Meat Jun

Meat Jun is apparently only available in Hawaii's Korean restaurants. It is thinly sliced beef fried with egg batter. I love eating it but never thought I would make it but a friend recently asked for the recipe so I asked my coworker (who has korean home lunches everyday made by his wife) how to make it. I tweaked the recipe a bit so here's my take:

1/8 inch thick rib eye or sirloin tip (ask the butcher to cut for you)
1-1 1/2 c shoyu
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs sesame oil
4 clove of garlic (chopped)
dash of black pepper
flour (1 cup at a time)
eggs, beaten (I buy the carton and I add more as needed)

1) Marinade beef with shoyu, sugar, sesame oil, and garlic. refrigerate overnight.
2) Dust each slice of meat with flour, place them on wax paper and let flour moisten into to meat alittle.
3) When every piece is dusted and moisten with flour, dip eah piece in beaten egg, then fry in oil on both sides until light golden brown.
4) Remove from oil, drain cooked meat with paper towel over newspaper or brown paper bag to absorb the oil. Let it stand for about 5 min before moving the pieces to avoid egg coating from separating the meat.
5) Cut and serve!

I was told that if you dip the flour and not let it sit before dipping in the egg may create egg bubble, and when it bursts, there won't be any batter on that area. So it's best to let it sit and moisten first.

There will be oil splatters so just be very careful!

I tried my very first piece of homemade meat jun, and it was super tasty! so tasty, you don't even need sauce!

Lil P said it is really good! Mr P however, said it's good...but not as good as the restaurant ones. As long as lil P thinks it's good, that is all good in my books. I have packed him a bento for lunch tomorrow! Bento includes fried rice, meat jun, a piece of brownie, and a clementine. =)

Don't forget to like Home Kine Grindz on Facebook! Also a reminder, Pupu Day is coming up on March 1st!!

Homemade Loco Moco

Today is Loco Moco Day! So here is my version of the hamburger patty, similar to my hamburger steak, with a little more garlic and no hidden veggies.

Hamburger Patties

1 lb ground beef

2 pieces of bread end

1 egg

3 garlic

half an onion

1 tbsp hawaiian salt

2 tbsp worchestershire sauce

2 tsp black pepper

1 tbs garlic salt

1) Place ground beef in a large bowl.

2) Place bread ends on food processor and pulse until fine, pour over ground beef.

3) Place garlic and onion in food processor and pulse until fine, pour over ground beef and breadcrumbs

4) Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with hand (I used a glove)

5) Form into patties, place them on a heated skillet and press the middle to built an indent.

6) Cook both sides until done.

To make Loco Moco:

1) Place rice on the plate or bowl (white rice, brown rice, hapa rice, brown rice quinoa, barley quinoa, etc)

2) Top with cooked hambery patties.

3) Top with a fried egg

4) Drizzle with brown gravy

Mr. P helped with the cooking last night so he already had his loco moco for dinner. He said it was really good! So I decided to pack up for my Loco Moco Day bento. Using the fuel container, I have loco moco (with hapa rice and egg whites) on the bottom tier, top tier has layered jello and apple slices.

Adding this to "What's for Lunch Wednesday!" It's been awhile!!!

Hope you got a chance to like Home Kine Grindz Facebook! I am seeing alot of Loco Moco pics today! yay!!! Have a Loco Moco Day!!

Crockpot Beef Stew #2

I have been trying to make a good Beef Stew recipe that Lil P will like. I have done several before, but decided to use my crockpot again and see if he will like it.

2-3 lbs Stew Meat (cubed)
1/2 c flour (I used 1 part wheat, 1 part white, and 1 part wheat germs)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tbs olive oil
1 onion (chopped)
4 small carrots (cubed)
3 red potatoes (cubed)
1 tbs dried parsley
1 package dry onion soup mix
2 cups hot water (or beef broth)
2 tbs butter
1/2 c red wine
1 tbs worchestershire sauce
1/4 cup corn starch

1) Coat meat completely with flour and pan fry with olive oil, add salt and pepper and cook until meat are brown (again this seals the moisture of the meat)
2) Coat your crockpot with Pam, then lay carrots and potatoes in your crockpot.
3) Pour in browned meat, add in dry onion soup mix with hot water (or beef broth), then add in worchestershire sauce.
4) In the same frying pan, toss in butter and onions and sautee until soften, then placed cooked onions on top of meat in crockpot.
5) In the same frying pan, pour in red wine and turn off the heat, stirring to get all the leftover bits of onions or meat.
6) Pour that into the crock pot.
7) Cook on high for 4 - 5 hours, add salt to taste if needed.
8) Combine cornstarch with water (or red wine), and drizzle over the beef stew, stir it up, leave cover off and let it thickens, about 1/2 hour.
9) Serve over rice.

The beef falls apart while you eat, it's super tender. Even Mr. P had seconds! Lil P on the other hand, is still not enjoying this as much as us. I wonder if he wants a tomato based beef stew?! And he doesn't even like tomatoes...but yet he eats pizza!

I've got enough for leftovers, so I made myself a bento for lunch! YES, I haven't made bentos in a long long time!

Top tier contains pea salad (consist of Peas, chopped bacon, chopped water chestnuts, and mayo...YUM-O), tangerines, and grapes. Bottom tier contains beef stew over brown rice.

Tofu Poke & Lemon Pork Tenderloin Bento

It's been awhile...I have been busy but didn't stop cooking! Today's feature recipe is Tofu Poke.

1 block of Deep Fried Tofu (Atsuage), 1.5 oz cubed
half small onion, thinly sliced with length about 1" to 1.5"
1 tbs shoyu
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tsp hawaiian salt
dash of chili pepper
dash of Furikake (optional)

Toss all ingredients in a bowl and mix well, refrigerate for half an hour before serving. I like to keep this simple but you can also add limu (a type of seaweed often found in fish poke), cubes of kamaboko, and tobbiko if you wish.

For today's lunch, I have packed myself lemon pork tenderloin over rice, along with another container of grapes and orange slices. Placing this on "What's for Lunch Wednesday"!

















Hawaii has been hitting with flash flood last week and this week. I haven't seen the sun until today! I snapped a picture of the water falls coming down mountain while we were driving home last night...there are 3 in this picture, it's too bad I couldn't get a better picture but they are just beautiful to see in person!!

Kalua Pork and Shrimp Truck Bento

Kalua Pork is a must in a typical Hawaiian dish. I always buy them at the store or at fundraising events but never did make them thinking it would be too consuming. But I finally got to attempt it for Easter Sunday and it turned out GREAT!

The ingredients are simple, Pork Shoulder, Hawaiian Salt, Liquid Smoke, and Ti Leaves. Pork shoulders are also called pork butt and NO, pork butt is NOT at all the meat at the butt...I got that confused a long time ago and I'm always wondering why the heck they use that term...argh.

Traditionally they would put the entire pig in an Imu (underground oven), but they still exists today! My neighbor has an Imu in his backyard and Christmas morning he brings us fresh hot lau laus!! I'm doing it crock pot style...

Here are the measurements of the ingredients and direction:
4-5 lbs of pork shoulder** (aka pork butt *sigh*)
2 tbs Hawaiian Salt
1 1/2 tbs Liquid Smoke
3-4 Ti Leaves

1) Wash the pork shoulder and pat dry.
2) Brush liquid smoke all over pork.
3) Rub Hawaiian Salt all over pork.
4) Wrap it up in ti leaves.
5) Place in crockpot on low for 12 hours, or high for 6-8 hours.
6) Remove pork from crockpot and place in a bowl, discard ti leaves but keep drippings in crockpot.
7) Use two forks and shred the pork completely (you can remove fat as desire).
8) Place shreded pork back inside the crockpot and mix with dripping.
9) Taste and add more salt if desire.
10) Serve hot!

*Note: If your pork shoulder is frozen, you will need to defrost it COMPLETELY before cooking, otherwise you won't have the fall off the bone affect and you will be very frustrated trying to pull the pork apart. I've done that with my pull pork. :(

Leftovers can be made into kalua pork sliders, kalua pork with cabbage, and kalua pork quesadillas. Or you can freeze them to save them for another day!

Another MUST when visiting Oahu is to get shrimp scampi at a shrimp truck. I LOVE Giovanni's Shrimp Truck! They're located in North Shore and Kahuku, about $12/dozen with rice topped with garlic sauce. I have attempted to make it several times but haven't mastered it yet. A friend brought it for me when he visited out there so I was able to place it in a bento and brought it to work. The garlic infused my entire cubical and boy I could hear people sniffing the aroma. It was delicious even if it wasn't fresh. Mr. P used to take me there every Mother's Day. What a sweetie because he is allergic to shrimp so he was still willing to take me there and he orders...a hot dog for himself. But we stopped doing this for the last 2 years due to Lil P's sports. Who on Earth have games on Mother's Day?! This year will be no different. Anyway here is my delicious bento below with some apples and strawberries. D-licious!

Five-Spiced Pork Chops

Lil P loves the pork chops served at Vietnamnese restaurants. Recently I picked up some five spice powder so I made some for Lil P to test and he approved!

3 pieces of pork chops
1 tsp five spice powder
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs honey
1 tbs shoyu
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 slices of onion, diced
1/2 tsp black pepper

1) Place all ingredients in a ziplog bag along with the pork chops and let marinade for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better).
2) Drizzle oil on a large pan over medium heat and pan fry pork chops until center is no longer pink, about 3-4 minutes each side. (if your pork chops are thicker, you will need to cook it longer. But it's best to use thinner pork chops.)
3) Remove from heat and cut them up to serve.

It was juicy and delicious! I'll definitely make this again!

Here is another bento that I haven't had a chance to post.

Top tier contains soybeans, a small tangerine, and pineapples. Bottom tier contains Meatless Meatballs from Veggie Patch and spaghetti. Don't forget about the GIVEAWAY in support for the Japan Relief Efforts! It ends April 30th! You can try their Veggie Patch products yourself for FREE with the coupons! So far, I like the Meatless Meatballs and the Broccoli Bites, Lil P likes them too!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins by The Sneaky Chef

I have raved about The Sneaky Chef for quite some time now. Missy Chase Lapine (the auther) is really awesome giving ideas on how to hide veggies in everyday food. I absolutely loved her book. Yes she even hides them in desserts too!! I have recently made this Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins and I wanted to share this with you.

1 c Flour Blend(1/3 cup whole grain flour, 1/3 cup white flour, 1/3 cup wheat germ)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c canola oil
3/4 c orange puree (or use baby food! I use this sometimes: 1/2 cup carrots and 1/4 cup sweet potatoes)
3/4 c smooth peanut butter
8 heaping tsp favorite Jam (not jelly)

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line muffin tin with paper liners.
2) In a mixing bowl, whisk together the Flour Blend, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
3) In another large bowl, whish together the eggs and sugar until well combined, then whisk in oil, orange puree, and peanut butter.
4) Fold the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until flour is just moistened (don't over mix).
5) Scoop about two tbsp of batter into the large muffin cups until half full.
6) Place a heaping tsp of jam in the center of each muffin, then cover the jame with another 2 tbsp of batter, filling the cups just over the top. (scale back if using mini-muffin cups)
7) Bake for 25-30 min until the tops are golden brown.

















I had two while it was warm and it was delish! Please feel free to check out the website for more free recipes!

Don't forget that you could get your very own, brand new copy of The Sneaky Chef on my GIVEAWAY that is happening right now til the end of the month!! You are qualified if you have contributed to the Tsunami Relief Support for Japan. Go here for the Giveaway details!

I have been taking alot of bentos pictures but have yet to post. I made Chinese Chicken Salad for me and my sister and I brought it to her work (and I got to see my baby nephew)! Here is a pic of that. I used leftover Rotisserie Chicken from Costco.

I also deboned the rest of the chicken, then I threw the carcass in a pot of water and let it simmer until the meat falls off the bone, remove the bones, then added rice and dry scallops in the pot and made myself a bowl of jook too! That's 2 ways for leftover chicken! And don't forget the chicken quesadillas, that's 3 ways with one chicken from Costco!

Here is my lunch for tomorrow, since it's "What's for Lunch Wednesday"!!

This bento consist of Steak (with steak seasoning, olive oil, and mirin), Gen Ji Mai rice, sautee veggies (mushrooms, carrots, asparagus), and grapes. The yellow container is microwavable, so I'm going to microwave the medium rare steak and it would be perfectly cooked for lunch! Looking forward to my lunch!!

Brown Rice & Quinoa and Aloha For Japan Bento

For dinner tonight, we had sloppy joes. I am packing some for work tomorrow, but with a twist. I eliminated the bun, added some frozen peas and carrots into the sloppy joes, and I'm eating it with my brown rice & quinoa. Typically I would place the sloppy joes on top, but because I wanted to do a special bento, I placed them on the bottom so I could put the "Aloha for Japan" logo on top. Did I mention that I am doing a giveaway? Well, go and hop over to HERE to find out more about this giveaway! The only requirement I am asking is to support the Japan Relief Efforts, ANY amount is appreciated! Giveaway ends on April 30th, 2011.

The above bento I used Fit N Fresh 2 cup containers, one container contains sloppy joes with brown rice & quinoa, one contains applies, oranges, and grapes, and the last one contains green salad. Adding this to "What's for Lunch Wednesday".

Umeke Market has excellent hot meals and they're very good for you. I've been there several times just to pick up the Turkey Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms over Brown Rice & Quinoa and a side of fresh greens. YUM!

Although I have not attempted to make the stuffed portabello mushrooms (oh I definitely will some day), I have attempted to make brown Rice and Quinoa myself. My first try was a disaster but my second try, isn't too bad. So here it is:

1 cup of brown rice

1/4 cup of Quinoa

Water

Dash of Sea Salt

1) Soak quinoa in water for about 15-20 minutes. I have heard if you don't wash first it will cause indigestion...I didn't soak it on my first attempt but nothing happened to me.

2) While soaking quinoa, pour brown rice in rice cooker with 2 cups of water and leave it for 15-20 minutes. This will allow the brown rice to soak up some water which should speed up the cooking process.

3) Drain quinoa and pour in the rice cooker, then add 1/2 cup of water.

4) Mix brown rice and quinoa in the rice cooker so they're mixed well.

5) Sprinkle sea salt into the rice cooker, then let it cook until done.

Lemon Caper Mahi Mahi

Ack! I've been slacking off on this! I have been cooking and snapping pictures, just didn't have time to download the pictures or blog about it. Work had me traveling to neighbor islands, I've been tired, and I've been studying for a certification and planned to take the exam end of June. I also haven't exercised in 3 weeks. I planned on working out tonight (i've been saying it for a week now), and I know I'll be sore tomorrow...

Anyway, a friend of mine went out to sea and caught a huge Mahi, came to drop off some filets to us! So i was able to attempt this Mahi Mahi with lemon and caper.

Pan-Roasted Pork Chops and Star Wars Party with Stormtrooper Cake

Thank you for those who had voted for my Easy Peanut Butter Sandwich Surprise! I didn't win...but I was in 4th place out of 9! It was an awesome experience so Thank you Veggie Patch and The Sneaky Chef!!

I have been rather busy this past couple of weeks because I had to get ready for Lil P's 10th Birthday party which I will share with you after this recipe. I have made this dish a few weeks back actually but didn't have to time to post so here it is!

Easy Peanut Butter Sandwich Surprise

As I have mentioned previously here, I became one of the finalists or "Undercover Mothers" for the Ultimate Sneak-Away Contest hosted by Veggie Patch and The Sneaky Chef with my recipe of Easy Peanut Butter Sandwich Surprise. It was quite a surprise for me! For the final round, I needed to turn my recipe submission into a video that will teach other moms how to make it. Talk about pressure!

Furikake Mahi Mahi

Chinese New Year came and went! Superbowl was just over too. So many things are coming up still: Lil P turns 10, Valentine's day, The Ultimate Sneak Away Contest video voting week, Lil P and Mr. P's birthday party. Then it will be March and spring break is around the corner!

Last week I made Furikake Mahi Mahi, I didn't have time to post it until now...

Furikake Chex Mix Encore, Tebasaki Chicken, and Bento

Since I have some stale chex cereals leftover, I decided to use it for another round of furikake chex mix. This time, I added cheerios and nuts. You can go here to see my previous post for the furikake chex mix recipe. This recipe is my #1 hit on my blog, almost close to 600 hits!

Miso Salmon

I had two filets of salmon left in my freezer so I decided to make miso salmon.

Singapore Noodles and Bentos

The holiday season is too hectic! I barely had time to cook or to blog! But I managed to make my own version of singapore noodles (aka curry vermicelli) yesterday. I love this dish and who knew I could do this?!

Chicken Katsu Donburi, Katsu Recipe, and Bento

Last night I made Chicken Katsu Donburi for da fam. I have previously posted this recipe before. But yesterday I questioned myself as to why the restaurant ones looks better than what I have, as if they "baked" it. While I was making it last night it finally clicked! Instead of lifting the content and place on top of a bowl of rice, I'm supposed to loosen the content from sticking to the skillet, then FLIP the content from the skillet to the bowl of rice! I have made that change in my recipe here. I am now satisfied with my donburi making. domo! Does this look like restaurant material than my first post's picture? ...i think it's the same. hmmm...

Furikake Salmon and Hula Girl Bento

Happy Belated Veterans Day everyone! I had a great time with my family yesterday, starting off the morning by visiting Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. What a way to celebrate Veterans Day!

I am going to pull up an old recipe of Furikake Salmon since I noticed I haven't posted on this blog.

Beef Broccoli Cake Noodle, Lasagna Bento, How to Freeze Ground Beef

I didn't do any cooking this weekend...what a shock! But we were quite busy this weekend! Instead, I'll be posting an old recipe that I haven't added to this blog yet.

Shrimp Fried Rice Bento and Nutella-nana Wrap

I've got a few more pieces of Bacon Wrapped Shrimp leftover from Monday so I decided to chop it up and make another batch of fried rice (no kim chee this time). Lil P loves fried rice so that was his dinner with some popcorn chicken. To my surprise, he didn't finish, so I was able to pack the rest up for my lunch today.

Surf & Turf dinner, Halloween Breakfast Bento

Last week I decided to do a Surf and Turf in an effort to use up my mushrooms and onions for sautee...only after dinner had I realized I forgot them!
























Surf is Garlic Shrimp Scampi. I have tried very VERY hard to master the shrimp truck shrimp over at Giovanni's in Kahuku. Seems like this time it is much closer than I've ever done before!