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Ahi Tuna Poke

Posted on October 15, 2013 by AnniesChamorroKitchen 10 comments

Poke is a Hawaiian dish traditionally served as an appetizer, but it can also be a main dish when served with rice or corn titiyas.

Modern versions of poke can vary depending on the ingredients you have on hand. Poke is typically made with cubed ahi tuna marinated with soy sauce (some use sea salt), ground kukui nut (the meat in the inside, though, not the entire nut), sesame oil, ogo seaweed, and hot chili peppers. You can also use fresh salmon or octopus instead of ahi.

Living in Colorado, I don’t have access to a lot of the traditional ingredients like ogo seaweed and kukui nuts, so I created a different version of poke that my family — especially my 11 year old daughter — loves.

It’s a simple recipe that you can take to entirely new levels by adding the other optional ingredients I listed below.

Give my recipe a try. I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Poke

Ingredients:

1 pound ahi tuna
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons kimchee base
1/2 cup soy sauce
6 stalks green onions, thinly sliced

Optional Ingredients:

1 small cucumber, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
1 small sweet onion (Maui onions are good), diced
2 tablespoons furikake seasoning
2 tablespoons ground macadamia nuts (if you can’t find or don’t have access to kukui nuts)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Hot chili peppers or Sambal Oelek chili sauce, to taste
You can also substitute the tuna with salmon or octopus

Directions:

1. Cut the ahi into small cubes. I find it’s easier to slice the ahi when it’s partially frozen.

2. Add the sesame oil.

3. Add the kimchee base (you can use a chili sauce like Sambal Oelek if you can’t find kimchee base).

4. Add the soy sauce.

5. Add the green onions.

6. Stir to combine. Let the poke sit for at least 30 minutes (refrigerated) to allow the flavors to meld.

7. Serve with hot white rice or freshly made corn titiyas (tortillas). The photo below shows the ahi tuna poke (on the bottom right of the plate) and ahi tuna sashimi (that’s another recipe, to be posted soon) on the bottom left.

ENJOY!!

Posted in APPETIZERS, Dinner, Hawaiian, Kelaguen, Lunch, MEALS, SEAFOOD tagged with Tuna

Corned Beef with Corn and Tomato Sauce

Posted on October 6, 2013 by AnniesChamorroKitchen 9 comments

Chamorros love canned corned beef! It’s called Latan Kåtne (canned meat) in Chamorro. Corned beef can be prepared many different ways, depending on the ingredients you have on hand.

I love to gisa (in Chamorro, this means to stir fry) corned beef with onions, garlic, and eggplant. For another variation, try adding cabbage or fresh green beans. My dad used to grow winged beans–this is delicious with corned beef too. The options are virtually endless!

This is a photo of winged beans, in case you’ve never heard of them before. Just slice them into small pieces and saute them with a can or two of corned beef; add some onions and garlic and you’ve got yourself a yummy meal. Serve with hot white rice, of course. 🙂

My recipe below calls for canned corn with tomato sauce. A slight variation to this is to omit the tomato sauce entirely (follow the directions below, and omit the part where you pour in the tomato sauce). My husband actually prefers it this way, without the tomato sauce.

Either way you make it–with or without tomato sauce–it’s delicious.

Give my recipe a try. I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Corned Beef with Corn and Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cans corned beef
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cans whole kernel corn (15.25 oz. each), drained
2 small cans tomato sauce (8 oz. each)

Directions:

To make it easier to open, pierce the top of the corned beef can. *Make sure to rinse the top of the can first — there can be lots of dirt or dust on it from sitting on the grocery store shelf.

Place the corned beef into a medium sized skillet; sauté over medium high heat.

Add the onions to the skillet.

Add the garlic powder and black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

Add the corn. Stir to combine.

Pour in the tomato sauce.

Stir to combine, then cook for a couple of minutes, just to heat the sauce and corn.

Serve with hot white rice. ENJOY!

Posted in Beef, CHAMORRO DISHES, Dinner, Lunch, MEALS, MEAT, Totche (Meat)

Beef Stir Fry with Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Bell Peppers and Onions

Posted on September 30, 2013 by AnniesChamorroKitchen 6 comments

I posted a recipe a while back for another version of Beef Stir Fry (with mushrooms, onions, broccoli, eggplant and bean sprouts). Here is another version — this time I added mushrooms (we LOVE mushrooms in our house), bell peppers, onions and diced grape tomatoes.

I didn’t make this version spicy because one of my daughters doesn’t like to eat spicy food. However, if you like pika (hot) foods, by all means, add your favorite hot pepper to this–even dried pepper flakes are good in this.

Give my recipe a try. I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients:

2 pounds thinly sliced beef
1 cup diced cherry or grape tomatoes
1 medium onion, sliced
1 package fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons Dashida beef flavored seasoning
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup water
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 cup soy sauce
Hot pepper flakes, optional

Directions:

1. In a large frying pan, place the beef, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, bell pepper, garlic, and seasonings. Cook over high heat until the beef is cooked.

2. Mix together the water, cornstarch and soy sauce.

3. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the frying pan; bring to a boil. It is only when the liquid comes to a boil that the cornstarch will start to thicken. Stir frequently, cooking until the sauce thickens.

4. Remove from the heat and serve over hot white rice. ENJOY!

Posted in Beef, Dinner, Lunch, MEALS, MEAT tagged with Stir fry

Pot Roast, Chamorro Style

Posted on September 28, 2013 by AnniesChamorroKitchen 42 comments

Whenever I find myself feeling a bit homesick, I think of something to cook that soothes my longing for my island home. Chamorro Pot Roast is one of those dishes. This is a dish that was usually on the menu for Chamorro gatherings. I remember going to parties when I was younger, and before the table was opened, I’d check to see if there was any pot roast. If there was, the ONLY things I’d have on my plate were rice (red or white), pot roast (with as much gravy as I could scoop up), and lots of fina’denne’. These days, I use a crock pot to cook my pot roast. Set it and forget it…what could be easier?

Give my recipe a try. I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Chamorro Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1 2-lb chuck roast (look for one that is nicely marbled with fat)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
8 whole garlic cloves
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped into large chunks
5-6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup soy sauce
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (you can use white vinegar instead)
2 tablespoons Dashida seasoning (Korean beef soup stock)
1 teaspoon Accent or Ajinomoto
1 cup water (if cooking this on the stovetop, use 2 cups water)
4 tablespoons corn starch plus one cup water

Directions:

1. Place a large skillet or dutch oven over high heat.

2. Using a long, sharp knife, CAREFULLY cut 8 deep slits into the sides of the roast. Push a whole clove of garlic into each slit.

3. Rub the sides of the roast with salt and pepper.

4. When the pan is hot, add half of the oil into the pan. Brown the roast on all sides then remove it from the pan and place it into a slow cooker or crock pot set to HIGH.

5. Add the remaining oil to the pan used to brown the roast. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the sautéed onions and garlic to the slow cooker.

6. Into the crock pot, add:

the tomatoes with juice…

the Dashida seasoning…

the accent or aji…

the balsamic vinegar…

the soy sauce…

and 1 cup of water (see note below) plus any remaining salt and pepper.

NOTE: If making this on the stovetop, add 2 cups of water instead (a lot of water will evaporate as the roast cooks).

7. Place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH setting for 2 hours then lower the heat to LOW and cook for an additional 2 hours then turn off the slow cooker. If cooking this on the stovetop, cover the pot and cook over medium-low heat for 2 hours.

8. When the roast is done, remove the roast to a plate or cutting board and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing (don’t cut it sooner that this or all the juices will flow out and leave your roast dry).

9. In the meantime, while the roast is resting, prepare the gravy. Using an immersion blender, purée the chunks of vegetables in the gravy until it is completely smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer all of the gravy (the liquid and all vegetables) from the slow cooker to a blender and blend until smooth.

10. Pour the puréed mixture into a small pot; bring the mixture to a boil.

11. Mix the cornstarch with the remaining 1 cup of water.

Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the gravy and return to a boil, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Turn off the heat once the gravy has thickened.

12. After the roast has rested, use a serrated knife or very sharp carving knife to slice the roast into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices.

Pour gravy over the sliced roast beef.

Serve with hot white rice and Enjoy! I love to “drown” my pot roast and rice in lots and lots of gravy! 🙂

Posted in Beef, CHAMORRO DISHES, Dinner, Easter, MEALS, MEAT, Totche (Meat)

Chamorro Bistek (or Bisteak)

Posted on September 26, 2013 by AnniesChamorroKitchen 22 comments

Bistek (or Bisteak) is a favorite Chamorro dish. The addition of achote (or annatto) gives a unique flavor, along with the tanginess of the added vinegar.

If you have it, I prefer using achote water made with fresh achote seeds. Fresh is always best, but of course, using achote powder works quite well too. This is what the packet of achote powder looks like. As with the Sazon Goya seasonings, achote powder is another item that is commonly found in either the Asian aisle of most grocery stores. If your local store doesn’t carry it, try looking for it in your local Asian supermarkets.

If you don’t have fresh achote seeds or achote powder, you can substitute with Sazón Goya seasoning that contains achote. This is what the packaging looks like. It’s a common item in the Hispanic aisle in most grocery stores.

This dish usually includes peas as a main ingredient. Some think that if you DON’T add peas, it isn’t Bistek, but my family prefers this dish made WITHOUT peas. We like using fresh or steamed green beans or sugar snap peas instead. It’s all up to you, really. With peas (or vegetables, for that matter) or without, it’s still a very tasty dish that is a must-add to your list of menu choices.

Scroll all the way to the bottom to find my recipe. Give it a try. I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Chamorro Bistek (or Bisteak)

Place thinly sliced beef into a large frying pan. I like to use minute steak for this.

Add Dashida seasoning, minced garlic, black pepper, and thinly sliced onions. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Cook over medium high heat until the meat is browned.

Add to the pan white vinegar and soysauce. Stir to combine.

Add water to the pan. Add more or less water, depending on how much gravy you like. We like a lot of kådu (gravy)–adding about a cup of water will yield a lot of kådu. Cook for a couple of minutes–just long enough to reheat the gravy–then stir in achote powder (the achote powder will dissolve better if the liquid is HOT).

NOTE: You can substitute the water and achote powder with achote water made using achote seeds.

Cook for another couple of minutes then stir in fresh or frozen peas (OPTIONAL). My family actually prefers to use fresh sugar snap peas. Cook for a few more minutes, or just long enough to either reheat the frozen peas, or to cook the sugar snap peas to your liking (we like it al dente, or cooked but still crisp). You can also use fresh green beans instead of peas. In the photo below, I used steamed sugar snap peas.

After the vegetables are cooked/reheated to your liking, remove the Bistek from the heat and serve with steaming hot white rice. ENJOY!

Chamorro Bistek (or Bisteak)

Ingredients:

2 pounds thinly sliced beef
4 tablespoons Dashida beef flavored seasoning
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water*
1 packet achote powder*
*If using achote seeds, make enough achote water to yield 1 cup
Optional: 1 cup frozen or fresh peas, sugar snap peas, or green beans

Directions:

1. Place the beef, Dashida, garlic, black pepper, and onions in a large pan. Cook until the beef is browned.

2. Stir in the vinegar, soy sauce, water and achote powder. Cook for about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in your vegetables. Cook long enough to reheat the vegetables (if frozen), or until the fresh vegetables are cooked to your liking.

4. Serve with hot white rice and ENJOY! 🙂

Posted in Beef, CHAMORRO DISHES, Dinner, MEALS, MEAT, Totche (Meat) tagged with Achote

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