Seedless Watermelon from Aloun Farms

Our local supermarkets have recently been bringing in seedless watermelons from Aloun Farms, who operates in Ewa and Kunia.

What appears to be white seeds are actually empty seed coats that are small, soft and edible. The label does indicate, “May contain occasional seeds”, which covers that base.

Flavor-wise, it taste just like your standard watermelon, sans the inedible black seeds. This particular one we had was also quite sweet.

It’s more round in shape than oblong, and comparably smaller, measuring just 9″ in diameter…

They’re currently on sale for $3.50 each (not per pound), at – of all places – KMart. That’s a deal, compared to Costco, who has them for $8 each.

No, this watermelon wasn’t altered in any way after it was cut. The only seeds visible are those small, soft and edible white ones.

It’s best to eat watermelon when it’s chilled, which is how this one was when we cut it for service…

These seedless watermelons are so much easier to eat and deliciously refreshing on a hot summer day. Perfect thing to have at that beach picnic you’ve got planned for the upcoming Independence Day holiday weekend!

www.AlounFarms.com

From Wikipedia, here’s some information about seedless watermelon…

Although so-called “seedless” watermelons have far fewer seeds than the seeded varieties, they generally contain at least a few soft, pale seeds. They are the product of crossing a female tetraploid plant (itself the product of genetic manipulation, using colchicine) with diploid pollen. The resulting triploid plant is sterile, but will produce the seedless fruit if pollenized by a diploid plant. For this reason, commercially available seedless watermelon seeds actually contain two varieties of seeds; that of the triploid seedless plant itself (recognizable because the seed is larger), and the diploid plant which is needed to pollenize the triploid. Unless both plant types are grown in the same vicinity, no seedless fruit will result.

There’s the Apple computer logo, and then there’s the Watermelon computer logo!..

Lard vs. Canola Oil Sautéed Fish Challenge

Au (a.k.a. Kajiki or Pacific Blue Marlin) sauteed in canola oil (left side), and lard (right side)

Last week I did a post about rendering pure lard from pig’s fat, hoping to become enlightened by the said virtues of cooking with it.

As mentioned before, Diner E swears the best Akule he ever had was one his friend pan-fried simply with garlic and lard, which he claims was just awesome.

Going through various online articles and message board threads, it appears unanimous that lard is superior to commercial cooking oils and shortening not only in flavor, but also for your health,

Since fresh hooked Akule wasn’t available in the supermarket over the past week (it just was at Marukai a few weeks ago!), I went with Au (a.k.a. Kajiki or Pacific Blue Marlin) to test what this hype about lard is all about.

What I like about using Marlin for this test, is that it can be a dry fish if overcooked, so it was the perfect choice to gauge the benefits of cooking with lard.

So I prepared two dishes to sample with: Macadamia Nut Crusted Au (Marlin) with a Mango Salsa and Sauteed Au (lightly seasoned with garlic salt and cracked pepper) with Ginger-Infused Ponzu (citrus soy) Butter Sauce and Stir-Fried Bok Choy (Chinese cabbage). Note that I didn’t include a starch (like rice), as I wasn’t out to make a meal out this.

Here’s about 3/4 lb. of fresh Au Fillet…

The other set was seasoned simply with garlic salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Here’s a spoonful of cold rendered lard…

After hitting a hot pan, it quickly melts, resembling regular cooking oil…

The other pan (not shown) had Wesson® Canola Oil for the this comparison.

So I sauteed them until golden brown and cooked through, then plated them up for the taste test.

Here’s the Mac Nut Crusted Au, served with Mango Salsa (store-bought from Costco, fantastic B-T-W!), sauteed in Canola Oil…

A close-up of a cut piece from the plate above..

Mac Nut Crusted Au with Mango Salsa (Canola oil)

Here’s the Mac Nut Crusted Au with Mango Salsa, this one sauteed in lard….

A close-up of a cut piece from the plate above..

Mac Nut Crusted Au with Mango Salsa (lard)

And here’s the Au with Ginger-infused Ponzu Butter sauce and stir-fried Bok Choy, sauteed in Canola oil…

A close-up of a cut piece from the plate above…

Au with Ginger-infused Ponzu Butter sauce and stir-fried Bok Choy (Canola oil)

Au with ginger-infused Ponzu butter sauce and stir-fried Bok Choy, this one sauteed using lard…

A close-up of a cut piece from the plate above…

Au with ginger-infused Ponzu butter sauce and stir-fried Bok Choy (lard)

So what’s the difference?

First of all, the lard seemed more forgiving about NOT burning the fish while in the medium (just below medium high) heat pan. Whereas the Canola oil began to darken the macadamia nut crust on the fish much faster. Actually, the underside of the Mac Nut Crusted Au on that plate is dark brown.. almost burnt, but not quite. Of course I plated it with the good side facing up. Even if you look at the non-crusted Au in the Ponzu butter sauce, you can see the one sauteed in Canola oil is a bit darker. They say lard has a higher smoking point, so that must be why it’s more forgiving here.

I must note, I was fair about the cooking method as well, using the same heat (medium) and type of saute pan (stainless steel) for both the oil and the lard.

How did they compare in taste and texture?

I tend to cook my fish just under medium, so with that said, both were moist and tender, but the lard version seemed a bit more “buttery” in texture if you will, while the Au sauted in Canola oil seemed a bit “tighter” if you will. Just a bit. Not much though.

Taste-wise, in my opinion, the Au that was sauteed in lard had a slightly richer and “expressive” flavor, but just by a slim margin. Just enough where someone might ask, “how did you cook this”? My girlfriend prefered the ones sauteed in Canola, noting that it tasted lighter, which she preferred. She also immediately knew which one was in lard and which one was cooking with oil in an initial “blind” taste test I administered to her. So that alone says, THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.

I don’t think the lard version “blew away” the Canola Oil, though. At least not here where they were sauteed in just enough cooking fat so as to not burn in the pan. Actually, I was a little more generous in the amount of lard used in order to impart its flavor more. So with that I also added an equal amount of Canola oil on that side.

I think if you deep fry or use lard in a pie crust, where it becomes more of the consumed part of the food, is where you’d really notice the difference. Perhaps I’ll try fish ‘n chips next time, if I render enough more fat to deep fry with. That’s the only reason I didn’t try that, is I didn’t have enough lard for it on this first run.

As for the dish itself, the Au with the Mac Nut crust and Mango Salsa was awesome, and so was it with the ginger-infused Ponzu butter sauce. Honestly, I would order either of these two dishes in a restaurant. I really liked the how the fruity mango complimented the Mac nut. My girlfriend really liked the latter, actually preferring it switched, with the Mac Nut crusted Au in the Ponzu butter sauce. Switched around either way, it was delicious.

The Mac Nut crusted Au was easy to make. Season the Au lightly with salt and pepper, then dip in an egg wash, then in a bowl of finely chopped Macadamia nuts and pat it on until evenly coated. Normally Panko (bread crumbs) are added into the mixture, but I didn’t have any on hand, so I just used the nuts. Nuts. Then sauté until golden brown and cooked through. Plate with the Mango Salsa (or Ponzu butter sauce, up to you) and garnish.

chopped mac nuts..

The ginger-infused Ponzu butter sauce is easy. Bring 1/2 cup Ponzu (store-bought) to a boil, then reduce to simmer and add minced ginger and 1 tablespoon of cold butter and whisk until the butter melts and is fully incorporated. Let stand for at least 10 minutes to bring out the ginger flavor. Whisk again just before plating. The Au that was plated with that was seasoned with garlic salt and fresh cracked black pepper, then sauteed. After the fish was done cooking, I stir-fried coursely chopped Bok Choy quickly (just until wilted) in the same pan.

Well that sure was a tasty test!

**************************************************************

About a week ago, I also sautéed Monchong in lard just to get a taste of cooking with it.

Monchong a.k.a. Pomfret is one my favorite fish. It’s flesh is white and it tastes similar to mahimahi, except it’s more oily, making it a bit more flavorful, tender and delicate. Because it’s oily, it’s a great fish for steaming, though sautéing like we’re doing here is great too. It’s usually brought in as by-catch from longline ahi boats, so it’s not always available. Surprisingly, when it is, the market price is amazingly very affordable. Wahoo! Oh, that’s Ono. I mean, woohoo!

Here’s a 1 lb. cut of Monchong that I picked up from the Kapahulu Safeway. It’s seasoned lightly with Hawaiian sea salt…

Then I dredged it in flour and off into the pan..

Notice how nice and golden brown the color is. This seems to be one of the benefits of sautéing with lard.

I plated it with a ginger and cilantro chinese pesto sauce..

Here’s a look at a cut piece of this Monchong up close…

How did it taste?

Extremely moist and buttery-tender, though the monchong is already an oily white-flesh fish, so cooking it in motor oil would probably taste just as good. Actually, I’ve prepared this same dish a few times before, except I steamed the Monchong. It’s awesome like that.

As for the Chinese Ginger Pesto sauce, that stuff is great on just about any white meat, whether its chicken, pork or fish. I poured a little too much of it on this plate though, where it kinda’ drowned out the virtues of the lard – if there were any – which may have enhanced the flavor of the Monchong. Not that this a bad thing. Heck, I gotta’ admit this lard-sauteed Monchong and Chinese Ginger Pesto dish rocked!

I’d say lard is certainly something to at least try, as it just might add that “oomph” your dish needed. Of course, anything cooked in fat, whether it’s lard or vegetable oil, should be consumed in moderation. But when taste and texture are what counts most, lard is something to consider.

Related links:
• Praise the Lard
• The Skinny on Fats (Benefits of Lard)

Caramel Sushi at Sansei Waikiki

Seriously, Caramel Sushi!? No. Well, actually sort of. Sushi and caramel are on the menu, just not together on one plate. But heck, it sounds interesting, and just might be one day! Read on…

A few nights ago, the lady and I had dinner at Sansei Seafood & Sushi Bar at the Marriot Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa, which was a first-time visit for us. Sansei is located in a shared space with sister (or big brother, depending how wanna’ view it) restaurant, D.K Steak House on the makai (ocean) side of the property on the 3rd floor. They were formerly located in Restaurant Row where Hiroshi now operates.

With that, both restaurants share a common entrance…

You can actually see into D.K Steak House from the front-end of Sansei, where a common bar divides the two establishments.

Paintings adorn the entrance hallway which remind you of the theme…

With master sommelier Chuck Furuya being a business partner with D.K, it’s no wonder there’s an extensive selection of wine to choose…

Once you make your way past the common entrance and hostess’ desk, there’s the sushi bar…

Then you turn the corner to the right and make your way into Sansei’s main dining area, where there are open tables, private booths and seating outside on the patio…

We were fortunate to be seated (without formerly requesting it) next to a window inside, overlooking Waikiki beach…

The window seat table we were given here offered the best of both worlds: immediate access to our server (dining room is enclosed), quiet air-conditioned comfort, and a great view. Perfect.

As for dining room ambiance, noise levels and chatter were minimal during our time there, which was between 7 and 8:30pm, though I’ve heard it can be a “shout-fest” during the late night hours (they ‘re open until 1am). Lighting (after the sun set) was a good balance of intimate in level, while still being able to see what’s on the plate.

The dining tables maximize marketing efforts by placing D.K’s “Sushi Chronicles” recipe book cover under the glass top of each table…

And for the “newbies”, a Sapporo Beer-sponsored Sushi guide…

The only condiments that are permanently situated on each table are two bottles of Yamasa Shoyu (I added the wasabi and ginger from my sushi plate)…

I like Yamasa brand. I’d say it has the smoothness of Aloha, while not being too salty or bold like Kikkoman. Perfect choice for sushi.

Our server Kiana was very friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about the menu, pointing out her own favorites, other popular dishes and a few helpful ordering tips.

Speaking of menu, that’s what stumped us. I had downloaded their online menu from their website to review what they had, only to find the menu in-house is much, much more extensive!

We decided to order mostly appetizers shared between us, and even our server agreed that as the best way to go.

So we started off with the Panko-Crusted Fresh Ahi Sashimi Sushi Roll…

Panko-Crusted Fresh Ahi Sashimi Sushi Roll – Fresh Island Yellowfin tuna wrapped with arugula, and flash-fried, topped with soy wasabi butter sauce, $11

This was fantastic. It’s under their “Award Winners” category, and no wonder. The seared ahi was very fresh-tasting, with that “melt-in-the-mouth” texture. While that flavor and texture contrasts of the nori, arugula and golden brown crispy panko crust was a winner. Winner, winner. Bringing it all together is that Soy Wasabi butter sauce which sends your tastebuds into all kinds of directions, without being too complex. Awesome.

This arrived along with a (classic) dish of Shrimp Tempura…

Shrimp Tempura, $12

The shrimp tempura were decent size and beautifully moist, sweet and tender. Only thing was the batter was just a tad-bit on the soggy side. Just a bit. Still very, very good, but it could stand a little more crispiness. It’s served with the classic dipping sauce, grated daikon, ginger and a lemon wedge.

Needless to say, as hungry as we were upon arrival, we made very quick work of these starters, while looking over the menu for our next choices.

The lady wanted to try their California Rolls (her favorite), so that’s what came to the table in round two..

California Roll, $6.50

Not bad. The sushi rice, while a little on the cold side, had perfect texture and sushi-su seasoning. The fresh cucumber and avocado were well-balanced in size, but the mayo and finely chopped imitation crab filling in the center was a bit bland. I much prefer when the Imitation Crab is kept in one solid chunk. I want to TASTE imitation crab. lol

My choice for the second round was this…

Sansei’s Mango Crab Salad Hand Roll – Ripe mango, blue crab, fresh greens & crunchy peanuts wrapped in mamenori with a sweet Thai Chili Vinaigrette, $9

This Mango Crab Salad Hand Roll is another item selected from their “Award Winners” list. While I think the execution and flavor profiles of the various components worked, once again that crab filling didn’t do it for me. I’m not sure if it’s the mayonnaise they use, or the way they finely chop the crab meat up. It just didn’t have enough substance to stand up against the bold flavors and textures surrounding it. Good, but not great. Glad I tried it, but I’d order something else next time around.

Rounding out the main meal was this entree item we shared with each other…

Choice Rib Eye Steak and Grilled Miso Yaki Prawns – with garlic mashed potatoes and local vegetable stir fry with garlic demi glace and ginger lime chili butter, $32

This rocked! Especially those grilled Miso Yaki Prawns!…

The prawns were incredibly “meaty”, sweet and tender, with a pronounced char-grilled, slightly smokey hint. Supporting that is that incredible garlic demi glace and ginger lime butter sauce. KILLER! They need to seriously think about bottling that stuff, if that’s possible.

As if that weren’t enough, the fire-grlled choice rib eye sharing the same plate was so tender, perfectly done medium rare finish, encased by a lightly-salted crust. Playing foundation role were the garlic mashed potatoes, which were on the mild side as far as flavor, yet light ‘n nice, although they were a bit of a challenge to “scoop up” using chop sticks, but we managed. lol The string beans and carrots were simply stir-fried without any special seasoning. Just salt ‘n pep’ . But whoah, dip a strip of the rib eye, along with those veggies and a tad of mash in the prawns’ sauce and POW! Excellent, excellent, excellent.

After that, we were both content without being stuffed and stopped there, saving just a little more room to share a dessert…

Sansei’s Granny Smith Apple Tart – Buttery puff pastry topped with fresh Granny Smith apple slices, baked to order and served with vanilla ice cream over Sansei’s homemade warm caramel sauce, $9

Instead of the ice cream served on top, we requested the ice cream served on the side…

This is another amazing dish at Sansei! If there’s any absolute recommendation I can make based on this first visit, is to SAVE ROOM in your stomach for this dessert! The apple tart is tasty, fluffy and crispy all at the same time, while that homemade, warm golden caramel sauce is sex on a plate. You’d swear you died and gone to heaven eating this. Honestly. And this is coming from someone who’s not really into sweets. Whether you had sushi, seafood, or steak, make sure you ORDER THIS.

“Caramel Sushi” huh? Could be possible. I’m sure Chef Kodama can come up with some creative dessert dish that resembles “dynamite” sushi, with that “dynamite” homemade warm caramel drizzled over it. If I think of anything, I’ll make a comment later.

There’s so much more on the menu, it would take several months of return visits to sample everything Sansei offers. I’d really like to order “Chef’s Omakase Tasting Menu for Two” on our next visit. It’s touted as “The Ultimate Sansei Dining Experience for Two”, which includes: Edamame & Miso Soup, Sansei’s Special Sushi Roll, Island Style Seafood Poke Sampler, Panko Crusted Ahi Sashimi Roll, Japanese Calamari Salad, Sansei’s Asian Shrimp Cake and Garlic Miso Prawns, Matsuhisa Style Miso Butterfish, and Sansei’s Lobster and Crab Ravioli. All that for only $75.. for two!

Next time around, that’s gonna’ be high on my wish list.

Overall, a fantastic dining experience, and we’ll certainly return again.

Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar
Waikiki Beach Marriot Resort and Spa
2552 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii 96815

Reservations and Information
808-931-6286

Dinner Nightly
5:30 P.M. to 10:00 P.M.

Late Night Dining
Friday & Saturday, 10 P.M. to 1 A.M.

The Tasty Island rating:

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)

Reader's Corner: The Companies We Keep 2

“Hana Hou!” is the Hawaiian way of saying “Do it again!”, and this just may come across your thoughts upon reading (and re-reading) The Companies We Keep.

If so, your wish has come true in what we have here with The Companies We Keep 2.

For simplicity’s sake, from here on we’ll refer to it as “CWK 2”.

As the description on the cover states, “More amazing stories about Hawaii’s people, places, and companies”, that’s precisely the order of priority within CWK 2’s pages, with more focus on people and places, and less on companies than it did about the 450 in CWK 1.

It must be noted that CWK 2 is also much shorter in page count, coming in at 240 within the covers, compared with 408 pages in CWK 1. CWK 2 also does away with an index in back (and a chaptered format for that matter), instead relying on a detailed table of contents in front for navigational convenience.

Immediately following the introduction and credits, it kicks off with 8 pages of everything you wanted to know about Frank De Lima…

Wow, 8 pages. I don’t think even one of Frank’s comedy routines are THAT focused! lol

This is followed by a story related to the Oprah Winfrey show, how the U.H. Rainbows got their nickname, Elvis, Miss Hawaii’s Yun Tao Zane, and the story behind Magic Island…

Then there’s 5 pages of everything about Hal “Aku Head” Lewis…

My grandmother LOVED Hal Lewis’ radio program!

Did you know? Hal Lewis was the top DJ in the islands from 1947 until his death in 1983, which during that time was said to be the highest-paid DJ in the world!

Fittingly, the 8 pages immediately following Aku cover Hawaii’s current top morning radio show duo, Perry & Price.

There’s a story about Shirley Temple and how she met her husband in Honolulu, followed by 5 pages covering the late and great local comedian, Rap Reiplinger…

Then on to the first Japanese visitor to Hawaii in 1844, Aiea native Bette Midler, and how the Ala Wai came to be…

Then back to the media with Linda Coble, Bob Sevey, Joe Moore and KGMB.

What Lullaby did Harry Owens write for his daughter? Who interned at an internment camp? Who was the ‘king of pidgin’? While you’ll need to read the book to get answers to the first two questions, the ‘King of Pidgin’ title was crowned to used car dealership owner, Lippy Espinda…

Learn about who predicted the Pearl Harbor attack way back in 1923, Joe Moore’s play production, “Prophecy and Honor”, KSSK radio producer Sweetie Pacarro, “King of Hawaiian Sweet Bread” Robert Taira, and how nuclear tests at Johnston Island were visible to Hawaii residents.

Who was the first female lifeguard in the City & County of Honolulu? Who wrote the song “I’ll Remember You”? Which four major sports were created by Hawaii people? Where was a replica of Iolani palace built? The answers and stories behind them are all here.

Bob then takes you on a guided aerial tour over Ala Moana, circa 1955…

Here, he points out in the photographs where, if you see that paved “baseball diamond” looking parcel located a block mauka of the Ala Moana shopping Center (still unbuilt), that original drive in theater, simply named “The Drive-In”. That would eventually get sold to become Holiday Mart, which then turned into Daiei, to its current incarnation as Don Quijote.

Other bygone businesses pointed out in the photos include Rainbow Rollerland and Scotty’s Drive Inn on Keeaumoku street and Aloha Motors In Waikiki, learn how the Niumalu Hotel and John Ena Estate became what today is the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Where on Oahu is there a monkey pod tree on its grounds which a large Japanese corporation uses as its logo?

Why was it named the Tahitian Lanai?…

From businesses, its back to landmarks with the background of the Reef Runway and Ala Wai Golf Course.

Don Ho, of course…

Ever wonder?…

which asian war led to the U.S. Annexation of Hawaii? Who was the first U.S. president to visit Papakolea and officially designate the area as Hawaiian Homelands? Hint: A high school in the area is named after his cousin.

Some questions answered in CWK 2 may have not even crossed your mind. Like where in Hawaii you can see a “Surfing Jesus”.

Learn how Hawaii has ties with Machu Picchu and the fictional movie character Indiana Jones. How the Polynesian Cultural Center got its start in Waikiki. And, thanks to the extensive legwork of one of Bob’s students, how many millions of Zippy’s Chili, Leonard’s Malasadas, Matsumoto Shave Ice and Royal Kitchen Manapua have been estimated to have been sold since they first hit the market.

More!…

• Joe Moore
• The Ukulele revival
• Pioneering aviator John Rogers
• who was the first to attempt to fly non-stop from California to Hawaii
• The first local boy to pitch for the Baltimore Orioles
• Duke Kahanamoku
• The Iolani Palace’ “Tinker Toy” fencing
• The last Spencecliff restaurant
• Aloha Stadium
• Babe Ruth’s visit to Hilo
• The Kingston Trio
• Tropics Restaurant
• Volcano House
• The original, smaller Iolani Palace
• Jackie Robinson
• Bethel Street
• Merrie Monarch Festival
• Christmas in Hawaii
• Ala Moana Center
• Ilikai Hotel
• The Kalihi Valley Wallabies

Jack Lord, and the consideration of him having the lead role as Captain Kirk on Star Trek…

For various reasons explained, the role ended up being cast to William Shatner.

Moving on…

• Japan’s Pearl Harbor miscalculation
• The Wackiest Ship in the Army
• Wayne Collins, Hawaii’s first TV news anchor
• Bishop Estate’s “Broken Trust”
• Abraham Lincoln’s Hawaii connection
• The Great Train Robbery in Kekaha, Kauai

How the Chinatown fire of 1900 sparked a migration of residents to move to Kaimuki, including many other interesting facts about the area..

What more do you want to know? Well, there’s…

• “KDI”, a.k.a. Kapiolani Drive Inn
• KODAK Hula Show
• Town of Mililani

And a relative of yours truly, Uncle Sonny Chillingworth…

Still more…

• Joe DiMaggio and Marylyn Monroe’s visit to Honolulu
• Victoria Ward
• Webley Edward’s “Hawaii Calls”
• King Kamehameha III’s Summer Palace in Nuuanu
• Locations considered for the State Capitol
• The “Ambassador of Aloha”
• First Hawaiian Bank’s John Bellinger
• HawaiiReporter.com

Finally we reach the end of CWK 2, which includes a photo hunt and quizzes. Who dat?…

Recognize any of these local celebrities from these archived photos? Hint for one of them: Kanoa looks all over his dad!

That wraps it up. When it comes down to it, this is a “small rock”, these islands in the middle of the pacific we live on. And in one way or another, there’s bound to be someone or some place talked about in CWK and CWK 2 that you can relate to. What it succeeds in doing is going an extra step or more in research, continually having you think, “I did not know that!”.

The Companies We Keep 2 is a triumphant follow-up to the first book, and again, highly recommended.

The Companies We Keep 2
More amazing Stories about Hawaii’s people, places, and companies
By Bob Sigall and his students at Hawaii Pacific University
www.CompaniesWeKeep.com

Also available all Hawaii Borders, Barnes & Noble, Bookends, Bestsellers, Helena’s Hawaiian Food, Boulevard Saimin, Gyotaku, Hungry Lion, Highway Inn, and Flamingo Pearl City.

The Tasty Island rating:

(5) Superb. A must-have!

Related Links:
• Reader’s Corner: The Companies We Keep

Praise the Lard

Well ok, we’re not talking about religion or flying pigs for that matter, but we are talkin’ lard, as in rendered pig’s fat, which does receive high praises from those who use it.

A friend of mine recently asked where he could buy pure & natural rendered (not the the stabilized hydrogenated commercial type) lard locally. After inquiring verbally and from online message boards, everyone who responded were clueless on resources, with the best suggestion being to make your own.

Those who are familiar in cooking with lard swear by it as superior in flavor, texture and capability due to its higher smoking point. Especially fried chicken, pie crusts and corn bread. My friend said he never had a better-tasting Akule then the one his friend fried in lard with garlic, saying it was just amazing.

So with that, out of curiosity, I decided to try rendering lard myself, beginning by doing some online research in home-made techniques. This demonstration by blogger Derrick Schneider, is very informative and detailed, including photographs, so I decided to follow his method.

Because this was just a test run, instead of seeking out a butcher who sold the proper “highest grade” pig’s fat, which they say is either the “back fat”, or “leaf fat” surrounding the organs, I picked up readily-available pork belly from the local supermarket.

So here’s the “Guinea Pig” used for this test run…

1 pound belly pork

I was s little concerned the meat on this cut would make the lard taste too “porky”, but after reading a few other instructionals, they said leaving any meat on is OK, as it turns into “cracklings” anyway. Also, because this was just one pound of belly pork, I wanted as much yield as possible and didn’t want to cut out any fat that could still be rendered out between the meat portion.

It’s recommended to have as much cooking surface area on the fat as possible, which you do either by grinding it up or cutting it into small cubes. Because I don’t have a meat grinder, I cut it into cubes…

Then I added it into a heavy-bottomed stainless steel pot on the stove top, then filled it with water about half in volume to the pork…

The water moderates the temperature at the beginning stage, and prevents the pork from being scorched on the bottom. I brought the water to a moderate boil, then reduced the stove heat to low, to a point where the water was barely bubbling, keeping in mind the goal here is to melt the fat, and not cook it.

The entire rendering process is done at very low heat on the stove top in an uncovered pot.

I also stirred it every 10 minutes to prevent any bottom pieces from browning. After about 45 minutes, it looked like this…

Notice how the lipids have already started melting and combining with the water.

After about 3 hours on the stove, the water completely evaporated, replaced with pure melted lard…

Along the way, I used the whisk to break up the softened unrendered fat. That really helped it along. Surprisingly there was very little scum that I had to spoon off the top.

You can tell when it’s done (which here took about 4 hours), as most of the solid fat is no longer visible, leaving behind those brown residual bits and pieces known as “cracklings”…

Lard rendering process complete, after about 4 hours on the stove.

So now it must be thoroughly filtered. I didn’t have any cheesecloth on hand, so instead used a paper towel as a “micro-filter”, which worked great. I placed that in a sieve over a clean pot…

Lard filter: Paper towel > sieve > clean pot

Here you see the crackling left behind in the filter…

They said not to throw this away, but to put a little salt on it and eat, so I tried that…

Pretty good. It tastes like unsmoked bacon bits. The smaller bits are crunchy, while the bigger pieces are chewy. This would be good on a salad or baked potato.

Back to the lard, here’s how it looked after being passed through the paper towel and sieve filter twice..

Voila, pure lard…

So that 1 pound of belly pork yielded about a 3/4 cup of lard, which is what we have in this glass here.

Here you see how it turns white like vegetable shortening (Crisco) after being chilled in the refrigerator…

It also has a silky, soft texture, ready to dollop a spoonful into a hot sauté pan.

A step I skipped before refrigerating it was to fill the lard container with water to help clarify and separate the protein bits out, but it seems fine how it is.

What’s interesting is how neutral the flavor is, without much “porkyness” to it. I suspect the meatless, more pure back fat or leaf fat would be even more neutral, and probably preferable if you’ll be using the lard for baked items like pie crusts and breads.

Whatever mild pork-like flavor this lard does have, might actually be beneficial in the application I”ll be using it, which will be to to sauté a fillet of Monchong that I picked up yesterday at the Kapahulu Safeway. I’m already imagining that’s gonna’ ROCK! I’ll let you know how that turns out in a follow-up entry coming soon!

Oink oink.

Local 'Kine Fun & Grindz on Hawaiian Grown TV

www.HawaiianGrownTV.com

I recently caught a couple of episodes on OC-16’s (Oceanic Cable) “Hawaiian Grown TV”, and I gotta’ say, host Grant Kawasaki is a riot! He’s also a chef and very knowledgeable about the industry. “Oh nah?!!!!” seems to be his favorite punch line. Kinda’ like how Sam Choy likes to say “Unbelievable” and of course, Emeril’s “Bam!”.

Hawaiian Grown TV is produced by Ikaika Kimura of Local Kine Grindz fame, taking you on a culinary island journey, visiting local farms, retailers, manufacturers and much more. This really is a fun, feel-good show, with very informative content, including detailed cooking demonstrations and excursions to visit the suppliers of the ingredients used in the dishes presented.

Their website includes all? the show’s TV segments, presented at a good resolution and stream rate, so if you don’t have access to Oceanic cable, you can still watch Hawaiian Grown TV online, or subscribe to their video Podcast!

What I’d really like to try is Chef Ernesto Limcaco’s Braised Beef Short Ribs, which uses a restaurant-quality beef broth available exclusively at Y. Hata, who is one of the show’s sponsors. Looks really ono!

www.HawaiianGrownTV.com

Go check ’em now, go.

Hana Hou: Primo Beer Returns to the Islands

Primo Beer Island Lager 6-pack bottles, $8.99 (sale price) at Foodland in Aina Haina

Back in January of this year, I wrote about the return of Primo Beer to the Hawaii market. But what I think was a blunder is that either the bartender or server at The Shack Hawaii Kai screwed my order up (very rare to happen there) and brought us something else on tap in that draft pitcher.

Reason I say this, is that recently I returned to The Shack and ordered Primo on tap again to retry and received this…

And this second time around was WAY BETTER and far different than that first time try in back in January. This one was much “fruitier”, with a smooth bite, neutral finish, while being slightly sweet, zesty and fragrant. Nice, nice, nice. It tastes more like a hand-crafted microbrew than a mass-produced product.

So recently while in Foodland Aina Haina, I noticed they (finally) brought in 6-pack bottles of Primo, which were on “sale” for $8.99/pack (regular 11.99.. ouch!), which puts it a few bucks more (sale price) than green-bottled European brews.

This is also the only size available in stores, as there are no “cold packs” (12 bottles) or cases. That is, unless you ask the clerk for a case from the stock room.

Thankfully, upon tasting this bottled version, it tasted exactly like that >second< draft pitcher I had from the shack, and looked the same in color, sans the “head”…

Notice I poured it into a collectible “Triple 777” glass I got from my recent trip to Vegas at the microbrew restaurant in Main Street Station Hotel & Casino where we stayed. This is fitting, as if you stay there, all you see is locals who will likely know what Primo Beer is. lol

Along with the great new recipe (I really like it!), another appealing selling point is the cool label and classic logo they retained on the brown bottle…

That is one cool beer label! And if that ain’t cool enough for you, check out the cap!…

I’d like to see one of these added on to Zack (Ozzy Osbourne) Wylde’s Les Paul!…

And you don’t think I’d have a Primo beer without pupus, do you?…

Smoked Tako…

Dry Ika…

Smoked Ika (squid rings)…

From Tamura’s Market…

So next time you’re in the supermarket, swing by the liquor department and see if they have the new Primo Beer 6-pack bottles in stock. If get, pick one up and give it a shot, then let us know what YOU think!

And if you’re on the mainland or elsewhere around the world asking how to get this beer, my only answer is to come to Hawaii. Apparently the production (it’s brewed and bottled in California, so go figure) is currently limited and available to our market only. Hey, think of it as a good excuse to take a Hawaii vacation!

Post Edit – 2/09: Sited parked in front of a hotel in Waikiki this past weekend, Da’ Primo Beer promotional VW Van!…

Mango Bruschetta

Pomai’s Mango Bruschetta – Toasted French Bread, rubbed with a garlic clove and dressed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a fresh, sweet mango slice, Hawaiian Salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Mango season in Hawaii is beginning to reach its peak for harvest, as it always is during summer. With that, many of you with trees or who have family or friends with trees will start receiving what sometimes becomes more mangoes than you know what to do with, or care to eat yourself.

A table full of Hayden mangoes a coworkers shared with us from his home in Ewa Beach. This is actually the leftovers. There originally was much more than this!

You’ve made pickled mango, shoyu mango, mango chutney, mango bread, and perhaps even Geico Caveman’s favorite: Roast Duck with Mango Salsa. lol

But what else can you do with it? Mango Bruschetta, of course!

I actually came up with this recipe myself, when one day I happened to have a fresh loaf of French Bread and some mangoes sitting on the same counter. I looked at them both, put the two together (as I’ll soon demonstrate here) and voila! Mango Bruschetta! There might be a few other variations of “Mango Bruschetta” on the web, but none were referenced at all when I thought this up.

My preparation is very simple and adheres to the basic principle of authentic Italian Bruschetta (pronounced “bru’sketta”) – namely in the rubbing of a fresh garlic clove on the toasted bread and the use of quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a.k.a. “EVOO”.

Here we have from left to right: Extra Virgin Olive Oil (good quality), fresh peeled garlic cloves, Fresh Cracked Black Pepper (mill), Mango (chilled, fresh, ripe and sweet), Hawaiian Salt and French Bread. I prefer the fresh, piping hot-out-of-the-oven French Bread from Safeway (great crust!), but we already had this one from Foodland on hand, so that’s what I’ve got here. Still good.

First peel the mango, then cut slices about 1/4″ thick, and in diameter that will fit nicely over the bread’s surface. Keep chilled in fridge.

Now, cut the french bread into serving slices about 1″ thick, either at a bias (more surface area) or straight across, up to you. Then pop the bread into a toaster oven and toast them until the top and bottom are a nice golden brown…

I’d recommend keeping an eye on them, as they can go from golden brown to BURNT really fast! Remove them as soon as they reach that ideal golden-brown-delicious “GBD” color. This is how they should look…

Now, while they’re still hot, as you see I’ve immediately started to rub a fresh garlic clove over the top surface. What happens when you do this is the toasted top acts like “sandpaper” and literally sands off little bitty pieces of the garlic that go into the pores of the bread. It also take on the oils and flavor essence of the garlic. Rub it just enough so that you liberally covered the whole top surface.

After I rubbed all three pieces of bread with that one garlic clove, this is how it looked…

Notice how it got “sanded down” to about half the size! Mmmmmm, you KNOW that’s gonna’ be some tasty bread!

Then arrange your garlic-rubbed bread on a serving plate and generously pour the Extra Virgin Olive Oil “EVOO” over the top surface of each piece, letting it drip into the dish…

Think of the EVOO as butter. The more you like butter or margarine on your toast, the more you’ll like EVOO on your Bruschetta! Give me more! No scade! More!

Then take the cut mango out of the fridge, and top each one with a slice or two…

A very important finishing touch is to drizzle a little more EVOO on top of the fresh mango slice, then sprinkle or scatter just a little bit of the Hawaiian salt on top, along with a twist or two of fresh cracked black pepper. The Hawaiian salt on top of the mango (vs. on the bread before you put the mango on top) helps to punch the mango’s flavor right through, down to the base of the bread, like one happy Bruschetta should be.

When you eat it, bite right through the mango slice and bread in once chomp…

While I’m eating it, I also like to dip the Mango Bruschetta in the EVOO run-off sitting in the dish. That’s the shindizzle bruschetta twizzle, yo. lol

The exotic, slightly tangy, really sweet mango flavor couples so well with the hearty, crusty french bread, and the garlic and EVOO, along with that boost by the Hawaiian Salt and spice of the black pepper is truly a marriage made in heaven. And it’s so easy to make!

I don’t know though. You may think it sounds, or even tastes weird when/if you try it. I’m banking that you’ll really dig it though. I LOVE IT!

You could even experiment and expand a bit by perhaps adding a basil leaf, some cream cheese, or even mayonnaise, which believe it or not, the latter is FANTASTIC with mangoes! But really, keeping it simple like this is probably the best approach.

I also tried sliced mango on a Rosemary and Olive Oil flavored Triscuit…

Looks like cheese, yeah? lol

How was this? Not bad! Better than with Papaya, which I also tried. That didn’t really work, but the mango was pretty darned good. Not GREAT like it is on Bruschetta, but good.

So when you’ve got the Mango Bread Blues, pick up a bottle of EVOO and a loaf of french bread and make yourself some Mango Bruschetta!

Reader's Corner: The Companies We Keep

If you’ve spent any significant time living in or visiting the islands, or just have a fond interest in the history of Hawaii’s businesses and people who drive it, The Companies We Keep is one book you MUST read. Or even better yet, own and kept on your coffee table or office desk as a conversation piece.

In print since 2004, this book is jam-packed from cover to cover with absolutely fascinating stories and facts about the history of Hawaii’s best known companies, from past to present. From hole-in-the-wall mom & pop shops to big corporations. Retail, restaurants, hospitality, media, entertainment, education and more. As told by the founders, their heirs, family, friends and those who work in their respective industry, through research by author Bob Sigall and his students at Hawaii Pacific University.

Did you ever wonder…

• Why did they name it Zippy’s?
• Why does Lex Brodie say “thank you very much”?
• Who is Robert’s Hawaii’s Rabbit logo waving to?

The answer to these questions, and many, many more can all be found here.

Following introductions, a “Hawaii Business Timeline” chapter starts things off….

Next is a chapter on “The Meaning of 260 Hawaii Company Names”, where you’ll learn exactly why it’s called “Zippy’s”, “Town & Country” Surf Shop and “W&M” Bar-B-Q Burgers.

The following chapter, titled “Extraordinary Hawaii Companies” makes up the thick of the book and goes further into detail behind the history of companies such as ABC Stores, City Mill, C.S. Wo, Charlie’s Taxi, E.K. Fernandez, KC Drive Inn, Spenceliff restaurants and Victoria Ward, just to name a few.

The remaining chapters cover Hawaii’s TV & Radio industry, Schools & Universities, concluding with games, lists & quizzes (and resources, credits & index, of course).

Here’s a quick, selective photographic “tour” of what you’ll find throughout the pages…

Here’s the Author, Bob Sigall…

The book is easy to read, encouraging you to thumb through it in search (or simply refer to the index) of a specific business of interest, and is well-written, edited and categorized. While the photography included on just about every page is a huge plus! I might even go on the limb and suggest Bob come out with a full color, glossy hard cover pictorial edition of The Companies We Keep!

There might possibly be a few bits of information here and there that you may find aren’t completely accurate based on the best of your knowledge of a particular establishment, but for the most part, it seems everyone “did their homework” and researched enough to get the facts in CWK straight. Besides, sometimes not even a business founder’s own children may know the “whole” story!

Bob was so kind to hand deliver an autographed copy of his second book to me and my boss at our office recently. He also gave me full permission to photograph and use content (including the beautiful cover shot, which he emailed to me) for this review. Mahalo, Bob!

With over 400 pages of fascinating information about 450 of Hawaii’s best known companies spanning the past century, all rolled into one handy book, The Companies We Keep is both enlightening and entertaining, and will be an invaluable resource in your library for years and generations to come. A must-have.

The perfect coffee table conversation piece!

The Companies We Keep
Amazing Stories About 450 of Hawaii’s Best Known Businesses
By Bob Sigall and his students at Hawaii Pacific University
www.CompaniesWeKeep.com

Also available at all Hawaii Borders, Barnes & Noble, Bookends, Bestsellers, Helena’s Hawaiian Food, Boulevard Saimin, Gyotaku, Hungry Lion, Highway Inn, and Flamingo Pearl City.

The Tasty Island rating:

(5) Superb. A must-have!

Related Links:
• Reader’s Corner: The Companies We Keep 2

In a follow-up installment coming soon, I’ll review The Companies We Keep 2!…

Kalihi Eats: The Pastele Shop

Plate #2: 1 Pastele, Gandule Rice & Bacalao Salad, $8.50

With all the talk this morning about diner E’s visit to the Taste of Puerto Rico in Ewa Beach this past weekend, we got da’ “ono’s” for Pastele and Gandule Rice, so we decided to head on over to The Pastele Shop on School Street for lunch.

The Pastele Shop is located in Kalihi at the makai-ewa corner of N. School street and Gulick Avenue, just across the street from Tasty Chop Suey…

Click to look across the street at Tasty Chop Suey

Click to see Diner A making “A” lol

This hole-in-the-wall establishment is made up of a service in front with a few items on display in a warmer case on the counter.

Like fried chicken…

Fried Chicken, $1.90 each

Patele Lumpia…

Patele Lumpia, $1.35 each

and Panadesa (pastele meat turnover)….

Panadesa, $2.75 each

Of course, the menu board on the wall…

The Pastele Shop complete menu (click to enlarge)

Everything else is made in the kitchen.

There’s also a small dining area at the rear of the establishment…

IIRC, there were 16 total seats. When we arrived around noon’ish, 2 women were seated and enjoying their meal, and a young lady was at the front ordering Bacalao Salad to go.

As is usually the case, we ordered to-go.

Diner A went with plate #5…

Plate #5: 1 Pastele (mild) & Gandule Rice, $5.75

He also ordered a Pastele Lumpia…

Pastele Lumpia, $1.35

The Pastele Lumpia has the same seasoned pork filling in the pastele, sans the grated green banana casing a regular lumpia has…

This was very good. The golden crispy lumpia wrapper complimented the spicy, chunky, tender pork filling nicely.

Diner E went with plate #1…

Plate #1: 1 Pastele (hot), Gandule Rice, Chorizo Sausage & Bacalao Salad, $9.75

This is the Bacalao Salad included with the plate above, which, as a nice touch, comes in a separate container…

Bacalao (Salted Cod) salad

He also picked up a Panadesa…

Panadesa – Pastele Meat Turnover, $2.75

Here’s how that Panadesa looks inside..

This also has the same spicy pork filling as the Pastele, sans the banana. Only thing is, it that meaty filling didn’t quite match well with the flaky layered Filo dough “shell”. Not nearly as well as the Lumpia wrapper. While it’s still tasty, we all unanimously thought the lumpia version was better.

As for the Chorizo on his plate, Diner E cut me a slice to try, and we both thought it tasted more like a slightly smokey standard all-American hot dog. Or perhaps a Polish Dog. But it pretty much lacked the spices and characteristic flavor of what we’re familiar with, like that good one in the green can. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, but just a bit “different”.

And yours truly ordered plate #2…

Plate #2: 1 Pastele (mild), Gandule Rice & Bacalao Salad, $8.50

And here’s the Bacalao Salad that came with my plate…

Bacalao (salted Cod) Salad

Notice how much more cod they put on mine. Ha ha, Diner E, wop yo jawz. lol

Actually it ended up being TOO MUCH, as the salted Cod was very salty, which made it a bit overpowering in contrast to the lightness of the lettuce and tomatoes. I should have taken it off and added it gradually to my taste instead of just pouring the dressing and tossing it together as is. As for the dressing, it’s a basic Olive Oil Vinaigrette. This salad is very good and very fresh, but again, slack back a bit on the salted cod next time and it’ll be much better.

And how was the Pastele and Gandule Rice? Excellent, excellent, excellent. The pastele taste just like the one an old friend’s Puerto Rican grandmother used to make. The banana “Masa” mixture had the right consistency, being a little mushy, and a little “tight”, and chunky, spicy pork filling inside just explodes with flavor. It was a little salty, but not too much… just enough to make give the whole thing added kick.

The mild version Diner A and myself had was laced with chopped olives here and there…

You can see a chopped olive towards the right side.

And no, these Pasteles aren’t going to win any food stylist award anytime soon. lol But they sure are contenders for best TASTE award! Really, I’m no Pastele expert, but these are up there with the best in my collective memory

The Gandule Rice also tastes authentic and flavorful, taking on a slightly earthy, nutty flavor from the Achiote Oil. It also had just the right texture and moisture level; not too soggy, not too dry, but jusssss’ right. The only thing it didn’t have were little chunks of pork in it, which is what I put in mine when making Gandule Rice at home. Thankfully, it still had a meaty flavor, which probably came from the stock they used to cook the rice. They do have Gandule rice with meat in it, but only on the ala Carte menu. I suppose you can request it on the combo plate, but it really doesn’t need it, as the Pastele already has pork.

The portions of everything we ordered were quite generous. The Pastele is very big, as you can see in how it takes up an easy 1/3 (actually almost 1/2!) area of that standard-sized clamshell take-out “plate”. Just that and the Gandule Rice served with it should make most adults full, as it did for Diner A. I couldn’t even finish my plate in one sitting, having to wait for that “second wind”. The Bacalao Salad is also generously portioned, packed kinda’ tight in that separate foam container, having enough lettuce, tomato and cod to make just that practically a meal in itself.

Diner A gave his Plate #5 and Pastele Lumpia a solid 4 SPAM Musubi rating. Diner E gave his order a solid 3. I contemplated reducing my rating to 3 due to the over-salty Cod in the salad, but the Pastele and Gandule Rice is so darned good, I have to go with 4 for my plate #2. With that, majority rules, giving The Pastele Shop 4 SPAM Musubi.

The Pastele Shop is highly recommended.

The Pastele Shop
2101 N. School St.
Honolulu, HI 96819
808 847-6969
Hours: Sunday & Monday 10am to 5pm
Tuesday ~ Saturday 10am to 6pm

Download the take-out menu here (120KB PDF document)

The Tasty Island Rating:

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)