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FOOD FOR THOUGHT By
Wanda A. Adams
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| • | Take a crack at a coconut |
Today, reader requests and submissions:
Dim-sum meatballs. Reader Radha Homay called to ask for three things. She wants to know how to make the round, steamed meatballs you get in dim-sum restaurants, sometimes served with dried tangerine peel and shreds of deep-fried tofu. Anybody know how to make these at home?
Homay also wants to know how to reconstitute dried chestnuts so they come out very smooth-textured.
And she wants to know why, when she reconstitutes black mushrooms at home, they aren't as tender as in Chinese restaurants. On this third question, writer Eileen Yin-Fei Lo in her book, "My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen," offers a recipe for steamed black mushrooms (jing doong gu) in which reconstituted mushrooms are dressed with soy, sugar, oyster sauce, sherry, scallions and other ingredients, and steamed for 30 minutes. This cornerstone recipe then becomes an ingredient in many stir fries and braised dishes. Could steaming be the secret?
Baked lemon chicken, school-style. Mary Ann Asato is the second person to ask for a recipe for baked lemon chicken (instead of the deep-fried kind you get in Chinese restaurants), which she enjoyed at Likelike Elementary School in Palama. A while back, Elaine Chang asked for the same recipe, which she recalls from Ka'ahumanu Elementary. So I'm asking again: anybody know how to re-create this at home?
Green mango tacos. Areader sent along an unusual recipe enjoyed by her family: meat-free green mango tacos.
KETI KAMALANI'S GREEN MANGO TACOS
Prep all the ingredients and place them in separate bowls for a taco buffet.
In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat a few drops of oil and lightly cook each tortilla until golden on both sides — about a minute. Stack cooked tortillas on a plate. Repeat until all tortillas are done, adding a drizzle of oil as needed (no need to deep-fry them). Arrange taco buffet on table and "Viva la Aloha!"
Per serving (2 tortillas): 450 calories, 28 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 550 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 16 g protein
Send recipes and queries to Wanda A. Adams, Food Editor, Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Fax: 525-8055. E-mail: wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.
For more information about our 150th anniversary cookbook, call 535-8189 (message phone; your call will be returned). You can order the cookbook online.
