Getting close!

Hopefully in a little over a week or so I'll be able to catch a flight back to Hawai'i. Next Friday after work I'll begin the process to sign up for a Space A flight to Hickam. Last time tried the same thing and a mission showed for early Sunday morning (4:40 AM show time). Got off the plane at 9:30 PM HST Saturday night! Got to spend Sunday at home!

But been making stuff I felt like. Used the oysters for stew again, had hot dogs and onions, stuff like that. But made steamed pork hash in way haven't done for long while.

Been always looking for whole dried cuttlefish. But can never find smaller, more tender type, maybe only 8"~10" long. Actually Chinese kind. Markets here only have larger, thicker, and tougher 12"~14" sizes, made from local Okinawan ika.

Finally was looking at a bag of dried ika slices (1/8" wide") that looked thin. Just the kind love to eat as snack or pupu when having a beer. And was the tan, darker more tasty type. Not softer whitish-yellow soft stuff kids love to eat (I still do).

So bought a bag and came home to make the hash. Cut the slices in 1"~1-1/4" pieces and mixed with ground pork, chopped water chestnuts and shiitake, along with usual, oyster sauce, shoyu, sesame oil and constarch. Put to steam and soon place had terriffic smell of ika. And tasted great too, over rice of course.

Was highlight of past week. Will do it again this weekend, and will also go buy a bunch of bags of ika to take to Hawai'i for omiyage. No picture - camera battery was dead.

Shopping today..

Diffferent market today - San A, checked out their oysters and got a couple containers - ¥398 each. Same price as last week but notice the weight - it's 130 grams for this brand. Different supplier than last week from Jusco market. Gotta pig out now while it's the season and available!

Also got a "Spam" musubi with chikina (¥189), plus a serving of kinpira (¥158). Had to add some more shoyu and chili pepper flakes to the kinpira to get it to be like Hawaii-style.

Oyster Stew

Decided on Oyster Stew, simple American-style. Just the oysters, oyster liqueur, round onions, butter, and milk. Two good servings from the two containers of oysters. Oysters were juicy and tender! (Trick is to never boil oysters or milk.) Eaten with King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread Rolls. Was very ONO!

More expensive than steak, but worth it! But next time I'll try an omelet.

Oysters

It's oyster season in Japan, from December to March. So bought a couple containers of oysters available at the supermarkets. Was ¥398 for each 90 gram container. There's 7~8 medium oysters per container. Can get small oysters which are cheaper, but got these.

Deciding on what to make - oyster stew or oyster omelet. Will let you know.



Back of container.

Love oysters! Used to buy from Marukai at home, break out the hibachi and enjoy either on the half shell or partially grilled to ease the shucking, since my daughter wanted them partially cooked anyway.

Steak Steamy Kitchen-Style

Decided on trying the salting of steaks by Steamy Kitchen. Though I did start out already with rib eye, the salting kept the steak so tender. Just seasoned with garlic, fried in butter, and ate with creamy scalloped potatoes (easy Betty Crocker) and it was very good. Surprised at all the water that came out of the steak. Amazed at how the steak still stayed so very tender. Will try as Jaden suggests to put the seasoning (garlic and oregano, my usual) on with the salt to get it to go into the steak too.

Not doing much...

Didn't want to bother showing all the plain/regular food I've been eating and posted about before - canned corned beef/onions, pork chops/onions/mushroom soup, pork hash, hotdogs/onions, lamb shoulder chops, etc. Same old stuff. I'm in a rut, but it's OK since I enjoy the food. Fast, not too much thinking involved.

Looking forward to my visit back home in about a month. Will be 6 months since my last visit. Miss my granddaughter!!! And my doggie Nezumi!!! Picture was taken when she was in Okinawa.

And she's having her problems. Having no hair or fur on her belly and chest, and very little on her legs, she's got a skin problem from running around in the yard through the grass and plants. It's only on those areas! Vet says her fur on her back and sides are fine.

Grilled Cheese & Clam Chowder

Just made a couple grilled cheese sandwiches and ate with Campbell's New England Clam Chowder. Was good! The chowder is really tasty, my regular now.

Posted about grilled cheese sandwiches before - here and here. Easy, tasty comfort food!

Gyūdon

Tonight made Gyūdon. Beef and onion donburi. Six months since I made it last. No beni shoga so ate with takuan. My bento lunch for the next couple days too.

GYŪDON - 牛丼 (Beef Bowl)

10~20 oz. beef, very thinly sliced, cut in bite-size pieces
1~2 ea. round onion, sliced
handful dried sliced shiitake mushroooms, soaked
1 tsp. instant dashi powder (hondashi)
6 Tbs. shoyu, or to taste
4 Tbs. mirin
4 Tbs. sake
3 cups water
cooked rice

1. Put water, dashi powder, shoyu, mirin & sake in pan.
2. On stove, heat, add onions, bring to boil, simmer 10 min.
3. Add beef & mushrooms, simmer 2 min. more, turn off heat.
4. Put on top rice, serve w/ beni shoga (optional).

Sometimes like tonight I increased the sauce amount in the recipe to get more cause I love it on rice. Actually is just like sukiyaki, since same basic ingredients.

Pork Hash w/ Salted Dried Fish

With time today made one of my favorites. Added an extra piece salted fish (hum nyee) and made it a little more salty (more oyster sauce in hash), it was delicious with rice!

New Year's Dinner

My New Year's Day dinner last night - lamb sirloin steak. First time I ever saw it here (actually first time I've heard about that particular cut), and only one tray left so I bought it. Cheap, only $4.72 ($5.98/pound). So broiled it as I usually do lamb, with a ton of garlic. Ate with chilled canned asparagus and mayonnaise, an easy favorite side of mine. Lamb was tender, juicy...oishii!

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!!!

Happy New Year from Okinawa!!!