorously shake the water out, and do NOT rinse them under water! The starchy coating is what gives great ramen that desirable silky texture.

Now gently add the ramen noodles to the broth in your ramen bowl…

Now comes the fun part.. add the toppings! Here, sky’s the limit, and every ramen shop has their own twist. Here’s mine…

Kurume Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen

And once again, flavor number two…

Kurume Tonkotsu Ramen

Notice in the bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen that I wrapped Nori around the Chashu pork. Pretty cool, huh?! Here’s how I did that…

Chashu pork for ramen, wrapped with Nori (dried seaweed)

Yes, Mr. Spam Musubi has every influence in this idea. And you know what? It tastes awesome! The Nori compliments the pork and the ramen beautifully. Just beautiful. Chashu pork is a key flavor component to great ramen, and I’ll get more to that later.

Another key topping in these two ramen bowls are Menma, which are sliced bamboo shoots that are marinated in water, shoyu, sugar, vinegar and sesame oil. It’s hard to describe the flavor, but trust me, you NEED menma in Ramen, or, well, it just isn’t ramen. You might as well add spaghetti sauce. lol

Here’s how a package of Menma, so you know what to look for in the store…

Agitsuke Menma. 10.56 oz. $3.59 at Marukai

I’ve tried better brands of Menma, but this one works.

Ramen is pretty much a meal in itself. Sure, you can add Gyoza or Yakitori (grilled chicken) skewers as a side dish, but at home that’s too much hassle. So I try to balance the ramen by itself. With that, I finish it with chopped green onions (Negi would be better, but I didn’t have some on this occasion), bean sprouts and, if in the mood, half a boiled egg.

So how does this Kurume brand taste? Pretty good. The ramen noodles taste like the Yamachan brand. Hawaii’s own Sun Noodle brand is still the best, IMO. The Kurume noodles taste more starchy, while the Sun Noodle brand has a more interesting egg-like character to it that I remember so fondly from the Ramen shops we used to frequent in Tokyo.

The Kurume Tonkotsu Shoyu and Tonkotsu broth both have a similar flavor, with the one without Shoyu just tasting lighter. Simple as that. I actually prefer the Tonkotsu over the Tonkotsu Shoyu, as it let the toppings stand out more and wasn’t as overpowering.

For semi-home made, Ramen shop-like quality Ramen, Kurume is certainly good stuff and worth buying and trying, especially if it’s on sale, as was the case here at $2.59 package. Not a bad deal for two bowls of ramen, huh? Still, Sun Noodle is the best.

An interesting thing about great ramen is how simple the dish is, yet arrives that way through several deeper components. First is the broth, which I won’t even get into right now. That’s the most complex and defining part of the dish. Then you have the ramen noodles, which are just as important. Then you have the toppings, which can also make or break the dish.

Along with Menma, I stand by Chashu pork as THE topping of all toppings. The term “Chashu” is obviously a Japanese spin on Chinese Char Siu, which is a sweet roasted pork.

I’ve posted a Chashu recipe here before, but this time I’ll walk you through with pictures!…

Ramen Chashu Pork Recipe

Chashu (for Chashumen)

1 pork butt or belly
1 cup shoyu
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup sake
1 finger fresh ginger, slivered

Here’s the players…

First, brown the whole piece of pork in cooking pot on medium-high heat with a little oil..

Doing this will give the Chashu a slightly crisp edge to each slice, which compliments the silky ramen noodles beautifully.

After the pork is browned, remove it and set aside. Drain any excess oil out of the pot then add the shoyu, mirin, sake and ginger in the same pot over medium-low heat and stir to combine. In this case, since I had so much green onions, I added that as well. You can play with this recipe, but make sure you at least have the Shoyu and Sake in there. I’ve done it without Mirin, substituting a small amount of sugar, which also tasted oishii!

After the shoyu, sake, mirin (or sugar) liquids and ginger are incorporated, add the pork back in, turn it around in the liquid and let it simmer for 1-1/2 hours, turning it over occasionally.

You want the pork to be tender enough that you can slice through it with a knife easily, but not where it falls apart. About 1.5 hours simmering in the pot will get you there. Make sure to turn it over occasionally, so the meat infuses all that liquid goodness.

After it’s done, pull the (now) chashu pork out and let it cool. You can add a little of that shoyu-sake broth to your ramen bowl if you want. Up to you.

Here’s how it looks when it’s done…

After the Chashu pork is cool, slice into thin serving-size pieces…

And that’s all she wrote (well that I wrote, anyway). Place a few pieces of Chashu in your ramen and you’re set for great semi-home made bowl of authentic Japanese Ramen.

Itadakimasu!

Kurume Ichiban Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen

http://www.ogawaya-jp.com/

Matsumoto’ Okazuya plate (clockwise L-R): Kim(n)pira Gobo, Ume Musubi, Vegetable Tempura & Chow Funn

Fairly new on Oahu’s Okazuya scene is Matsumoto’s Okazuya & Restaurant, which opened for business in August 2005.

My friend visited here a week ago and ordered the take-out pictured above from their Okazuya counter. Overall “Spam Musubi” rating from him? FOUR! He gave me a sample of some Chow Funn.. oh boy.. look out St. Louis Delicatessen! This is EXCELLENT Chow Funn! Kept simple, cooked al dente with just sliced carrots, bean sprouts, green onion and perfectly seasoned with just salt and pepper, and some “secret” other seasoning we can’t pinpoint. He really enjoyed the fried chicken and tempura as well.

Patrons also have the option of a broader dine-in menu. First on that list are Combination box lunches such as Sashimi/Beef or Chicken Teri, which also includes Tsukemono (pickled vegetables), salad, miso soup & rice for just $6.75. What a deal! There’s also various Teishoku, Donburi, Soba, Udo, Ramen and “specials” such as Ginger Pork and Salmon Butteryaki. Again, all items include the same sides included with the comination boxes, with most prices in the family-friendly $6-8 range.

There’s also take-out bento’s such as Chicken Teri Donburi for just $4.50, up to their “Large Bento” for $5.75 which includes (start counting!): Teri Beef, Chicken Katsu, 1 pc. Shrimp Tempura, 1 pc. Sweet Potato Tempura, 1 pc. Carrot Tempura, Salad, Rice, Tsukemono, Takuan, Konbu & Grilled Salmon. Did you count? Common.. that’s ELEVEN items for just $5.75. Unbelievable. Folks I WILL get you a sample photo and review of this super bento deal some time very soon.

Matsumoto’s also does take-out/pot-luck party pans, including favorites such as their fantastic Chow Funn, to Mochiko Chicken, to Shrimp Tempura, to Spring Rolls to Nishime, ranging in price from approx. $25 to $40/pan.

Owner Todd Matsumoto also offers catering, private parties and a live Sushi Bar.

Hanahou addition (May 7, 2007)…

we paid a visit to Matsumoto’s Okazuya and Restaurant on Gulick Ave. for lunch this past Friday. This was my first time to order an entire plate for myself.

There’s lots of glare, but in that front window are the classic open display of Okazuya items to choose. More selections are also located just as you walk in the door, where you’re greeted by a very attractive local gal (bonus!). On the right of the front counter is an opening that leads to a rather small restaurant seating area. Here you can order from the full menu as mentioned above.

We got there around noon, which is much later than the 10am finish for Okazuya, but there were still a few items available to choose.

So we walked out with this…

“Bluesman’s” plate: Fried Rice, BBQ Teriyaki Steak, Mixed Vegetable Tempura, Kimpira Gobo, Corned Beef Hash patty and Chow Funn (they spell it with two N’s). $5.50

My plate: Corned Beef Hash Patty, Shoyu Hot Dog, Mochi? Spring Roll, BBQ Teriyaki Chicken, Ume Musubi and Chow Funn. $6.09

I’m willing to bet either of these plates would have costed at least $2 more at Nuua