Recipepapa Got Some Opae

I almost forgot about Opae or Opae Kala Ole probably because it is so rare to see it in Luau’s these days. Opae Kala Ole are freshwater mountain shrimp found in remote streams high up in the valleys of Hawaii. Opae are usually found on Kauai, Maui, and the remote areas of Oahu. Opae are about an inch long and brown in color. They are boiled in Hawaiian Salt and turn red when cooked.

Mike Sakamoto, host of Fishing Tales did a show about Mountain Opae on Kauai back in the 90's. I was unable to get a Youtube on Opae so these pictures will have to do. I have Opae in my planted aquarium. I will try to post a better picture of a Opae in my planted aquarium for you guys later on. I am not going to boil my Opae Kala Ole just so that you can see what they look like cooked. You gotta use your imagination.

Don’t confuse Opae Ula for Opae Kala Ole. Opae Ula are brackish water shrimps found in lava tubes and are bright red in color. Opae Ula are typically found in gift shops in miniature aquariums/ecosystems.


More info on Opae Kala Ole

http://hamakuamarsh.com/Crustaceans/opaekalaole.htm

http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/streams.html

Recipepapa Joy in Poi

Poi is made from the corm of the Taro Plant also known as Kalo. A corm is defined as a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat. In its raw form Taro is toxic due to the presence of calcium oxalate although the toxin is destroyed by cooking or can be removed by soaking taro roots in cold water overnight.

In earlier days poi was a very common staple in the Hawaiian Diet. Today poi is less common and has become quite expensive due to the realtively limited supply. Often times, poi producers in Hawaii must rely on imported taro from Asia to meet the demand. Local taro farmers are finding it difficult to find help because cultivating point is not easy work. Today’s generation is less inclined to toil hours upon hours in the muddy taro patches.

Irregardless of the relative short supply and high price, poi will always have a place in Hawaii’s local diet. Besides being delicious and very easy to eat, poi is extremely nutritious and even given to babies who are allergic to dairy products.

Traditionally poi was made using stone ponders. For our purposes we will use a food processor. The result is basically the same.

Instructions

Things You'll Need:
• taro (or dasheen)
• water
• Food Processors
• Kitchen Knives
• Stockpots
• Vegetable Brushes
•

Step 1
Buy taro from an Asian grocery - any kind will do. Sometimes taro is called dasheen.

Step 2
Scrub the taro corm with a stiff kitchen brush, under running water.

Step 3
Peel the taro and cut it into 2-by-2-inch pieces. Put it into a big pot and add water to cover.

Step 4
Bring the water to a simmer and cook until you can pierce the taro with a fork, similar to potatoes boiled for mashing.

Step 5
Drain the water and let the taro cool to room temperature.

Step 6
Put it into a food process with a little water (about a tablespoon) and process until smooth. Now you have poi, but continue on.

Step 7
Add more water for thin "three-finger poi," whatever consistency you like.

Step 8
Add just enough water to make a thick poi, the consistency of pudding. This "one-finger poi" is preferred in Hawaii.

Step 9
Put the poi in a bowl that has been rinsed with water (so the poi doesn't stick). Gently cover the top of the poi with cool water. Let it sit on the counter, covered with a clean lint-free towel, for three days. This step will make the poi a little sour - also preferred in Hawaii

If you are not interest in going through the trouble of making poi, you should probably just buy your poi from your local Asian market. If there is none in your area you should try powdered poi. Believe it or not powdered poi tastes just like regular poi.


Powdered Poi:

http://www.tarobrand.com/



http://www.poico.com/artman/publish/article_65.php

This is how regular poi is sold in Hawaii Supermarkets:




http://www.hpcfoods.com/html/products.html

Recipepapa Stamp of Approval on Hawaiian Chop Steak

1/2 pound sirloin steak or other tender meat
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Salt and pepper
Oil
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 large onion, sliced
2 stalks celery, cut diagonally
1 bell pepper, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
Sauce:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons catsup
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

Thinly slice steak into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Season with soy sauce, cornstarch, salt, and pepper to taste; set aside. Mix together sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Heat oil in skillet and brown garlic; discard garlic. Stir-fry beef until just pink. Add onions, celery and bell pepper; cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add sauce and mix well. Stir in tomatoes gently, cover pan and cook about 1 to 2 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

If you want authentic Hawaiian Chop Steak and other Hawaiian Food you must pay Ono's Hawaiian Food a visit.




726 Kapahulu Avenue Honolulu, HI 96816
Ph# (808)-737-2275



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Recipepapa Adores Sam Choy's Poke

SAM CHOY'S AWARD WINNING POKE

Recipe courtesy Sam Choy

2 lbs. Ahi Tuna, cubed into 1/2 to 3/4 inch squares
3 oz. Chopped Green onion
3 oz. Diced Onion
2 oz. Chopped Ogo (fresh seaweed)
1 tsp. Red Chili Flakes
2 tbs. Soy Sauce
2 tbs. Sesame oil
Hawaiian salt to taste

Secret Ingredient: Kukui nut

Combine in mixing bowl; add dry ingredients and chill.
Serve and enjoy.

***The Ahi must be fresh caught. If you cannot get fresh caught Ahi use sashimi grade ahi. Poke can also be made with Aku (Skipjack Tuna), Marlin, Mahimahi, and Yellow Tail.

Here is what Ogo looks like:





http://www.catalinaop.com/Limu_Ogo_Red_seaweed_Gracillaria_Pacifica_p/sushi_5a2a.htm

http://www.dahawaiistore.com/food.html

Recipepapa Shows the How in Haupia

Ingredients:

4 cups coconut milk*
2-1/2 cups water
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 cup cornstarch

Instructions:

Combine the coconut milk and water. Stir until smooth. Add the sugar and cornstarch. Cook over low heat until thickened and shiny. If the haupia is grainy, you need to keep cooking the mixture because the fat in the coconut milk has not yet melted.

*Coconut milk, as you rightly recall, is made by mixing equal parts of shredded coconut and water, and simmering until foamy. Then the mixture is strained through cheesecloth, and you squeeze as much liquid out of the pulp as possible. You will be able to find coconut milk in the asian section of your supermarket or any asian food store.


Ingredients

Coconut Milk, 2 each 16 oz cans
Water, 3 cups
Cornstarch, 16 oz
Sugar, 1 cup

Instructions

1. Mix 2 cups water with cornstarch. Set aside.
2. Bring coconut milk, sugar and remaining water to a rolling boil on high heat.
3. Pour cornstarch mixture into boiling coconut milk and cook till mixture
thickens, blending with a whip.
4. When mixture is smooth and thick pour into a clean baking tray.
5. Cool to room temperature, then chill until cold.
6. Cut into 1-inch squares.
7. Serve on ti leaf lined trays

Recipepapas Favorite: Hawaiian Beef Stew

4 pounds chuck roast, cut up
½ cup salad oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small onion, minced
½ cup celery leaves
5 cups beef stock, or broth
2 cups chicken broth
1 ½ cups tomato paste
3 medium carrots, chunked
4 potatoes, chunked
2 medium onions, chunked
4 stalks celery, chunked
enough flour to dust meat (about 1 cup)
salt and pepper to taste
enough mochiko and water to thicken*

Season beef with salt and pepper and dust with flour. Brown meat with garlic, minced onion and celery leaves about 10 minutes on medium or low-medium, until well browned. Keep stirring to avoid burning.

Add beef and chicken broth and tomato paste. Bring to a boil then reduce to low heat. Cover and let cook about 1 hour, or until beef is tender.

If you want your beef stew to really be good put it in the refrigerator and let it sit for a day to let all the goodness sink in. Beef stew is always best on the second day.

*Mochiko is rice flour. If you can't get Mochiko use cornstarch.

Recipepapa: Pipikaula is Hawaiian Beef Jerky

Ingredients
• 2 lb Flank steak
• 3/4 c Soy sauce
• 2 tb Hawaiian salt
• 1 1/2 tb Sugar
• 1 Clove garlic; minced
• 1 Piece ginger; crushed
• 1 Red chili pepper; crushed

Preparation

Cut beef into strips about 1 1/3 inch wide. Combine all other ingredients and soak beef in the sauce overnight. When drying in the oven, set oven to 175 degrees. Place meat on a rack such as a cake cooking rack. Place rack on a cookie sheet and dry meat in oven for 7 hours. Keep in refrigerator.

Some people like to use a dry box to make pipikaula. I prefer to dry my pipikaula in the oven to prevent anything going wrong. See below.

Illnesses due to Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 from homemade jerky raise questions about the safety of traditional drying methods for making beef and venison jerky. The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline’s current recommendation for making jerky safely is to heat meat to 160 °F before the dehydrating process. This step assures that any bacteria present will be destroyed by wet heat. But most dehydrator instructions do not include this step, and a dehydrator may not reach temperatures high enough to heat meat to 160 °F.
After heating to 160 °F, maintaining a constant dehydrator temperature of 130 to 140 °F during the drying process is important because:
• the process must be fast enough to dry food before it spoils; and
• it must remove enough water that microorganisms are unable to grow.