Mixed Plate Friday – Trader Joe’s Edition

Peanut Udon Noodle Salad

Meh. Just okay, not great.

Lemon Basil Pasta Salad

Not good.

Truffle Mousse Pate

Yes. A million times yes. This one is made with chicken. Since Chan was not feeling well, I ate this entire thing over the course of the trip. Yeah. I did. Ate it with some golden round crackers (think Ritz Crackers). No regrets here. Chan told me probably get this kine in Hawaii but I haven’t tried it locally yet. IT WAS GOOD AND A GOOD PRICE AND I LOVED IT.

Hell’s Kitchen – Las Vegas, NV

From the last trip, no trip to Vegas is complete for us without a visit to Hell’s Kitchen. Previous post here. Yup, you gotta pay expensive parking to be on the Strip but the food is well worth it. Chan and I both ordered the prix fixe menu – I think next time we should order one prix fixe and just one entree cause it’s too much food!

Hell’s Red Infusion (Mocktail) | $12.95
apple, strawberry, rhubarb puree, simple syrup, fever-tree ginger beer

Mocktails are my treat! Got this last time and this time did not disappoint, delicious!

Steak Tartare | $26.95
piedmontese beef dijon mustard aioli, black truffle caviar, sous vide egg yolk

Another repeat dish. Not the biggest fan of these big triangle crackers haha but I guess it’s just a vehicle to get the beef to your mouth! I like raw beef, I know it’s not everyone’s thing.

Pan Seared Scallops
corn, prosciutto di parma, maitake mushrooms, citrus beurre blanc

I know it says prosciutto but it really just tastes like bacon bits on top of the scallops and I’m saying that in the best way possible. Super crunchy salty bits that off-set the soft and sweet meat of the scallops. Delicious!

Beef Wellington add Foie Gras ($22.95)
potato puree, glazed root vegetables, red wine demi-glace

We went a little bougie with the first sit-down meal and both added foie gras to our dish. Oh boy, was that rich and delicious. As you can see the beef wellington is perfectly cooked as usual. Winners dish but definitely share-able.

Sticky Toffee Pudding
speculoos ice cream

This is probably the star of the show every time and I’m not usually a big dessert person but this beautiful toffee cake…hot and ready for that scoop of speculoos ice cream to melt right into it. Man, Chan and I love this dessert but once again – for future, we should just share it. It’s a lot of food! So the scallops, beef wellington and dessert is part of the lunch prix fixe menu which is $105.95 a person. It’s pricey but a good deal if you were planning to get these dishes anyway. Yummy! Great start!

In-N-Out – Las Vegas, NV

Been back from Vegas for about a week, it was nice to take a breather. I pre-scheduled 3 weeks worth of blogs and it worked out very nicely. I was super looking forward to this trip, not just for the eating and gambling – but just to get away. I’ve been working non-stop with no vacation since early November. I know that sounds like a spoiled statement but especially after my dad’s health scare, I was just deflated.

Unfortunately, poor Chan came down with food poisoning on this trip. I felt so bad for him! That’s awful enough to go through but for him to go through it during travel…awful. No worries, I played nurse and even drove out on my own in Vegas to get nourishment for us. Gotta love navigation on phones – and thankfully the places I had to go didn’t require jumping onto a freeway lol. I enjoy driving but I guess I feel more comfortable with someone if I’m driving around some place unfamiliar. Vegas is pretty good to drive around – anywhere is better than Hawaii to drive around.

Anyway! The night of our arrival, of course gotta go In-N-Out! Just a short post today.

Double-Double!

Animal Style Fries

Long John Silver’s

LOL – yup we went to Long John Silver’s. I had a hankering for some fried seafood. Namely fried fish and shrimp. This didn’t disappoint! I enjoyed it a lot! Yummy…! Too bad we don’t have this here anymore.

Mixed Plate Friday

Straub Benioff | Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi

Shucks, I forgot the price! I got this plate during my Dad’s stay and it was a pretty good deal! I think like $14? They give you two big pieces of mahi and you get to choose two sides. The fish had a mayo sauce drizzled on top which helped to combat any dryness. The cafeteria isn’t too bad! Too bad they don’t post menus online.

Kotetsu Chaya Chicken Karaage Plate | $15.50

My brother felt like chicken karaage (random) so one of their dinners consisted of chicken karaage from Kotetsu Chaya, I never tried them myself but I have heard good things. A small Japanese shop run by a sweet couple. I would call in an order early if you can, if not, you gotta wait like 20-30 minutes. Also, they don’t seem to understand the concept of all rice because I tried to get one plate like that for the bro who doesn’t eat mac salad and all three plates were rice and mac salad. Also, they give super manani amount of mac salad! It was kind of wild. They ate it but I don’t think they consider chicken karaage a main meal you know? I also see it as more of an appetizer.

Kotetsu Chaya Garlic French Fries | $6.00

Like I am pretty sure they just gave them a small container of garlic powder to shake into the fries. LOL, so don’t expect nice garlic butter on their garlic fries okay?

Recipe: Healthy Rotisserie Chicken Cabbage Salad

I saw this recipe on TikTok and it didn’t really have like a full blog recipe for it so I won’t be able to post any credit links. I really wanted to try it because it seemed easy enough and I love using rotisserie chicken breast in salads!

Recipes always sound easier than they are. A lot of chopping and prep work goes into this dish. Chan and I enjoyed it! Nice low carb option for you that is healthy and easy to make!

Rotisserie Chicken Cabbage Salad

Salad Ingredients:

  • 2 C shredded chicken breast (Sam’s or Costco Rotisserie Chicken Breast, all of it)
  • 1 large cabbaged, shredded
  • 2 medium carrots, julienned
  • 5 mini cucumbers, sliced thick matchsticks
  • 1 medium white onion, sliced
  • Pumpkin seeds (or any nuts you prefer), optional topping

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 6 T oyster sauce
  • 4 T soy sauce
  • 1 large lemon, juiced
  • 2 T honey
  • 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1-2 t grated/minced ginger
  • 2 T sesame oil
  • 4 stalks green onions, sliced

Instructions

  1. Combine dressing ingredients, okay to make ahead. Best overnight!
  2. Combine all salad ingredients except the chicken into a big bowl, top with chicken breast and pour salad dressing over the ingredients (this way the chicken breast soaks up all the dressing goodness first!). Top with nuts if you prefer and serve!

Onkee Korean Grill House – Ward Village, HI

Ah yes, another visit to Onkee Korean Grill House. You can see my not so happy previous post here. How did this visit go? Much better thank you. I did not see that waitress all night and our waiter was a cutie pie Korean guy. Win win. I didn’t get a lot of pictures of the meat, sorry! They placed the tray of meat away from the table and the waiter cooked the meats one by one so it felt awkward taking pictures. I’ll just show you the sides and dessert we had!

Yup, I got a soda again. LOL. This time only asked for one refill but I’m sure if I asked for another one, the young man would have been fine with it!!!

Egg Souffle | $14.00
+Add Corn Cheese | $2.00

Was it good? Not really. I like egg dishes like this to have a nice strong dashi flavor. This didn’t have that, and then you have to pay $2 for that little bit of corn and cheese on top. And since this is served in this hot earthen ware pot, the egg continues to cook (overcook) so I just wasn’t a fan. I would pass next time.

Truffle Potato Pancake | $22.00

Yeah, no. Pass again. The potato is nice and crispy but the sauce is basically mayonnaise, you think think get strong truffle taste due to all those black specks. Nope. Not worth the $22.

Shaved Ice with Red Bean Topping | $18.00

Everyone on the table enjoyed this dish, I don’t know why but I never got into Korean style shaved ice. They do shave the ice super fine, it was nice! I did try it and it was good, if this is your thing, you would love it!

Okay I just realized that two of the dishes I shared were thumbs down for me but the meat is good! Very good. Pricey but good.

Mixed Plate Friday

OG sign from Kaimuki

Anyone remember this sign? This picture must be like 2 decades old but I was always so amused by this sign. Pidgen but straight and to the point. Just no do em k?

Chinese Chicken Wing Seasoning

Don’t even ask me where I bought this. I forget already but I always saw this on random videos online and it always made the chicken wings look so delicious so I decided to try it. Well all the instructions are in Chinese and Google Translate wasn’t very helpful so I really just improvised. I think I added too much water to the marinade but I let it sit overnight and then baked it in the oven. The taste wasn’t bad! My brother loved it so it’s big kid approved. Would I make it again? Sure! Wish they had English directions haha.

Recipe: Chinese Stuffed Peppers

Another adventure in Chinese cooking with Jenny! Hmm, I must have been too tired to keep track of where I got this recipe. But honestly, I kind of just experimented with different recipes all in one. I was first inspired by Jalna’s post but then got inspired to do the Chinese version (add black beans lol). It came out pretty good for my first try! I would definitely make this again!

Used the bag of mini sweet bell peppers from Sam’s Club, the whole bag.

Ground pork and shrimp mixture. Wondered if I should have maybe minced the shrimp less, made the pieces chunkier.

What a pain in the butt to stuff all these peppers, was worth it though.

Sautéing on both sides…

Chinese Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

You’ll need:

  • 8 large shrimp, shelled, deveined and minced
  • 1 lb. ground pork
  • 10 water chestnuts, minced
  • 4 scallions (half of the greens for the sauce, rest of greens and whites for the stuffing)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 4 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
  • Fresh ground white pepper
  • Bag of mini sweet bell peppers (From Sam’s Club)
  • 1 tablespoon oil (for sauté)

For the sauce:

  • For sauté of sauce:
    • 2 T oil 
    • 6 clove garlic (minced)
    • 3 tablespoon whole fermented Black Beans, washed and smashed
    • 2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
  • Okay to mix ahead of time:
    • 2 cup chicken stock
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon sugar
    • 2 teaspoon soy sauce
    • 2 teaspoon oyster sauce
    • 2 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed into a slurry with 1 tablespoon water)

Instructions

  1. Use a cleaver or knife to finely mince the shrimp into a very fine paste. This process entails chopping and folding the shrimp paste over and onto itself, and continuing to chop. Transfer the shrimp paste to a bowl.
  2. Chop the scallions. Set aside half of the green portion for the sauce. Add the rest of the chopped scallion to the shrimp, along with 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine, and white pepper to taste. Use a fork to beat/whip the shrimp until it is smooth and all the ingredients are well-combined.
  3. Pop the stems off the bell peppers and follow the lines of each pepper to cut into 3-5 segments. Remove the seeds. If using long hot green peppers, just cut them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.
  4. Stuff each pepper segment with the shrimp mixture until the filling is even with the edges of the peppers. You can also trim the ends of the peppers to ensure they are flush and at the same level of the filling. This will make the peppers easier to cook.
  5. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok or skillet over medium high heat and place the peppers in the oil, stuffing side down. Cook until they are browned, about 2 minutes. Turn the peppers over to sear the bottoms for another 2 minutes, turning the heat down if they start to get too dark. If using the long hot green peppers or another variety of thin-fleshed pepper, simply transfer them to the serving plate.
  6. If using bell peppers, which have thicker flesh and take longer to cook, add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan, cover, and steam for another 2 minutes, or until the peppers are just tender. Set aside on a serving plate.
  7. It’s time to make the sauce, which only takes a couple minutes. Heat the wok over medium heat and add the oil, garlic and fermented black beans. Stir-fry for a few seconds and add the shaoxing wine. When the wine is bubbly, add the rest of the sauce ingredients (except the cornstarch slurry) and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the cornstarch slurry gradually until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Stir in the reserved scallions and spoon the sauce over the peppers to serve.

Note to self:

  • Shrimp was not needed and did not seem to add any taste different or texture difference
  • I was a bit iffy about the the 6 minute cook time, it’s a pretty thick pork stuffing. But it worked out well for me because I was not eating it fresh anyway, it would be reheated for meals later. It was perfectly cooked when I reheated and the peppers retained their structure, did not get too mushy.

Recipe Inspiration/Credit: The Woks of Life

Recipe: Steamed Garlic Shrimp on Vermicelli

Another Chinese dish from my childhood, my family used to make this all the time over bean thread noodles. We also played around with chow fun noodles which I like a lot so I decided to go for it! No real recipes online that have it with chow fun so I had to improvise. My friend is constantly telling me to cook from my roots so I do try to. Chan and I both enjoyed it very much! Very time consuming because I had to prep the shrimp quite a bit but it was well worth it in the end.

I’m going to post the recipe below, this is actually from Made with Lau. I love their channel on YouTube because the dad cooks a lot of recipes that are akin to the ones I grew up eating.

The dish right before steaming!!

Steamed Garlic Shrimp on Vermicelli or Chow Fun

  • Main Ingredients
    • 12 oz head-on shrimp (31/40 size) or
      2 lb Jumbo Head-on White Shrimp (5/9 size) – came out to 12 shrimp
  • Vermicelli/Noodle Ingredients
    • 3 oz mung bean vermicelli (2 bundles of LungKuw) or
      4 packages of Sun Noodle brand Chow Fun (6 ounces)
    • 2 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
    • 1 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 2 glass pie plates
  • Garlic Paste Ingredients
    • 1 garlic bulb, smashed and coarsely minced
    • 6 green onions, whites and greens chopped and separated
    • 1.5 inch ginger, minced
    • 3 tablespoon neutral oil
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoon sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
    • 2 teaspoon Oyster Sauce
    • 2 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
    • 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
    • 2 teaspoon cornstarch

Step 1: Prep vermicelli

First, soften the mung bean vermicelli (3 oz) by soaking the bundles in warm for 10 minutes.

Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the vermicelli into shorter pieces. Drain from the water, using your fingers to move the vermicelli around to remove any excess water.

Place the vermicelli on a plate/bowl. Mix the seasoning in well until it’s evenly light brown.

Skip this step if using Sun Noodle Chow Fun noodles, no need to prep the fresh noodles.

Step 2: Prep garlic paste

Smash and peel the garlic. Trim off the hard ends of garlic. Smash the cloves using the back of a cleaver or chef’s knife. Chop the garlic finely into a paste, using different angles to produce even smaller pieces. Set aside in a small bowl.

Slice the green onion into fine pieces. Add the whites to the same bowl as the garlic. 

Set the green parts aside for garnish.

Peel the ginger and cut into thin slices. Cut into strips, then rotate 90 degrees and mince into a paste. Add to the bowl.

Step 3: Heat and season garlic paste

Heat a wok on high. Add the oil and cook for 30 to 40 seconds until it’s smoking.

Pour the oil into the bowl of garlic, green onion whites and ginger.

Season with the rest of the garlic paste ingredients, mix well. 

Step 4: Prep shrimp

Use kitchen shears to cut off the part of the head right behind the eyes. Next, trim off the legs and cut diagonally across the tail (This last step is optional, but you get bonus presentation points if you do it!).

Place the shrimp flat on a cutting board and use a small paring knife to slice through the shell halfway into the interior to make space for the garlic paste. Devein the shrimp. 

Step 5: Stuff shrimp

Add ½  to 1 teaspoon of garlic paste to the back of each shrimp.

(Chef’s Tip: Don’t overstuff the shrimp or else the garlic flavor will overwhelm the delicate sweetness of the shrimp.)

Set on top of the vermicelli in a circular pattern. Dollop any remaining garlic paste across any empty areas in the vermicelli.

Step 6: Steam shrimp

Place a steamer rack inside a wok or pot. Pour in hot water until it just reaches the bottom of the rack. Cover and bring the water to a rolling boil.

Carefully put the dish on the steaming rack, cover, and steam with the heat on high for 6 to 7 minutes, until shrimp meat is firm and opaque and the shell turns red. (This recipe yielded enough to make two glass pie pans worth for me)

Uncover and turn off heat. Garnish with the remaining sliced green onions.

Recipe Credit: Made with Lau

Mixed Plate Friday

Are you a jook with green onions and cilantro on the side type of person? Or are you a green onions and cilantro with a side of jook person?

I am obviously the latter. Add to that a splash of sesame oil, white pepper and preserved duck eggs and I’ll be in heaven. Thanks!

Oldie but goodie and also timely. Chan and I got to attend a UH Men’s Volleyball Fundraiser Dinner a few months ago thanks to Chan’s friend and it was great seeing the team and coach – nice to see them in aloha shirts too. It was a nice night and it’s so great to see them doing so well this season!