February 2007

Get out the crock pot and try this easy dish! Chuck roast is part of a beef which is very tough but goes well with a crock pot. The picture doesn’t look too delighting (due to cream of mushrooms on top) but once you mix it, your thoughts will vanish.

In your crock pot, add chopped potatoes, carrots, and onions. On top of it, add the chuck roast and sprinkle with McCormick’s Montreal Steak seasoning. Add 1 can of cream of mushrooms and slow cook for 7-8 hours.

I recommend you to cut out the excess fats before cooking. Don’t worry, it won’t be dry but soft and delicious!

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Tonight we had our favorite salmon dish which we learned from our friend, Jerry. You don’t need a fancy oven to cook this. All you need is a frying pan and a lid. Here’s the recipe:

1. Fillet Salmon – Don Quijote at Kaheka (formerly Daiei) sells this in their fish corner.
2. Diced tomatoes and onions.
3. Mayonnaise.
4. Hawaiian salt, black pepper, and parsley.
5. Olive oil and lemon juice.

On the frying pan, lay out a foil (preferably double foiled). Add olive oil and add the salmon. Mix the salmon well with the olive oil and lay it. Paste mayonnaise on top of the salmon, add 2 and 4, and lastly add the lemon juice on top. Cover the foil good so the air can’t escape easily. Cover the frying pan lid and medium cook for 20 minutes. That’s it! No mess and no washing the frying pan. Enjoy.

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If you are ever near the Keeaumoku Wal-Mart or the Ala Moana Center, there is a really good yakiniku eatery along the Sheridian Street called Yakiniku Million. This is a Korean yakiniku restaurant famous for their fresh meat with good size portions. We ordered beef tongue (it’s goooood) and beef brisket. This place was fully packed by 7:30pm so plan early.

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It’s a crazy trend here on Oahu. The rental market continues to be on the high side despite the slight drop in the sales market for housing. You sometimes have to comtemplate if it’s a better investment to purchase a unit with a mortgage payment because the difference is not that much. Plus, don’t forget that you are also competing against tenants who want to move in. You must have a stable credit too. I can’t complain too much because everything including the commercial lease rents are quite escalating. When the inventory is low, you run out of options.

That being said, above is a French caramel pudding dessert from Hale Vietnam restaurant in Kaimuki. Not too sweet but delicious!

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This is our pet rabbit, Miu, who loves to hang out at the Kapiolani Park. She’s always next to a tree and chews the nearby vegetation. We had her for almost 4 years, and she continues to be active despite getting more furs around her. When we first got her, she was the size of our palm and whiter. Amazing how she grew all these years with many goods and bads. I am sure Stephen has a good story of her as she chewed all the wires in his house.

Soon Tubu (Korean tofu soup), Shanghai Greens, and kimchee. Soon Tubu is a popular tofu soup dish which is really good and easy to cook. The key to this soup is first frying the grated garlic, sewu jut (Korean salted shrimp), and chili flakes with sesame oil. You don’t want to overcook the garlic but get the sesame oil flavored with the above ingredients. The oil will become pinkish red and that’s the sign for the next step. Add the tofu pieces, spam or pork, seafood mix, water, and a kimochi of hon-dashi powder and black pepper. Let it boil and take out the aku (goo) and add chopped green onion.

For any Chinese vegetables, the perfect ingredient is garlic, oyster sauce, and hoisin sauce. For this particular dish, I boiled the greens and well strained it. Heated the fry pan, fried the garlic, and added the greens. Mix well and flavor with oyster and hoisin sauce. That’s all.

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We had somewhat unusual croquette made out of okara for dinner tonight. Okara is the ground-up by product of soybeans from the production of tofu. It’s very high in protein and fiber and perceivably from Kyoto where many temples are situated. It was my first time to try this and wasn’t that bad at all if you think of the health benefits. Okara tends to be dry so Emiko added minced pork and mayonnaise which turned out really nice. I am going to bring a piece to my co-worker tomorrow and see if he likes it. We also had gyoza, nira-tama, and mentaiko pasta.

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Ate lunch with Emiko this afternoon at Pho My Lan restaurant in Chinatown near Maunakea Street. Last week, co-workers and I came here and tried the delicious pho. This is one of the better pho establishment with many seats available in Chinatown. The broth is very light and flavorful. Was very tasty!!

• Address: 1160 Maunakea Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 (map)
•  Telephone: 528-3663

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Famous Japanese actress, Norika Fujiwara, was married today to Jinnai, a Japanese comedian.

I have met Norika personally on her Hawaii trip back in 2005. Our surf buddies had a dinner together at Shokudo Japanese Restaurant & Bar in Kapiolani. Omedetou Norika-san!

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