Fooding in O'ahu, Hawaii

Almost everybody I know who has been to Hawaii has told me that other than enjoying the gorgeous weather, all you can really do there is hang out on the beach and indulge in ocean-related activities, and people who claim to be foodies tell me that the food is very mediocre. Well, if you just stay in the hotel/resort, sure, that's all you can do, and the food is bound to be not just mediocre, but quite sad (big difference between resort food in India and resort food here)! When I visit a new place, I like to go out and explore, and soak in the culture of that place as much as I can. And being a foodie, I of course like to check out local food. Thankfully the family has realized the joys of venturing out too.  

Here's a snippet of our fooding while in O'ahu:

Highlight 1: 

Ko Olina Hawaiian Bar-b-que: 

Went to the Hawaiian BBQ place near the resort without expecting much. Surprisingly, it was actually very tasty! The Loco Moco was in fact extremely delicious. Loco Moco is a Hawaiian dish that comprises of white rice, topped with a hamburger patty, and an egg (sunny side up, or fried- your choice), and all this is smothered in a delicious (usually brown) gravy. The garlic mahi mahi and the garlic shrimp were very delicious too. The garlic sauce is to die-for! Super garlicky, and yet mellow. Their lunch plate comes with a side of macaroni salad, which was nice and cooling in that heat- and the vegetable is one lettuce leaf! ;) For taste, I'd give it full points. Price-wise- now clearly Hawaii is not cheap. A regular plate lunch is anywhere from $12 to $15.

The menu

Plate Lunch Menu

Garlic Shrimp- with 1 lettuce leaf ;) 

Garlic Mahi Mahi- delicious!! 

Loco Moco (ref: 12850507203_7393638144_o.jpg)

Highlight 2:

Little Village:

This restaurant is located in China Town, and as you enter, you might hesitate a little bit just by the looks of the inside. There are chairs that have been duct taped, and the general look is not that great. But never judge a book by its cover! The fried rice looked pretty plain, for being called "The Mother of All Fried Rice." They make it with salted fish and minced chicken. But one spoonful into the mouth, and there was a flavor explosion, literally! It was oh-so-delicious!! The Shoyu Tofu with Leek and Chili was amazing- the tofu looked almost like thick noodles, and was beautifully firm. The shrimp sizzler was delightful. All the food was gobbled up in no time! The service was very good, the people were friendly enough, and above all, the food was crazy good. So good that we went there a second time for dinner! This time I tried eggplant tofu curry, which I was afraid would be sweet (most Chinese restaurants here sweeten up their sauces, that I am not a fan of). So with a bit of suspicion, I put an eggplant into my mouth. Imagine my joy when I tasted real curry flavor, without any sweetness- mm, it was superb! They had used both purple and green eggplant, with nice and firm tofu, and it was very delicious indeed. Overall, awesome food, great service, and as for the price- we've already established the fact that Hawaii is not a cheap place for eating out (or even groceries, for that matter).

The Menu

Some of the dishes on the menu

Shrimp Sizzler

Shoyu Tofu with Leek and Chili

Eggplant Tofu Curry

Highlight 3: 

Food Trucks in Northshore/Haleiwa, Kamehameha Hwy:

Utterly glad that we decided to check out this gem of a place, filled with food trucks including Giovanni's Shrimp Truck, Dat Cajun Guy, 'Okina Cafe, Snow Factory, VJ's (burgers and tacos), and a couple more. I wanted to try the Hawaiian specialty- the poke bowl. Poke is basically raw fish combined with soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and sweet onions. A poke bowl consists of this marinated raw fish over plain steamed rice, and topped with fried wonton. Now I am not a big fan of sushi or sashimi. Or I guess, more precisely, I prefer my seafood cooked. So I wasn't sure if I'd be able to eat this stuff, but I simply had to, as it was on my to-eat-in-Hawaii-list. One bite, and I was bowled over! That ahi just melted in my mouth! There was nothing fishy about it at all, which means it was fresh as a daisy (well, OK, freshly caught fish, in this case!). The fried wonton added a nice crunch factor, and I thoroughly enjoyed that ahi poke bowl. I of course had to take a bite of everybody's food. Giovanni's Shrimp Scampi was ridiculously delicious, as was the "No Return Spicy Shrimp." The spicy shrimp was very spicy indeed, but a bit too acidic. I'd cut down on the vinegar, but it was delicious nevertheless, with the shrimp cooked to perfection. Be prepared to use your hands to peel off the shell- it could get a bit messy. The mahi mahi tacos were alright- could have used more seasoning. So the tacos, I'd say, weren't that great. 

We tried another Hawaiian specialty- the combined shave ice, cookies and cream flavor. The lady told us that it was 50% shave ice, and 50% dairy. Whatever it was, it was astoundingly delicious, almost like cotton candy ice cream, in fact even better. It is definitely the best dessert I have eaten in a long time! Oh, and we tried the other famous Hawaiian parfait- The Acai Bowl. To be honest, I think it is a bit overrated. Frozen acai berries are blended with a liquid such as coconut milk or almond milk and made into a scoopable smoothie, then topped with granola, followed by sliced bananas, strawberries, and maybe a few blueberries. It sure looks very pretty. But that's about it. I am not sure why it is a such a big deal. But that's just my opinion. All in all, this food truck spot is highly recommended. 

Tip: Be prepared to shell out a good amount of cash. A couple trucks accept credit cards, but cash is preferred. Again, even though these are food trucks, it is not a cheap affair (especially if you are a  foodie family of four!). 

Giovanni's Shrimp Truck

Shrimp Scampi

"No Return" Spicy Shrimp

Ahi Poke Bowl

Melt-in-mouth Ahi

Mahi Mahi Tacos, with garlic sour cream

Cookies and Cream Combo Shave Ice

Acai Berry Bowl 

Highlight 4: 

Kua'Aina Sandwiches and Burgers: 

We just happened to spot this place. It was late, and we were exhausted roaming around in the heat. We had gone to Diamond Head Crater earlier that afternoon. What they claim to be a "hike" is really just walking up a bunch of steps, and passing through a concrete lighted tunnel that is 225 feet long, followed by more steps. First stairway consists of 74 steps, second stairway has 99 steps, and then finally 52-54 more to reach the summit. The view is spectacular. 

So anyway, we thought burgers and sandwiches for dinner might not be a bad idea. Once again, what a surprisingly good place- the food was delicious! I again opted for mahi mahi, and it was great. We got an order of fries to share- they were shoestring fries, perfectly seasoned. They actually scoop out half an avocado and put it in your sandwich- it is beautiful. The burgers and sandwiches also come with grilled onions, some lettuce, and tomatoes. Come to think of the price, this was actually very well priced- probably the cheapest food we ate during our entire trip. So there, great food at a decent price- we were happy! 

Kua'Aina- born in the same year as me! ;) 

Mm mm! 

The mahi mahi is right there, under the avocado and onion....

Other than the Food: 

I found the general atmosphere to be tranquil. The hand gesture, "shaka," is so cool. I wish people around here too would start using the "shaka" while driving rather than getting all upset and sticking up their middle fingers at each other! ;) The place reminded me of Delhi and Bangalore (India), places I grew up in- mostly because of the vegetation all around. Hibiscus seems to be growing wild. Not to forget, those beautiful, colorful and fragrant flowers are everywhere too. And oh, my old favorite, bougainvillea! That place sure is a tropical paradise for plants. We got to attend an evening of music and hula (traditional Hawaiian dance form), and it was marvelous. The hula is such a graceful dance, and every move has a meaning, which is just lovely. The two young men who showed off their ukulele skills were excellent. What a show it was! 

We also visited the historic Pearl Harbor. The movie about USS Arizona was quite moving. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to visit the memorial itself because of strong winds that day. The other places we went to were the very beautiful Tantalus Lookout, the serene Valley of the Temples, and Diamond Head Crater. Other than that, we drove around the place, and just kept going, "ah, ooh, wow!" at everything we saw (especially yours truly- I tend to get a bit too carried away, you see....!). 

Hawaii is more than just the blue ocean, beautiful weather, and gorgeous sunsets. There is so much more to see, and experience there. And this is just the island of O'ahu we are talking about. 

Hibiscus

More flowers

Bougainvillea

Gist: 

Going back to food- to summarize, the Hawaiian food scene is in fact quite spectacular, with an abundance of seafood, as well as fruits, of course, and veggie options too. In fact, I'd say the food options there are very healthy. O'ahu is full of fruit trees, including papaya, mango, plantain, pomegranate, etc. I think I spotted a few lemon trees too. And how can I forget those coconut trees? And of course there are pineapples growing everywhere. They also grow coffee- though I am not too crazy about Kona Coffee- it is much too light for my palate. I also realize now that food doesn't always have to be smothered in spices (now that's something for this ghost pepper fan!).

Plantain, with flower and all

The only two foodie things I couldn't do were attending a Luau where they roast a whole Kahlua pig, and eating poi. Well, there's always a next time!

My souvenir- Hawaiian Rice Paddle (made in China!) 

Cucumber Raita

Raita is a condiment made with yogurt and usually includes a vegetable/fruit such as cucumber, spinach, tomato, pineapple, carrot, pumpkin, beet, onion, potato, etc. seasoned with salt and pepper. The main purpose of raita is to cool off the stomach after a rich, spicy meal. 

Cucumber raita is very simple to make, and has quite a few health benefits to it:

1. Yogurt, as we all know, is packed with all those friendly microbes that are so good for the stomach. In addition, you get calcium.

2. Cucumber, believe it or not, is packed with Vitamins B, C, and K, and is rich in Manganese and Potassium. It has anti-inflammatory properties and also improves memory and protects nerve cells from age related decline. Now that's a good deal! 

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients: 

1. Cucumber- 1, grated or finely diced

2. Yogurt (of your choice)- 2 cups 

3. Green chili- 1 (finely chopped or slit lengthwise)

4. Salt to taste

5. Cumin powder- a pinch

6. Red chili powder- a pinch (optional)

Method:

This is super easy:

1. Mix up grated or finely diced cucumber with yogurt, and stir it well, so as to get a smooth consistency. 

2. Add salt to taste. Can also add a green chili chopped fine or slit lengthwise for some kick. 

3. Garnish with pinch of cumin powder and red chili powder, and fresh cilantro on top. 

Serve as a side, or just eat as it is. 

A cool as a cucumber (raita)!

Cilantro Lemon Soup

First Day of Spring 2015 is "special" because I have officially hit 40! That dreaded number 40. The whole mid-life crisis 40. Yeah, yeah, I have heard that age is just a number and that 40 is the new 20, etc. A few important lessons learned in the last year:

1. We no longer want physical interaction- it is all virtual, baby!

2. We humans are ridiculously amusing- everybody is chasing somebody or something else. And everybody is trying to avoid everybody else!

3. You love somebody who doesn't love you back. Somebody loves you but you don't love them back!

2 and 3 are pretty much extrapolations of each other.

4. Everybody is pretending to be somebody else. Yeah, me too! Basically it is all a facade. So then since we are all anyway fake, what now? Continue with the act, I suppose..... *Shrug*

With that very profound prologue (for someone like me, this kinda stuff IS very deep), I shall now move on to more pleasant and real things, aka food! ;)

CILANTRO LEMON SOUP

Fresh cilantro- mm! Fresh lemon- ah! Garlic- oh yeah! Thai green chilies and freshly ground pepper- now we're talkin'! Yep, that's all the ingredients you need to whip up this lovely tongue tickling soup. 

Ingredients, properly this time: 

Yield: 2 cups

1. Fresh cilantro- 1 bunch, cleaned, and chopped fine

2. Garlic- 5-6 cloves, smashed

3. Lemon- freshly squeezed or ready-to-use lemon juice- 1 tbs (or per taste)

4. Thai green chilies- 3-4

5. Cumin seeds or powder- 1/2 tsp 

6. Salt and freshly ground pepper- per taste

7. Corn flour or All Purpose Flour- 1 tbs

8. A pat or two of butter, plus 1-2 tsp of cooking oil 

9. Water- 2 cups

Method:

1. Take a pot, add a pat of two of butter, plus 1 or 2 tsp of cooking oil. Get the heat going, and splutter half a tsp of cumin seeds (or powder).

2. Add the chopped cilantro, thai chilies, and smashed garlic and sauté for 3-5 minutes. If using all purpose flour- add 1 tbs of the flour to this and stir and cook for 5 minutes to get rid of the raw taste. If using corn flour, hold off until towards the end. 

3. Pour in 2 cups of water. Stir and make sure to get rid of any lumps (if you added all purpose flour). Add salt and freshly ground pepper per taste. 

4. If using corn flour- now is the time to add that in. Mix up 1 tbs of corn flour with a little bit of cold water to make a smooth paste, and add to the above. Stir it up, and bring to a boil until it slightly thickens. This soup is a bit on the thinner consistency side. Taste, and adjust salt pepper if need be. Boil for about 5-7 minutes. 

5. Turn off heat. After about a minute or so, add a tbs (or more if you like) of freshly squeezed or ready-to-use lemon juice. Stir and enjoy! 

The lemon, cilantro, garlic, pepper, and cumin are all going to do the tango on your taste buds- yeah! 

Cilantro Lemon Soup- mm!! 

Epilogue (gotta have one): 

Yes, it is official- I am 40, and still in denial. In my head however, I am stuck at 20. I have got to get my act together now, don't I? Oh! But wait- that means age is in fact just a number, and 40 is in fact the new 20! Recently, a loved one said these three words to me: "Take it easy!" I guess it is not that bad an advice after all! ;) 

Quinoa Pilaf

I am surprised that I haven't posted this before. Quinoa pilaf, with vegetables and all the works, is a complete meal, and oh-so-healthy and delicious! Best of all, it is so easy to prepare, and is ready in just under 30 minutes!

Quick nutrition facts about quinoa: 

*Guten free

*Low Glycemic Index (diabetics- take note!) 

*Provides all 8 amino acids, thereby becoming a complete protein 

*Zero Cholesterol

*Zero Sodium

*Rich in Dietary Fiber

*Rich in Iron, Phosphorus, and Riboflavin (Vitamin B)

Qunioa

Closer look 

Ingredients: 

1. Quinoa- 2 cups

2. Leek- 1 cup 

3. Garlic- 4-5 crushed

4. Ginger- 1 inch grated

5. Carrot- 1 big, chopped per liking

6. Tomato- 1 medium, chopped

7. Kale- 1/2 bunch 

8. Cumin- 1/2 tsp

9. Turmeric- a pinch

10. Cooking oil- 3-4 tsp

11. Salt and pepper per taste

12. Water to cook- 4 cups

Optional: 

*4-5 Thai green chilies for some kick

*Garam Masala powder- 1/2 tsp  

Note: Any and every vegetable will work well in this recipe. 

Method:

If you get pre-washed, ready to use quinoa, you are good to go. Else, give it a good rinse in cold water before cooking, to get rid of its natural bitterness. 

1. Put 3-4 tsp of oil into a pot or pan, get the heat going. Splutter 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds. 

2. Add leek, garlic, and ginger into this, followed by a pinch of turmeric powder, and quickly stir fry for 3-5 minutes. Then add chopped carrot, tomato, and any other vegetable that you might be using. Save the greens such as swiss chard, kale, collard greens, spinach, etc to be added towards the end. 

3. After 3-5 minutes of stir frying, add quinoa to this, and mix everything together. Also add salt and pepper per taste, as well as the chilies and garam masala powder, if using. And then add 4 cups of water. Quinoa:Water= 1:2 Give it all a good stir. Also give it a quick taste, and adjust salt pepper etc if need be. Cover and bring it all to a boil. 

4. Once it starts boiling (about 3 minutes on high), lower flame, and simmer away covered for 15-20 minutes. At about 10 minutes, add the greens, and cover again and continue cooking. At the end of 20 minutes, all the water will have evaporated and the quinoa will have cooked to perfection. 

5. Garnish with cashew nuts and fresh cilantro. Enjoy! 

Deliciously Healthy Quinoa Pilaf

Paneer Tikka, Tandoori Chicken- in the panini maker

The Alton Brown effect still lingers over me from two weekends ago. He mentioned his panini maker that he in fact has never used to make panini! He uses it to cook cornish game hen, and other meats, and veggies. Taking cue, I attempted to make paneer tikka (dry) the other day, and got the husband to cook some tandoori chicken- all in the panini maker, that was gifted to us by the bro and his wife last year. And it turned out pretty darn good!

Ingredients:

1) The Marinade (adjust qty according to amount of paneer and chicken, and your personal taste of course). The following is for a pack of 400 g (14 oz) paneer slab, and 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs: 

1. Yogurt- 1 cup 

2. Garlic- 8-10 cloves smashed (or garlic powder- 1 tsp)

3. Ginger- an inch, grated

4. Turmeric- 1/2 tsp

5. Garam Masala powder- 1/2 tsp to 4 tsp (per spice level)

6. Red Chili powder- 1/2 tsp- 4 tsp (per heat level)

7. Lemon juice- 1 tbs 

8. Oil- a couple good drizzles

9. Salt- per taste

2) Paneer cut into cubes

3) Chicken- boneless skinless thighs and/or breasts

Don't forget: 

A Panini Maker! Cranked up all the way to max heat setting. 

Crank it up all the way to max

All heated up

Method:

1. Whisk the yogurt and other ingredients altogether in a mixing bowl. Give it a quick taste and adjust accordingly, if need be. 

2. Marinate the paneer cubes and the chicken in separate bowls (you don't want to mix raw poultry with paneer or veggies) for at least 2 hours. 

Note: When marinating the chicken, make sure you give it a lot of love, by thoroughly massaging with the yogurt and spices so as to get all the flavors going.  

3. After marination is done, and the panini maker is all heated up, cook as you would a panini. 

In this case, our panini maker took 5 minutes for the paneer, and 12 minutes for the chicken. 

The paneer is easy- you'll know that it is done when it looks like this. 

Paneer Tikka in the making

Paneer Tikka- mm mm! 

Cooking the chicken in the panini maker could get a bit messy, but it is super easy to clean up later. So it is worth it. You do want to make sure that the internal temperature of the chicken is between 165-175 degrees F before you consider it done. A little cooking thermometer will work fine. If you don't have one, just cut a bit off from a corner, and check for doneness. 

Internal temperature 165-175 degrees F

Tandoori Chicken mm mm! 

Result: 

1. Paneer Tikka and Tandoori Chicken, with a side of lovely green salad dressed with a simple vinaigrette, turned out pretty darn tasty!

2. The clean up later was easy-peasy.

3. Only flip-side- because we could fit barely two chicken thighs at once, the time spent in cooking the chicken ended up being longer. If you are pressed for time, I'd say broiling in the oven is a better option, as you can stick all the chicken in, and be done in one shot. OR own a large panini maker!

Conclusion:

The panini maker (or panini press) is certainly a versatile kitchen equipment. I think every kitchen must have one decent panini maker. Or two!

My opinion about charred meat:

*I personally don't worry too much about the health risks of eating charred meat because for starters, I don't eat charred meat on a regular basis.

*If it is of concern to you, just remove the charred parts, and eat the rest!

*Car exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke contain Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs).....!!

Alton Brown- The Edible Inevitable Tour 2015

I finally got to see Alton Brown, the Culinary Guru, live on stage!! I have always been in awe of him from all those Food Network television shows I have been watching over the years, and all I'll say is that I am now even more in awe of him! 

I managed to get a couple tickets in the nick of time. That place was packed like crazy! Alton sure is one heck of a celebrity. And boy, are there thousands of fellow foodies out there! It was very exciting to see other excited foodies all waiting eagerly to see Alton.

The Tickets

From the crowded 9th Ave-Pine St

Before Alton arrived on stage 

The cool things:

1. Alton's entry: The hall went all dark, and as soon the lights came on again, he, no HE, was there on the stage!! It was almost like a hologram- so cool! We all just screamed out in excitement- and then there was this "I love you, Altoooooon," from somebody in the audience. And Alton spoke- "Why is it that whenever somebody says, "I love you," to me, it is a dude?!" (In my mind I was like, dang it, I should have been the one!) 

2. Alton's look: OK, that man was dressed so cool! A pair of light denim skinny jeans, white oxford with a cotton sweater on top, and a pair of regular sneakers (looked like sneakers to me from where I sat). And he looked pretty fit. Oh, and of course, with his stubble, he just looked very cool overall. 

3. Alton is so talented! Alton Brown plays the guitar and sings. And I'd say his singing is not bad at all. He sang a song that he said he wrote for his daughter way back when she was only 4, for a school presentation. The song was all about how easy cooking can be. He involved the audience too, and it was pretty enjoyable. His other song, "Airport Shrimp Cocktail," that he wrote after his bad experience with eating shrimp at LA airport was hilarious! He is funny, intelligent, an educator, and he is quite the scientist too! He and his crew ended the 2 hour show with his famous satirical punk-rock song, "I'm a TV Chef." 

4. Inventor of super-powerful cooking contraptions: He demonstrated his very own invention, The Mega Bake Oven- a huge 12 foot long, 54,000 Watt Easy Bake Oven, that heats upto 650 degrees (or was it 800 degrees?)! He baked 2 pizzas in 3 and a half minutes! His other contraption that he demoed was this super-fast ice cream maker that he calls the Jet Cream Maker- again, a huge machine, that makes ice cream in a ridiculously small amount of time (I forget the exact time, but it was super-fast!). 

Alton there somewhere in the center on stage

The not-so cool things:

1. The burping and farting sock puppets representing yeast, that kept playing on the screen during the interval as well as at the beginning of the show was a bit much. I mean, I am all for imbecilic jokes, but really, they went overboard with that.

2. People he picked to go on stage: Somehow I feel that the people he picked- or at least the area in the theater from where he picked his 2 volunteers, was pre-decided. Maybe because those people had better seats, and had paid more money for them (obviously)..... who knows! A bit unfair, I think.

3. Bad seats: I should have bought the tickets well in advance..... oh well, lesson learnt.

My one takeaway from the show that I completely agree with:

Cook with NaCl: Yesss! Use proper amount of salt in your food!! The bad unnecessary salt is the salt found in canned soups and packaged dinners. Salt in home-cooked food is perfectly fine for the body, and in fact, you need it! Unless your doctor has absolutely forbidden you from ingesting any salt, go ahead and add salt to your food. I'd like to add to that- use not only salt, but spices too. Bland food is so boring!!

Now that I've seen Alton live on stage, am I all satisfied? Um, next I'd actually like to meet him personally and chat with him, and get a selfie with him! Which means, I'll have to get those VIP tickets! Oh Alton, you are THE coolest!!

Tandoori style baked Salmon

The way to anybody's heart is through their stomach, whether you want to admit it or not! Here's a great Valentine's Day meal idea, especially if you are trying impress your sweetheart. You can make it for your lovely family and friends. And hey, you can most certainly make it for yourself too! 

Ingredients: 

1. Salmon- boneless skinless (I prefer wild)- available in ready-to-go trays in most grocery stores (especially Costco!) cut into bite sized pieces. Qty: You can use as much as you want, and freeze the rest to use another day.  

2. Spices (1 tsp each if you like it potent, a pinch each if you like it mild)  

a) Garam Masala powder

b) Black pepper powder

c) Garlic powder or fresh smashed up garlic- 3-4 cloves

d) Red Chili powder (optional)

e) Turmeric powder

f) Cumin powder

3. Lemon juice- 1 freshly squeezed or a couple slashes of readymade lemon juice

4. Salt per taste

5. Olive Oil or any cooking oil- a couple drizzles

6. Asparagus- 1 bunch

Preparation:

Take a ziplock bag, and put all the spices into it, including the lemon juice. Then throw in the salmon pieces into it. Also drizzle in the oil. Zip up the bag, and mix it all up, so as to coat all the salmon pieces with the spices. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Soaking in the spices

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 385 deg F. 

1. Take a baking sheet, and spray some Pam all over (aluminum foil works well). 

2. Place all the salmon on the sheet. 

On baking sheet

3. Place in oven for 10-11 minutes. If you like some pink, then 8 minutes would work just fine. After 10 minutes of baking, I like to broil on high for a minute or two, to get a nice color going. 

Baking in the oven

4. While the salmon is in the oven, quickly cook some asparagus by steaming or quickly sautéing with some crushed garlic, salt and pepper. That's it! 

Tandoori style Baked Salmon ready!

Serve simply like this: 

Quick, simple, and Delicious

Or make tacos with some habanero salsa on top: 

Tandoori Salmon Tacos

Or serve on rice, top with habanero salsa. Mm mm! 

Tandoori Salmon served over rice, topped with habanero salsa

Pair it with your favorite wine. And don't forget to end your meal with those chocolate covered strawberries!