• 6 ounces rice noodles
• 1/4 C canola oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 bunch kale – chopped
• 3 TBL lime juice
• 1/4 C Asian sweet chili sauce
• 1/4 C soy sauce
• 2 carrots, peeled & grated
• 1 C bean sprouts
• 1/4 C dry roasted peanuts – chopped
• 4 green onions – diced on the bias
• 2 TBL fresh cilantro – chopped

1. Soak the rice noodles in warm water for 20 minutes, then drain and set aside
2. Heat a large skillet until hot, then add oil.  Add eggs and stir fry until eggs are lightly scrambled – about 2 minutes
3. Add kale, lime juice, chili sauce, soy, carrots and bean sprouts
4. Gently fold in rice noodles and cook for an additional 5 minutes
5. Serve in a “bowl shaped plate” and sprinkle with peanuts, chives, and cilantro

Thai Peanut Sauce

• 1/2 C Creamy Peanut
• 3 TBL Soy
• 2 TBL Honey
• 1 TBL Fresh Lime Juice
• 1 tsp Grated ginger
• 1 tsp Garlic
• 1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1 tsp Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
• SCANT Fish Sauce

 

The key here is to use leftover rice or rice that is not cooked all the way.  Once wrapped into the grape leaves, the liquid absorbs and plumps up the rice making the dolmathes nice and tight.

• Blanche grape leaves if they are not already prepared
  You can also use collard greens
• In a skillet, add
  • 1 TBL EVOO
  • 1/3 onion – diced small
• Cook 6 minutes
  • Then add 1 clove of garlic – minced fine
  • 2 TBL parsley – chopped
  • 1 TBL dill – chopped
  • Zest from one lemon
  • 1 TBL chopped mint
  • 1/4 tsp Alspice
  • 2 TBL raisins,
  • 1/2 C basmati rice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
• Cook for 8 minutes
• Meanwhile, pat leaves dry and cut off stem if it has it
• Let pan ingredients cool enough that you can work with them.
• Remove to a bowl and wipe out your skillet – don’t need it to be spotless.
• Fill leaf with 1-2 TBL filling
• Roll to start, then roll the sides, then finish rolling
• Put seam side down in your skillet
• Drizzle with EVOO
• Add lemon juice
• Cover with water
• Cover with parchment and pan cover, and let them simmer 30-40 minutes
• Meanwhile, you can prepare the sauce
  • 1 C yogurt
  • lemon dill
  • salt and pepper
  • corriander,
  • evoo
• Remove to a paper towel to drain a bit, then serve with the dipping sauce

 

1. Prepare 1/2 lb cooked pork  (Cook @ 350º for one hour, then let cool) or slice into 1/4 inch slices
2. Shred the pork- or put into marinate overnight
3. Sauce:  Mix with 1/4 C rice wine, soy sauce, honey, hoisin, 1 TBL corn starch, 2 TBL sesame oil, 1 tsp Thunder Powder, grated ginger and garlic
4. Heat sauce on stove until it starts to thicken
5. Toss shredded pork with the sauce created in Step 3
6. Marinate for one hour
7. Meanwhile create BUN dough
   • Proof 1 TBL each yeast, water and sugar
     • Proof / activate for 15 minutes
   • After proof, mix in 1/4 C cugar
   • Mix in 1/2 C milk and 1 egg
   • 1 C cake flour
   • 3/4 C AP flour
   • 1 tsp salt
   • 3 TBL canola
8. Add new mixture to dry ingredients
9. Mix all and set aside to rise for 45-60 minutes
10. Create balls about the size of a lemon
11. Roll flat to about 5 inches
12. Bring together and pinch to close
13. Place on pan folded end down
14. Mix
    • 2/3 C AP flour,
    • 2/3 C powdered sugar,
    • 1/2 tsp baking powder,
    • 1/4 tsp salt,
    • 6 TBL butter and
    • 1 egg
15. Pulse to blend
16. Pipe over top of buns
17. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes

 

• 1898 – Walter Swingle – brought back date palms from Algeria, North Africa
• Crop was widespread in US by the 1920s
• Types of Date Varieties
  • Adrawi
  • Saidi
  • Bahri
  • Khaisab
  • Black Abbada
  • Thory
  • Medjool – Typically pit IN
  • Deglet Noor – Typically pit OUT
• Tamar State of Ripeness
  • Basically turned into raisins on the tree
  • Internet turns out to be better, but a bit more pricy
• Life span
  • About 3 months at room temperature
  • 6 months in the refrigerator
  • About a year in the freezer
• White powder on the surface is sugar crystals, not mold
• The below recipes are for Party Trays.  For personal eating for two, the amounts are in {brackets}

Devil’s on Horseback

1. Divide 60 {18} dates into three different batches of 20 {6} each
2. Soak first in 1/2 C soy and 1/2 C water – {1/4 C each} 
3. Soak second in 1 C dry sherry – {1/2 C} 
4. Soak third in 1 C lager beer – {1/2 C}
5. Soak all three batches for two hours
6. Drain but DO NOT RINSE

Recipe One

• 20 {6} Deglet Noor Dates that have soaked in sherry
• Slices of thin cut bacon
• 2 oz {1 oz} bleu cheese in a zip lock bag
• Use scissors to trim the date opened
• Pipe in a little bit of cheese
• Wrap in bacon with seam down, and cut portion of date up
• Put on your baking tray
• Bake 15 minutes

Recipe Two

• 20 {6} Deglet Noor Dates that have soaked in soy and water
• Slices of thin cut bacon
• 1/4 C {2 TBL} water chestnuts – chopped
• Cut open and stuff with chestnuts
• Wrap with bacon and put onto baking tray
• Bake 15 minutes

Recipe Three

• 20 {6} Deglet Noor Dates that have soaked in beer
• Large pepperoni slices
• 2 oz {1 oz} cream cheese mixed with 4 sweet gerkin pickles – chopped
• and mixed with 1 tsp {1/2 tsp} Sriracha sauce hot sauce
• Use scissors to trim the date opened
• Pipe in a little bit of cheese
• Wrap in pepperoni with seam down, and cut portion of date up
• Put on your baking tray
• Bake 10 minutes

Put larger amount on a party tray, or serve two people 3 of each set of dates (9 total) :: or three people 2 of each set (6 total)

1. • PREPARE GLAZE
1. Mix glaze to be used
   • 2 TBL soy sauce
   • 2 TBL rice wine
   • 2 TBL hoisin sauce
   • 1 2 tsp toasted sesame seed oil
   • 1/2 tsp 5 spice powder
   • grated ginger (powder if you have to)
   • 2 smashed cloves of garlic
   • 1 tsp corn starch
2. Whisk and set aside
   • PREPARE MEAT FILLING
3. Cut 1 LB pork shoulder into 1/2 inch cubes
4. Brown pork in a large skillet
5. Add glaze and toss to coat
6. Cook until thickened, then set aside
   • PREPARE THE DOUGH
7. Proof yeast if using Dry Active Yeast.  If using Rapid Rise Yeast, just put all ingredients into a mixing bowl
   • 2 tsp yeast
   • 2 TBL granulated sugar
   • 3 TBL milk (warm)
   • 1/2 C cake flour
   • 1 C AP flour
   • 1/2 tsp salt
   • 1 egg
   • 1 TBL canola oil
8. Mix ingredients and let rise for 40 minutes
9. Separate dough into slightly larger than golf-ball sized pieces
10. Flatten dough into 5 inch circles about 1/4 inch thick
11. Fill with meat, and pinch shut
12. Place on baking sheet, and let rise 1 hour
13. PREPARE TOPPING
    • 1/3 C flour
    • 1/3 C powdered sugar
    • 1/4 tsp baking powder
    • scant salt
14. Mix dry ingredients with 3 TBL butter and 1 egg
15. Pipe onto rolls
16. Bake seam side down at 350º for 20 minutes

These ratios were presented by Chef Tatsuo Saito from NHK World Dining with the Chef.  Other information has been researched and is presented here.

Base Ingredients

• Soy provides saltiness with a touch of umami
• Salt – Both soy and salt work to complete the electrical impulses needed for taste.
  
• Mirin (sweet rice wine) provides a complex sweetness
• Sugar provides a simple sweetness
• Sake provides depth
  – Sake also removes fishy odors
• Vinegar is a fermented and distilled liquid that adds layers of flavor.
  
• Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans and barley or rice malt, used in Japanese cooking.  Frequently used for soup.

Taste each individual ingredient so that you can better understand what each ingredient is bringing to the dish.

Teriyaki Sauce

• 2 parts soy
• 2 parts sake
• 3 parts mirin

You can use sugar in place of mirin, but it makes a heavier tasting teriyaki.

Sukiyaki

• 1 part dashi
• 2 parts soy
• 1 part sugar
  
• 1 part mirin

Tempura

• 4 parts dashi
• 1 part soy
• 1 part mirin

Ohitashi (spinach)

• 8 parts dashi
• 1 part soy
• 1 part mirin

White Fish

Liquid to simmer fish

• 3 parts water
• 1 part soy
• 3 parts sake
• 1 part mirin

Hot Soba Soup

• 10 parts dashi
• 1 part soy
• 1 part mirin

The same as Tempura liquid, but with more dashi

Simple Recipe of Rice

1. Bring 2 parts water (2 C) to a boil.
2. Add 1 part rice (1 C) and bring back to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to lowest setting, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, keeping covered, and let rest another 10 minutes.
5. Fluff with a fork and serve in very loose clumps.

Dashi

This is an incredibly simple, clear and unassuming broth It forms one of the culinary cornerstones of Japanese cooking.

• Kombu Dashi is made in about 20 minutes with just three ingredients: water, kombu (dried kelp), and bonito fish flakes. The resulting clear broth tastes like the essence of the sea.
• Niboshi Dashi uses baby dried sardines in place of the kombu.
• Shitake Dashi uses Shitake mushrooms in the place of kombu.  It is also not heated to boiling, as that destroys the delicate taste of Shitake.
• Awase Dashi is essentially Kombu Dashi that after simmering is allowed to sit for awhile to let the flavors leech from the contents.  It has a stronger flavor than Kombu Dashi.

Dashi is used in any Japanese dish that requires liquid for cooking. It’s also found at the heart of the soup broth in various broth-based dishes like nabe (hot pot), shabu shabu, sukiyaki, and oden. Mixed with soybean paste and a few cubes of tofu, dashi makes a flavorful miso soup.

Dashi mixed with a bit of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin (sweet rice wine) can be used to make dipping sauces for fried tempura or chilled noodle dishes like soba buckwheat noodles and udon flour noodles. A greater amount of hot dashi broth can also be added to dipping sauce or broth or a hot noodle soup. In addition to noodles, dashi can be cooked with rice and mushrooms, vegetables, and fish or meat to make takikomi-gohan.

Ohitashi literally means ‘steeped in dashi’ and is a common way of cooking vegetables. Some popular dishes include okra ohitashi, spinach ohitashi and eggplant ohitashi. Nimono, or simmered dishes, using dashi broth are another large part of Japanese home cooking. This includes staples like nikujaga (boiled meat and potatoes), kabocha no nimono (simmered Japanese pumpkin), buri-daikon (braised yellowtail with daikon radish), and buta no kakuni (stewed pork belly). Dashi can also be mixed in with eggs to make dashimaki tamago, a Japanese rolled omelet.

Dried kombu sheets, shiitake mushroom, and bonito flakes can all be purchased separately to make dashi. In addition, commercial dashi concentrate—available in instant powdered granules, liquid concentrate, or pre-made broth pouches—has become incredibly popular in Japan. Look for it in the Asian or international food section of your local supermarket, at Asian grocers, in health food stores, or from specialty vendors online.

Commercial dashi is so convenient and popular in Japan that making dashi from scratch is becoming a bit of a dying art. However, nothing beats the well-rounded flavor of homemade dashi broth, and a simple dashi can be made easily overnight or with a quick 30 minutes of preparation, so it’s worth it to try making dashi from scratch.

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The information below this section is from a third party. It is part of Grandpa's Personal Recipe box. Feel free to browse, but know that this information is from someone else.

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Pan de yema is a rich, sugar-coated egg bread that is delicious enough to pull apart and eat like pastry. Traditionally prepared for Day of the Dead celebrations.

Ingredients for Two Loaves

• 1 1/2 TBL aniseed
• 3/4 C water
• 2 packages dry yeast (2 TBL)
• 2/3 C sugar
• 7 eggs (5 yolks and 2 eggs)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 stick butter
• 4 1/2 C flour, plus flour for dusting work surface
• Vegetable oil for coating bowl
• 1/3 C sugar for sprinkling

Step by Step

1. In a large bowl, soak the aniseed in 1/4 C hot water for 10 minutes.
2. When the hot water has become only warm to the touch, add yeast and half of the 2/3 cup sugar.
3. Let sit until foamy – about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, separate 3 eggs.  Set aside the whites.
5. Add 3 whole eggs to the separated yolks and beat.
6. Melt the stick of butter in the microwave for 30 seconds.
7. Add the beaten eggs, salt, the remaining sugar, aniseed with water, nutmeg, and melted butter.
8. Stir to combine.
9. In a Kitchen Aid (or by hand) mix in flour.
10. Transfer to a lightly floured board or counter.
11. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and slightly sticky.
12. Place the dough in a large oil-coated bowl.
13. Cover with a lightly moistened tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 90 minutes.
14. Punch the dough down
15. Turn out onto a floured counter.
16. Roll into three or four strands and braid
17. Cut braids off at 2-3 inches creating mini loaves
18. Place loaves on a greased baking sheet.
19. Cover the assembled dough with a damp towel and set aside to rise until the loaves hold a fingerprint when pressed, about 50 minutes.
20. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
21. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon water.
22. Brush the risen loaves with the egg wash and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup sugar.
23. Bake at 350º until golden, 20-25 minutes.
24. Cool on a rack.
25. Serve with Mexican chocolate

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 LB flank or skirt steak
• 1 Russet potato – small squares
• 1 Carrot – chopped
• 1 C green beans – cut 1″ pieces on the bias
• 1/2 C fresh peas
• 1 TBL salt

STEP BY STEP

1. Prepare your vinaigrette – see below
   – Pour into large mixing bowl
2. Season your steak with a Grandpa’s Thunder Powder – set aside
3. Boil a pot of water containing 1 TBL salt
4. Put in potatoes and start timing 4 minutes
   – Meanwhile, turn on the heat to your cast iron skillet to medium high
5. Put in carrot and start timing 2 minutes (for crisp) or 3 minutes for softer
6. Put in green beans and start timing 2 minutes
   – put your meat onto your hot cast iron (90-120 seconds)
7. Put in peas and stir gently to combine all
8. Pour hot veggies into a strainer
   – Flip your meat the the other side (90-120 more seconds)
9. Pour veggies into your vinaigrette and toss gently
10.  – Flip your meat back to the first side (60-90 more seconds)
11. Toss your veggies again
12.  – Put your meat out onto a cutting board to rest 3-5 minutes
13. Plate your veggies
14. Cut your meat into 1/2 inch strips and plate next to the veggies
15. Serve with flour tortillas

Vinaigrette – PREPARE BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE

• 1 clove smashed garlic
• 1 tsp salt and pepper
• 12 tsp brown sigar
• 12 C distilled vinegar
• 1/4 C vegetable (canola) oil
• 1/4 C EVOO
• 2/3 C thinly sliced red onion

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 C coconut
• 1/2 C Cooked chicken
• 1/2 C fresh tomatoes
• 1 thai chili or serrano chili
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 TBL water

1. Pulse above into paste

INGREDIENTS TO ADD TO SKILLET – IN ORDER

• Heat up 1/4 C canola oil
• 1 cinnamon stick
• bay leaf
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 tsp whole cardamom seed
• 1 tsp whole black pepper
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp corriander
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp ginger

1. Cook for about 10 minutes
2. Add chicken paste
3. Cook for 5 minutes
4. Add 1 can coconut milk
5. Bring up to a boil
6. Simmer while you cut fresh chicken breast into thin strips
7. Add chicken and cook for 15 minutes
8. Add 1 TBL sugar and 1/2 tsp salt
9. Add 2 TBL fresh chopped cilantro
10. Serve topped with more cilantro and thinly sliced jalapeño