wabi's Profile
Home made kimchi too salty.
So I collected a bunch of kimchi recipes, and chose basically the simplest one among them vis a vis ingredients.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/traditional-napa-cabbage-kimchi
I did use only about 1/2 cup of kosher salt when salting the won bok.
I salted the won bok for about 2 hours until it was nice and reduced, then rinsed it multiple times in both a colander and in a large bowl of water to rinse the salt out.
I then followed the rest of the recipe.
The results are pretty good, but my wife thinks it's too salty. If you take one of the white end pieces of won bok and eat it separately, there is a salt bite to it.
Any thoughts on making it less salty? Soak and rinse it longer? Use less salt?
Other than that the kimchi is pretty tasty, with the right amount of heat, hints of garlic and ginger, as well as the umami that the fish sauce added. (I used Three Crabs fish sauce.)
Eating your way around the island of Kauai
Don't miss Josselin's Tapas Bar and Grill in Poipu, and for real local style food...Hamura's Saimin in Lihue.
Second Thai Cookbook
I have all of the above books as well. If I can suggest a go to cookbook that is great for basics: It is Keo's Thai Cuisine cook book. Keo owns several Thai restaurants here in Hawaii. It's great for the basics.
http://www.amazon.com/Keos-Thai-Cuisine-Keo-Sananikone/dp/1580080812/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321235828&sr=8-1-spell
ISO recipe for vietnemese pork and vegetable spring rolls
http://wanderingchopsticks.blogspot.com/2007/01/cha-gio-vietnamese-springegg-rolls.html
Which Vietnamese Cookbook?
"Into the Vietnamese Kitchen" hands down. There are some other decent cookbooks out there, but Andrea Nguyen beats them hands down. BTW...she has a great website as well.
Staub Oval Roasting pan size for a roast chicken?
I have been lusting after a Staub roasting pan, and would like to buy one to specifically use for roasting a chicken. I am lost as to the best size of pan to get. They come 9, 11, and 12 inches. When I roast a chicken, it is usually just a chicken, though sometimes I will throw some onion, shallots, carrots or even some potatoes at the bottom of the pot to roast as well.
What size would fit a chicken best?
Josselin's Tapas Bar and Grill....good news for Kauai foodies.
I am happy to report that Jean Marie Josselin of "A Pacific Cafe" fame is back in business on Kauai. He has opened "Josselin's Tapas Bar and Grill.
I am an old "A Pacific Cafe" fan, so I was happy when he returned to Kauai.
The new restaurant is in Poipu, at the Kikui'ula shopping center. It is right across the sidewalk from the recently opened Merriman's.
As always, Jean Marie has done it right and done it well. The ambience and decor is very relaxing. There is a bar with seating, and the kitchen is visible from the restaurant seating. The menu is tapas, with some one or two menu items a nod to the signature dishes of "A Pacific Cafe".
We went opening night, and returned for a second time this past friday night.
I have to say everything was perfect. The waitstaff were professional and attentive. Right after seating a "lagniappe" taste appeared at the table. Drink orders were taken and filled very quickly. There is a roving Sangria cart, where glasses of a fresh Sangria were served. There is a white wine Sangria which is based on Pinot Grigio wine with Lychees, and a red wine based Sangria seasoned with tropical fruits. The drinks and the decor were a refreshing welcome to the restaurant.
With a table full of 6 diners on the first night, and 4 diners on the second night, we were able to get through a lot of the menu items. I am happy to say that as he has done in the past, the menu changes from night to night.
Everything on the menu was excellent. Just to recall some of the dishes, there was a Firecracker Salmon Roll, (an of A Pacific Cafe dish), scallop pillows...a scallop ravioli with coconut milk sauce, a beef cheek ravioli, steamed ono, a roasted chicken dish, a plancha steak, braised short ribs provencal, a chorizo stuffed pork roast, a slow braised pork belly with asian pear kimchee, and another nod to A Pacific Cafe...his sesame crusted wok cooked mahi mahi with buerre blanc sauce. There was a wonderful seared scallop dish served vietnamese style with a caramel sauce.
Every dish was presented beautifully, and perfectly done. The staff was wonderfully attentive throughout the dinner. Unlike other name restaurants, the owner and chef, Jean Marie Josselin is behind the stove every night, with the food and presentation to his standards.
I cant say enough about how nice it is to have Jean Marie Josselin back on Kauai and behind the stove. A long culinary dry spell on Kauai has finally been broken.
Recommend a cookbook for a VERY novice cook?
I also like Juila Child's "The Way To Cook". It has always been one of my favorites.
That said, Bittman's book as well as any of the Cook's Illustrated tomes are good as well.
I would give a nod to the Cook's Illustrated books as they are always good at explaining how they came about their recipes.
ISO Vietnamese Crab with Tamarind Sauce recipe.
I was in Vietnam last week, and had several wonderful meals at Quan An Ngon, in Saigon (HCMC). One dish in particular I would like to try to make at home was a Crab cooked (stir fried I think) in a Tamarind sauce. The sauce contained Tamarind, sugar, onions, garlic and chile peppers. It was that perfect mix of tart-sweet-hot. The sauce stuck to the crab and was an absolute gooey mess to eat, but was wonderful.
I have not been able to find a recipe for it, or think of how I could recreate it at home. Any suggestions of where I could find it, or does someone have an idea of how to make the sauce?
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Bangkok- Drinks at a riverside swanky bar before chow-ing?
The Bamboo Bar at the Oriental is one of the classic saloons of the world along with the Hemingway bar at the Ritz in Paris, and the rooftop bar at the Rex Hotel in Saigon.
Go there, have a gin and tonic, and know that you part of drinking history.
6 hours at suvarnabbhumi airport, please help!
rieu:
Aloha.
My wife and I just spent 4 hours at the BKK airport 4 days ago.
Once you check in, and go through security/passport/etc there is a long shopping arcade with a mix of Thai and international luxury brands duty free stores. At then end of all of that is quite a good selection of food venues. As Justintime has said, there is a mix of Thai, asian, US foods, even a place offering Halal food. My wife and I ended up having an early dinner of a very good Pad Thai and some Thai red curry with duck. Frankly, looking back at it, there were several places I would have liked to eaten at.
Have no fear about starving during your 6 hour layover.
Woks/Cookware in Hong Kong?
e_ting:
Aloha.
Your recommendations were perfect.
I found exactly what I was looking for!
Thank you.
Woks/Cookware in Hong Kong?
I have 36 hours in Hong Kong this weekend, and would love to find a nice hand hammered wok in Hong Kong.
Does anyone have any suggestions of stores or areas of town I could find this?
Killing Time in Hong Kong Solo!
Let me throw my cards in here as well. I am going to China, and will be spending 2 nights in HK on the way in, and 1 night on the way out...for a total of 3 nights in HK.
I will be staying at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kowloon. I am a foodie, not pretentious at all, and love to eat "local". Having searched the boards this weekend, I am looking at the Guangdong Barbecue Restaurant at 43 Hankow Road for some BBQ/roasted meats. I am still looking for someplace that features seafood......
Keep the suggestions coming folks...please!
Looking for family-friendly restaurants in Kauai
I want to say that every place in Kauai is family friendly. No worries about that.
Hamura's Saimin in Lihue is an absolute must while on Kauai.
With a large Asian and visitor population, most places are vegetarian friendly.
Enjoy your visit here.
Why no great options on Kauai's north shore???
I live on Kauai.
I have to agree with several observations to say that it is very difficult for high end restaurants to survive long term on Kauai.
Jean Marie Josselin's "A Pacific Cafe" was during its time, one of the best restaurants in the state.
For a restaurant to survive here, it has to offer good food, at reasonable prices. Ulitimately it will be the local population that will support a restaurant during lean economic times when the visitor count is low.
The price of owning a small business in Hawaii is significant here, further reducing profit margins for the hard working restauranteur.
Tasty treats and culinary gems do exist on Kauai, but admittedly do take some searching out as well as a fair amount of inside knowledge.
Nothing is more sublime than a tree ripened mango or lychee when the summer comes. Nothing more tastes like home than a bowl of Hamura's Saimin on a rainy winter's day.
Come to Kauai to enjoy it's subtle charms, for it truly is life in the slow lane.
Anyone been to Silom Thai Cooking School?
Another Rec for the Blue Elephant. My wife and I went for several days. The classes were small and personal. The trip to the market near the restaurant (large open and enclosed market at the end of the Skytrain near the river.) was a wonderful experience as well. I have nothing but good things to say about the Blue Elephant.
We were tempted to go to the Oriental's Cooking School....but it was very expensive, and someone formal. When I go to cooking school....I wanna learn how to cook!
Saint Honore/1st arrondissement eating and shopping?
Notes from Paris.....
We are staying at the Le Relais St-Honore Hotel. It's a nice small place, with very nice rooms, and a very helpful staff. We will stay here again.
Had dinner tonight (Sunday) at L'Ardoise. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. My wife had asparagus with a basalmic vinegarette, roast pigeon with fresh peas, and a fresh raspberries, strawberries with ice cream. I had a foie gras pate with an applesauce on the side, a grilled steak (flank steak), potatoes Anna, and a creme brulee. Dinner was just sublime.
We did have lunch at Chez Denise....it was excellent as well.
Disappointing was Chez Clovis for lunch. It was just lack luster, meal and service were mediocre.
Side notes, the baguette at Boulangerie Gosselin....freakin awesome.
Ramen at Sapporo.....pretty good.
Ramen at Higuma.....very good, but a bit salty. Gyozas were pretty darn tasty as well.
One more day here....we will see what tasty treats await us.
Saint Honore/1st arrondissement eating and shopping?
Aloha.
My wife and I are going to Paris for the 3rd time in May.
We will be staying at Le Relais St Honore Hotel in the 1st Arrondoissment in Paris on Rue St Honore.
Is there any place we absolutely need to eat at or shop at in the area around our hotel?
We are going to be staying there..we tend to walk a lot...and want to know good places to eat or boulangerie that we should not miss in the 1st..or within walking distance of where we are staying?
Mahalo and thank you to all in advance.
wabi
Eating/Shopping recs near Hotel Relais St Honore?
Aloha. A couple of Hawaii folks are going to Paris for a week in May. This is our third trip, but we are far from being experts.
We will be staying at the Hotel Relais Saint Honore, at 308, rue Saint Honore. It got some nice recommendations, and we wanted to be near the Louvre and the Tuleries.
What places should we seed out in the neighborhood for shopping, dining, stopping in for a cup of tea, coffee, or a glass of wine? We like smaller venues to eat, and love bistro/brasserie cuisine. I am a very amateur baker...so some boulangeries are of course welcomed.
We will be going all over the city...but what should we NOT miss in that neighborhood in chowhound experiences?
Thank you all so much in advance.
wabi
Honolulu, Side Street Inn
My wife and I had to go to Oahu on some business this week, and could not get some reserves at some of our favorite places, so we went to the Side Street Inn.
This place had a rep before Anthony Bourdain filmed a spot there.
My wife and I love local food, and the Side Street Inn has local food prepared by chefs who obviously like it.
We split the Kalbi ribs and steamed Moi, with a bowl of rice.
It was just great, and we left nothing on the plate.
I think we have a new regular spot in Honolulu.
Vegetarian at Hamura's Saimin?
My wife and I go to Hamura's about once a week during the rainy season here.
Victor's Cafe, NYC Black Bean soup recipe?
Antilope:
Aloha and thank you. This is just what they were looking for.
wabi
Victor's Cafe, NYC Black Bean soup recipe?
My wife and sister love the Black Bean soup at Victor's Cafe in NYC. Does anyone have a recipe for Cuban Black Bean soup that would match?
Thank you all in advance.
Kimchee recipe and technique?
I love good kimchee, and there is a lot of good kimchee available for sale here in Hawaii.
I have gotten an interest in asian style pickles and love a good kimchee, but have been unable to find a good recipe for making it so far.
My first attempt at making it was a dismal failure as it turned out way too salty.
Can anyone share their recipes and techniques for making a good homemade kimchee?
Please include some pointers and techniques for getting it just right!
French Potato Salad recipe?
Cocktailhour:
Aloha.
Perfect!
That is exactly the recipe I use, and what I was looking for.
Thank you very much.
French Potato Salad recipe?
I am on vacation, away from home, and more importantly, away from my library of cook books.
I have volunteered to make a French Potato Salad for a family reunion....but have forgotten the recipe.
The recipe I use, which works so well for me is the recipe from the Cooks Illustrated book "The Best Recipe".
The technique and recipe just "works" so well.
Would anyone be so kind as to post it...or post their own vinegarette recipe for a French Potato Salad?
Thank you all so much in advance.
wabi
