Korean Food Made Easy 2

Korean Cooking Video, check it out and learn something.

JAMES THE WINE GUY

If you are on twitter, check and follow James Melendez a.k.a . James The Wine Guy, his site is http://www.jamesthewineguy.com/ Any kind of wine information you can get it from James.

FILM INFORMATION

Food and Film go hand in hand, check out my buddy Scott Zagar www.examiner.com/film-in-medford/scott-zagar 

If you got to Scott's site, grab yourself a nice cold beverage and some organic snacks while you're at it.

STREET GRINDZ

Check out Street Grindz @ http://www.streetgrindz.com/ a site dedicated towards the food truck, it's awesome and follow them on twitter.

Maui- Chef Ron's Sweet Chili Thai Sauce Recipe

My Recipe For Sweet Chili Thai Sauce. Okay I ripped off the idea from another chef, but we're all crooks, LORD forgive me for I have stolen but altered, please, I don't wanna go to freeking hell.... I know some of my friends are there, they were fun when I didn't know any better... so... forgive me man.

EZ recipe.

1 1/4 cup of filtered water, cold cold to have freshness
1 cup of balsmamic vinegar
1 cup of raw organic brown sugar
1/4 cup organic honey
1/4 cup of red wine
1 clove minced fine garlic
1 tsp. fine minced ginger
1 tbsp. peanut butter
1 tbsp. minced hot red chili pepper with seed
1 tbsp. ketchup

1. Place a pot over medium high heat, add in the water, vinegar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil, then lower to simmer.
2. Add in the other ingredients and simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. To thicken this, in a small cup or bowl whisk in 2 tbsp. of arrow root, and 4 tbsp. of water, then add that to the pot until sauce thickens.

Good luck you're gonna need it... just kidding!

Add this to a slice of pizza, or dab it on some veggies, or add some to some mayonnaise, you'll get a rich creamy sauce or dip.

Sushi Tip On The Rice

Sushi Chef Scottee Nakamura Lahaina Maui. See him at Kobe's Steak House

Learning about sushi making, and what it takes to be a master sushi chef, it takes great hand and eye coordination, you have to have that feel for what you are touching. I watch how the pros do it, and let me tell you, I am not a sushi maker. Oh yeah, I can do it, I know I can, but to roll like my friend Sushi Chef Scotte Nakamura who's a veteran at rolling, it's like me playng one on one hoops down at the park against Derek Rose. NO CONTEST!

Despite me being a lame ass sushi roller, I do know one thing that you need, and that is the perfectly made rice. The kind of rice you really want is the white short grain, as opposed to the white medium or long grain, why? Short grain fits better in a roll especially the inside out kind.

Purchase a rice cooker, that's the best way to cook it, it's automatic and you won't need to mess with timing it, just click the on button and you're good to runaway! 1 1/2 cups of rice after it cooks yields about 3 cups, so it doubles in volume.

1. Measure your rice.
2. Put it into a bowl type strainer, and place the rice and strainer under cold running water, rinse it for a few minutes to remove all the cloudy powder stuff.
3. Place the cleaned rice into the rice cooker cylinder or bowl, and add about 3 cups of water.
4. Turn on the cooker, and when done, let it sit and rest and cool before rolling.

* Some sushi chefs don't even season the rice. Some do. So what's the seasoning for the rice?

Here is what one sushi afficionado does.
He puts a pot on the stove over medium high heat.
Then adds about 2 cups of filtered water.
And then adds about 1/4 cup of sugar
And adds about 1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar, but he says you can adjust the seasonings however you want it.
Boil it together until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally, and when it's done let it cool, and then place the rice in a wooden or bamboo rice bowl, and pour the liquid inside and toss it around with the rice, it will give it a somewhat sweet and sour kind of tangy if you will taste. Now when you're done, you're ready to roll whatever it is you want.

If you do come to Maui, stop by Kobe Steak House and check on my friend Sushi Chef Scottee Nakamura, who will be in my cookbook out soon.

Below is some grade A, Ahi tuna chunk great for searing or cut into pieces for sashimi or sushi, or cubed for Hawaiian style Poke (Poh keh).

HAWAII PLATES CLIPS SEEN IN SEATTLE WASHINGTON

Big mahaloz (thank you) to my friend Mr. Bill Nahalea, producer in Seattle, Washington for giving my show Hawaii Plates a look-see in the North West. Via SCANTV.ORG a potential 85,000 plus may have gotten a glimpse of the idea on cooking Hawaiian style plate lunches which is still gaining popularity around the world.

Despite the lack of truly professional production quality, the show is still popular on Akaku TV here on Maui. My hope is to take that concept further into the future to beneift many people learning to cook in general, no matter what style or cuisine. Thanks again to Bill.

We like try your food!

Village Cafe & Sweet Shoppe Kapalua; review

MAUI- Fine Dine w/ French Influence

Fine Dine Foodies, yep Maui has one of the best restaurants for that fine dining feel, located on Lahainaluna (Lah High Nah Loon Nah) Road, heading towards the ocean (west), it's on the left, before the Wainee Street intersection. The place is called Gerard's, and they are celebrating almost 30 years in biz, wow! They are doin somethin right folks! Quality French/Island cuisine from Chef Gerard Reversade. This place was 4 Star Forbes Travel Guide from 05 to 11. Nuts! Absolutely Nuts! You love French? Then we have it in our town in the middle of the Pacific, we have it.

Me- I do suggest starting off with the Seafood consomme with lobster ravioli $12.00. Then I go for the Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin $36.00. No desserts, I'm watching my figure. It's a nice little setting, check them out. If you got somebody special you want to be married to, or somebody you just want to take care of, this is a quiet spot. The waiters all dress like they should, the wine is fine, and you'll be just minutes from Kaanapali, Kahana, Kapalua, and maybe 40 plus minutes from Kihei, Wailea, and Kahului, or Up Country.

174 Lahainaluna Road
Lahaina, HI 96761
808-661-8939 TOLL FREE 877-661-8939

The Plantation Inn is also housed in the same building, so if you get a chance to lodge here, what a total Lahaina Experience you shall have my friend from parts unknown. Yes, toast the day, the evening, watch the sunsets on Front Street right down the road, only a minute walk away. What a life!






http://www.gerardsmaui.com/

The entrance right off of Lahainaluna Road is so inviting, I wanna make some reservations!

Warning! Do not walk on the side streets at night in the dark, unfortunately, Lahaina has some weird people walking around tweaked out to the T, so beware Maui is paradise, but we do have some suspicious characters lurkin around at night. Don't drink and drive, be safe, stay alive, call a cab, we got lots of cabbies lookin for your business.

MAUI- A Vietnamese Experience for Cheap But Excellent

Exotic Foodies, are ya comin ta Maui? Okay you so have that plane ticket, you're cussing out American Airlines because they wanna charge you some for an extra bag, and you want to take you and your wife's golf clubs. No deal! Too much! So you'll rent clubs when you get here, very well. Now you get here, you are in your convertible rental car, it's 3 in the afternoon, the tradewinds are nil, and you are sweating, it's 90 degrees, but you love it anyhow, this is paradise.

The economy isn't fully recovered, whatever that means, all I know is that there are still people here on Maui that aren't working full-time or at all. You may be in a financial predicament, you won't spend a lot on food and entertainment, that's the agreement that you and your wife signed on the dotted lines before coming here. Case closed, you will limit your eatery budget, no extravagant dining on the beach, or in the hotel's fine dining restaurant. Nope. Noway man.

So, you do have an exotic and somewhat of an erotic liking to foods from around the world. Okay so you ask me, "Hey Chef Ron, man where's a cheap or inexpensive place to get some great Asian kind of food. And please don't tell me Panda Express, I'll kill you!"

"Wo wo wo, junior, take a chill pill, and a hit off of your joint K? Look, there's no need for killing anyone, especially moi, I don't wanna die just yet, and for giving you some bad info like going to Panda's."

Now you want some good exotic foods? Here's where to go, and the food is really really good. Head to the Lahaina Cannery Mall's food court, located in the middle of the mall is a place called Bale Vietnamese Food and it rocks man.

Just the other day I had their Spicy Lemon Grass Chicken for 8.25, came with the standard Jasmine Rice, Green Salad w/ their House Dressing. It was great. Their sandwiches are awesome as well, and they do make their own mayonnaise, that's the ticket, home made stuff man, it really adds to the whole dining experience. Check them out. 10a-9p M-Sat; 10a-7pSun
808-661-5566

Hot Sauces Pepperheads-Hot Sauces

Connecting on Twitter is great, you get to connect with people in your interest pool, for me it's food, and anything related to being a so-called Foodie. As a kitchen afficionado, and love for spicy and hot foods, my newest Twitter pal is Pepperheads Hot Sauces, visit them on their website at http://www.pepperheads-hotsauces.com/ They have over 800 hot sauces. I'd love to sample some of those hot ones.

For me, I put hot sauces in everything, Japanese Saimin Noodle Soups, Pizzas, Filipino Adobos, Chow Mein, Tacos, Pulled Pork, Braises, I'm a hot sauce nutcase are you kiddin me?!!!!! Hot Sauces Rule da School. So check out my new Buddies.

How about this 4 pack gift set of Blair's 4 DEATH SAUCE GIFT SET? 14.95 Contains 4-2oz. bottles of award winning death sauces. Original Death, After Death, Jalapeno Death, and Sudden Death. Over 15 million SURVIVED Worldwide...Feel Alive, a great gift.

Now this is some serious hot sauces man, if you are into hot sauces and stuck on Tabasco? Maybe give my buddies a look see here on their website. Follow them on Twitter Professor Pepperhead @Pepperheads.

Maui- The Window Tacos

The Window is a little dig inside the Lahaina Market Place off of Front Street and Lahainaluna Road. The prices are affordable, it's really low key, very mellow. Stop by and say howz it to owner Scott, and Chef Niko. Chef Niko according to Scott is a trained chef in the classics.

Check out the photo, 10.00 for three Mahi Tacos, not bad, not bad at all. Kalua Pork Tacos for less than 4.00 not bad too. Check them out after your surfing lessons, or after your trip on the boat, the Lahaina Harbor is just a couple minutes away. And all the other shops on Front Street is close by.






Photo: Ron Sambrano 2011

Maui- MLU Asian Foodmart Filipino & Local Foods

Maybe you're gonna be in Lahaina Maui soon, and you just want somethin different, somethin well.... exotic, something new, something edgy, something kind of unusual to your palate. There's a little dig in the Old Lahaina Center called M L U. Owned and operated by Ogie and Luz Umayam. This is the place to shop for your Asian type of groceries and produce. Also canned goods from overseas, cooking Asian in your condo? M L U, may be just the place for you to get your ingredients.

They have a hot bar, and hot Filipino foods can be put in a styrofoam box for you to take out or eat there. Stop by and see for yourself, foods you've never had. The aromas are kind of fishy, kind of gingery, kind of garlicky, kind of vinegary, but that's Asian/Filipino foods, lots of spices, herbs, veggies, fish, pork. Check them out at the Old Lahaina Center, right off of Wainee Street. Right in the same building as Lahaina Cafe, and close to Front Street shops and other fine restaurants, close to the huge Banyan Tree, and just minutes from Kaanapali, Napili, and Kapalua. Phone:808-667-9341

Photo: Ron Sambrano 2011

Photo: Ron Sambrano 2011

Food is so good this pan is emptied real fast!














Photo: Ron Sambrano 2011

Veggies in the chilleer, and groceries, all quality stuff for Asian cooking.

LAHAINA CAFE, Lahaina, Maui

Lahaina Cafe is another local dig that blends American and International cuisine, open for late night eating. So if you're visiting from elsewhere, check out this local restaurant Lahaina Cafe located in the Lahaina Shopping Center right off of Wainee Street. Pronounced (Why neh eh) Street.

Photo Ron Sambrano 2011

Photo: Ron Sambrano 2011

Check them out for breakfast, Happy Hours, nice place to go to after a day tripping on the island. This is one of the newer digs on Maui, support local businesses, stop by and eat and have a nice time. Close to Front Street shopping, and just minutes from Kaanapali, Napili, Kapalua.

Maui- Mango Season

Mango season is here on Maui, the trees on the West Side (Lahaina to Kapalua) is coming into fruition, once the mangoes are on the trees, you'll see locals with their long ass mango pickers, picking mangoes as it falls into that little basket. Farmer's Markets everywhere on island will be selling all natural mangoes. You got to get em if you're on Maui.

When I worked at Down to Earth Natural Foods we had pickers drop off tons of mangoes, and our produce manager Spencer would buy them because it would sell out, not really fast, but fast enough. Juicier than shipped in mangoes from third world countries, Maui's fruits are wickedly delicious or "ono."

When we were younger, moms would take fresh crisp green mangoes and pickle them in vinegar, salt, and sugar, or maybe some vinegar and soy sauce, believe it or not it was great especially if it was chilled. There was this old little shack on Front Street across of  505 Front St. a place called Mango Stand, it still stands today. The lady there sold pickled mango that was reddish in little plastic sacks. After baseball games we'd hurry there on our bikes, get a pack of mango and a soda and rip to the shopping center to get more money from our moms who would be at work.

Gold baby gold, nothing like growing up on Maui with fresh grown mangoes, if you are here during mango season, which is anywhere from now until mid summer, get some you won't be disappointed. If you love mangoes that is... if you don't love mangoes, well, don't bother buying them, go buy some sandals or something.

Photo: http://www.wikipedia.org/

HADEN MANGO; is one of the most visible variety that is hanging from trees in Lahaina (West Maui), when ripe, this is a great eat. Chilled for a few hours in the freezer, and when you bite into it, you got some cold slushy mango juice, and the meat is sweet, eat it on a hot summer day on Maui, and you got God's snack Honi Girls! There are other varieties, Spanish and Common mangoes, but there's nothing like this Haden Mango, it is so good, great for salsas, and blending it for a smoothie, even rolled in sushi, or made into a sauce for a golden roasted pork tenderloin, man mangoes are in in the Summertime and Haden is my fave, oh boy there, watch out, get outta my way! I'm comin Haden Mango, I'm comin to eat you baby!  Mango bread? Sure. Mango Muffinz? Sure can. Mango Cookies? Ah huh no doubt. Mango in an omelet? Yep.Mangoes in your coffee? Why not! Mangoes on your face for sunburns? Ah............. don't know bout dat. But you get my drift, you can follow my dust, mangoes are da fruit for the Summer.

How To Grill by Steven Raichlen is a great book, it teaches you the proper way to grill, smoke, and barbecue.

Grill veggies, ribs, steaks, fish, chicken, this book makes you become an artist in your backyard, and with Spring already here, and Summer lurking around the corner, get this book and make some awesome grilled dishes.

Steve talks about how to feel the heat on a charcoal grill by just having your hands hover over the grill about four inches, and by counting and feeling the heat as you count you can gauge how active the heat really is without using a thermometer. Steve is kinda old school, when I read some of his paragraphs, for some reason, I hear my dad saying the same things. Hey man, old school is the best school.

Another Favorite TV Chef Jamie Oliver; Jamie's Food Revolution

Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution is an inspirational cookbook, the pictures are well done, and the recipes are totally inviting. Every page makes me want to prepare a healthy meal.

Also besides Ming Tsai, Chef Oliver is one of my favorites to watch and learn. Despite his somewhat reality show, not quite into that one, but when he cooks and creates, he makes it look simple, and he speaks in a language, well... I can understand and don't get too intimidated. I do believe one day this book will be a classic as well. Jamie's quest to get kids eating healthy is an awesome undertaking, he is more than a chef or business person, he's a pioneer. Revolution says it all. Love healthy cooking? Revolution should be in your book case soon.

One of My Favorite TV Chefs; Ming Tsai's Book Rocks!

I had the chance to meet Chef Ming Tsai one year at Kapalua's Food & Wine Fest. He was with his family, and he was one of the coolest pros of the culinary game. This book out in most book stores is a must for any foodie that actually delves in the art of cooking. Simply Ming One-Pot Meals is a book that's worth having on your kitchen shelves. He breaks away from being Chef kind of, and becomes one of us... One Pot Meals is a must like I said, you won't be disappointed.

Classic Vegetarian Cookbook, The New Moosewood Cookbook

If you are a vegetarian, then this book should be in your library, it's a book that is considered a classic, rewritten a few years back, some awesome recipes for any vegetarian cook, from beginners to professional chefs can learn from this book.Written, litterally it does not look like it's been computerized in printing. But this book is in many a natural food store in their delis and cafes.

By Mollie Katzen

MAUI- Learning About The Flank Steak

Flank Steak Information: Again? Yes Junior Again! Now that Summer is coming around, what's a good cut of beef to grill? Well, a nice cut is the Flank. It's a good tender enough cut if cut across the grain, and grilling this cut is an excellent dry method of cooking it.

Click on the link below for a cool recipe, it's easy. But let's talk about the Flank shall we? Where does this cut come from? If you look at a cattle standing on all fours.. ah ha, like he stands upright tossing a basketball right? Well if you look towards the rear of the animal, it would be right before the back legs on the underside (abdominal), as the top section (Sirloin) is opposite. Generally when restaurants purchase Flanks, it is sold in
www.fivestarrecipe.wordpress.com/2010/01/31/3-day-flank-steak/ plastic bags by the pounds, and needs to be trimmed of any skin or fat. It is very grainy and tough. It is better to buy this cut in Prime or Choice, Wagyu, or Black Angus. Wagyu is a Japanese beef, Kobe beef is where the beef comes from Kobe Japan, the marbling (fat content) is awesome, and more flavorful than Select grades that are sold in most markets. Japanese beef is raised for the fat content, think of these cattle as lazy. Think of your lazy overweight friend Bobby that just drinks beer, he has no muscle content, well if Bobby was a cattle, he'd have tender fatty meat... sick thought but that's what I'm trying to get at. So a Prime or Choice selection is DA BOMB!

Flanks are great for beef tacos, sliced thin, seasoned with hot peppers, vinegar, garlic, onions, and wrapped in a soft corn tortilla. Also Flanks can be sauteed in a skillet in one piece, seasoned with salt and pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder, and seared, to about medium rare, and flambe some brandy and added cream with a dash of rosemary, slice it thin and pour the sauce over it and serve it with some steamed herbed potatoes, now you're doing a culinary move.

Again just remember that Flanks are generally tougher than the opposite Sirloin, but if marinaded, and cooked, and then sliced thin across the grain, it's actually tender, if sliced that way. Other ways to cook it is by moist heat methods, braising would be good. But I like my Flanks grilled.

PHOTO: http://www.wikipedia.com/
RAW FLANK STEAKS (L) untrimmed (R) trimmed   Other names of this popular cut by the French

is called Bavette, and is served in Parisian bistros seared, and kept mostly raw, and served with shallots. The Chinese chefs use this cut for stir fried dishes, such as Beef Broccoli, Mongolian Beef, and other dishes. The Filipinos use Flank for grilled beef with vinegar and onions. Mexicans use Flanks for Fajitas. Japanese use Flanks for Sukiyaki, sliced really thin it works well.

Good luck on your Flank Adventures!

Oh yeah, do not use unleaded gasoline to start your coals, it may explode in your face!

Summer Is Comin! What's A Great BBQ Book?

Steven Raichlen's PLANET BARBECUE
is a must have if you're a foodie that loves grilling and barbecuing, over 300 recipes from 60 countries. I do suggest Steven's book for you grilling and bbqing afficionados. If you are stuck on your one and only recipe over the last few years, it is time for a grilling make over guys. C'mon, life's too short to just grill t-bones with salt and pepper, sure that's good, but you want to impress? This is the bible baby!

This picture is a copyright and is from Amazon. com. this blog is to promote this book and help my viewers find a true source for grilling knowledge, and thanks to Steven's book, they can get all the cobwebs out of their minds and start to create some awesome outdoorsy foods.

Good Luck as Summer is creeping around the corner, once the NBA Playoffs begin, and Major League Baseball is in it's third week, hey the grills are comin out soon, back yards, pools, beaches, cabins in the hills... it's all good. BBQ to the max!

www.amazon.com

Places Where It'll be Cool To Be A Chef

Where would be the utlimate chef's job? How about being a chef at......

A brothel in Vegas? Cook healthy foods for the professional women, so they have more energy for their customers, that would be an interesting gig. Imagine you're the chef, and the girls stop by the kitchen.

"Hey Chef, what's for dinner tonight?"

"Ah, low fat pasta, and gluten free garlic bread."

"Great Chef."

"Hey how about a freebee there Jezel... is that your stage name or real name?"

"Stage name... and ah... no...."

"Okay, just had to ask, dinner will be ready at 7pm, if you're busy in your room, when you're done, just come in here, make a plate and heat it up okay?"

"Oh Chef, you're so sweet."

"Yeah, I know... ah, so no chance of a freebee?"

Or how about being a personal chef for like one of those ultimate fighters?

"Hey Killer, what you want for dinner tonight?"

"Ah something with lots of carbs, I'm training hard tomorrow morning."

"Okay."

"And cook it good, or eles I'll kill you!"

Or a chef for a professional skateboarder.

"Hey Tony, what you want for dinner man?"

He doesn't answer but he loses control of his board, and it rockets towards your head, you move too slow and the board kills you.

Just a thought.

THE RIGHT FOODS, THE RIGHT MINDSET

Bad eating/cooking habbits can ruin things for you. Eat poorly, and more than likely you'll have a horrible day. For instance, someone I know can't eat dairy or else he'll just be sick in the stomach the whole day. Well what does he do the night before? He cooks a Mahi Mahi dish with a creamy wine sauce. He went to bed, but got up the next morning and really had the shits! I mean he was running in and out of the office to use the bathroom, hence he did not look to professional with some important clients. So? So eat right, cook right and you won't be feeling like shit, and have the shits.

Our bodies weren't made to take in lots of rich foods, or foods that contain additives, God made our bodies to be a temple, so why is it (me) included treat it badly? Well bad habbits can stick with us until we die. Is eating a greasy burger good? No, it's really not, but we do crave that sometimes, and for me, if I do eat a greasy burger, man that's the sinful pleasures of food, but it makes me sick in the next four hours or so because like the guy I described in the last paragraph, I'll be the one going in and out of the bathroom.

So how should we eat? Eat right by eating more natural, organic fruits and veggies. Replace high cholestrol meats with tofu that's organic. Instead of eating white rice or white bread that's all processed, eat more whole grains that's not processed.

Try these grains, seeds , or rice if you are wanting to be healthier.

quinoa (Keen-Wah)

short grain brown rice

polenta (made from corn)

sorghum (like corn) can be used as popcorn

millet (similar to wheat in protein & gluten free)

Go to the bulk section of your local heatlh food market and see what they have, and ask the clerk there for more information, usually the delis at these places have very knowledgeable people working there, they are people generally into good eating habbits.

You can visit these websites.

http://www.wholefoods.com/

http://www.downtoearth.org/

Be healthy today... at least try.

Maui- Sake To Go; Takara Sake U.S.A.

Little Sake, Sock It To You!
Sho Chiku Bai, this little bottle of sake (sah keh), is a cool little addition to your out and abouts cooler, especially if you are buying those grab and go sushi platters. Sake goes  well with sushi, its like pickles and hamburgers, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, Kim and Courtney Kardashian, Batman and Robin, Kobe and Pau, well you get the picture... I guess.

For just a few bucks, you can get this sake in the chill section at Foodland Farms Lahaina, in the Lahaina Gateway Shopping Center. So who produces this brew?  It is made by Takara Sake USA. Takara has been brewing sake for over 150 years according to their website. Sake is made from superior rice and pure water, the Sho Chiku Bai brand is the popular brand in Japan and the United States. Takara USA has been in business in the US since 1982, located in Berkely, California. Not too high in alcohol conent, it's pretty smooth, despite being a non-sake drinker, I found it kind of inviting, meaning I'd drink a few of these little menehunes, I mean it went well with the ready made Ahi Sushi, so it really isn't bad at all. If you like warm sake, maybe nuke this baby in your micro ha ha.

Check out Takara Sake's website at http://www.takarasake.com/ and learn more about them. So if you're cruising in Lahaina, go to Foodland Farms in the Lahaina Gateway and get a few bottles and a few ready made sushi ready to go, so get a cooler with some ice and get the goods.

Maui- Leftover Plate Lunches and Da Microwave

Okay, you had a hard day, you are hungry, but you don't have any food... well fresh from the deli food but you do have about 6 semi eaten plate lunches from yesterday from Bradda Kimo's down the road. It's still good, there's no food poisoning going on because you told your family members, to only eat what they'll eat, and leave the rest in the box.

What do you do with the safe to eat leftovers? Arrange them on a microwave plate and heat them up.

Rules for heating up plate lunches:

1. Take out all of the rice, and place it in a microwave bowl, place a wet paper towel over it, and nuke it for a few minutes, I bet you a million smackarooskies, your rice will be like fresh out of the rice cooker.

2. Remove the macaroni salad if present, and keep it cold in the fridge until ready to eat, maybe adding some fresh scoops of mayonnaise will help, and some salt and pepper, and maybe some minced celery and onions.

3. Remove all of the proteins, chicken, beef, pork, fish, tofu etc. Keep all chicken together, keep all beef together, all pork together, and fish together, separate from the others. You don't want any cross contamination folks, don't want you to get sick.

4. Nuke all the proteins one by one until it's all hot, and then share it.

Don't waste food!

Maui- Honolua Store's Kalua Pork & Cabbage

Okay this may seem redundant, but for you visitors, you want to know what we locals eat, and this is what we eat. KALUA PORK AND CABBAGE! This picture below is called a Hobo Lunch, wich is smaller than a regular plate lunch. A regular plate lunch consists of an entree or more (combo), 2 scoops of white sticky rice, in this case Honolua Store in Kapalua offers a healthier brown rice as a sub, but is it GMO brown rice? ha ha, who the hell knows just eat the damn thing and be on your merry way!

So this Hobo Kalua Pork and Cabbage, I got nailed a humongous 5.75 for it, one scoop of white sticky rice and about 9 oz. of pork/cabbage.

Who orders this shit? Well guys like me. Or guys not like me. Professional types, Socialites, Hookers, Pimps, they all eat this shit. And believe me, this is the shits (good)!

Photo: Ron Sambrano 2011

Maui- Jay's Place Pasta, Pizza & Subs

Italiano, Maui a style eh? No make a me mad I slice off a your nuts eh? Show me some a respect eh? You wanna have a horse head in a your bed in the morning eh? Maui, Maui, Lahaina, Lahaina, what a place, and believe it or not, we got another Italian dig that just opened up in the Lahaina Wharf Cinema Center 658 Front Street, Suite 145 C. Phone 808-661-6699, Take Out or dine in, open daily from 10 to 10, ah.. that's like 12 hours. Hey grade school paid off!

My friend Lisa Fujiyama swears it's a great place for pasta, so I'll take her word for it, okay, one day I'll check it out, but I'm just here to spread the word for you possible travelers to Maui, and Lahaina.Jay's Place has lots of stuff on the menu, but what caught me eye? I  tell ya what caught me eye. The 8 oz. Grilled Rib Eye Steak with grilled onions and French Roll for 15.95, also the Hot Pastrami Sandwich with Swiss Cheese and choice of bread. Or the Italian Sausage & Peppers with Homemade Marinara and Linguini and freshly grated Parmesan. Man even the pizzas looks good, at Jay's you can build your own pizza. I think I'll put these things on mine, of course gotta be a large one. It starts off at 11.95 with cheese, and each topping is 1.75. So I'll put some pepperoni, Italian Sausage, Bacon, Meatballs, Jalapenos, Tomatoes, Olives, and after I nail several pieces clear the way to the bathroom, if I see anyone in my path I'll run them over like vintage Jerome Bettis (The Bus #36 Steelers/Rams)!

Yeah so if you're into Italiano, check out Jay's. My buddy Lisa loves it, and Lisa loves food, so if she loves it? Hey we're there man!

Photo: Ron Sambrano 2011

Maui- Keep your Grain Level Down! Foodland Farms :)

Saturated Fats Make Breakfast Great!!!!!! Keep your grain levels down, cholestrol high!!! Hey man there's nothing wrong with some sat. fats in the mornings, once in a while... I mean, some smoked sausage links, and some bad scrambled eggs and white rice? Can it get any better? Well if you are looking for a grab and go hot breakfast like I am describing, then head to Foodland Farms in the Lahaina Gateway, and for less than 3.90 you can get a breakfast that can put you to sleep!

If you are tight on cash for these reasons
1. You are being sued by the woman next door who is with the ACLU because you said a prayer in Jesus's name at a recent back yard cookout.
2. You owe lots of money to your ex because of child support.
3. You're broke because you love to do cocaine.
4. You're broke because you do ice.
5. You're broke because your wages are being garnished by Uncle Sammy himself
6. Your wages are being garnished by the State Tax Collector.
7. Gas is almost 5 bucks a gallon.
8. You had to pay a lot for your liver transplant (You alcoholic!)
9. You just don't like to work and borrow nickles and dimes from strangers on Front Street.
10. you choose. (Pick)

So if you are tight on cash for these reasons or others, Foodland Farms may be the place to get your breakfast that's already made.

Scrambled Eggs/Rice/Sausage
Photo: Ron Sambrano2011

MAUI'S Pineapple Grill... Yes, I do LIKE!!!!!!

I Do Love De Pineapple Grill @ Kapalua's Bay Golf Course, the food is excellent, the place is nice/casual. You wanna dine in shorts? Go ahead. No shoes? Well... maybe that's pushing it, but shit... the Pineapple Grill is the bomb! What does Ron (yours truly) like? I like the Thai Coconut Lobster Bisque, ah that's like a soup for those of you from the caves in the valley, and no it's not made from a can... I think, but that definitely does hit you and make you go... "WOW MAN! I THINK I SAW JESUS!" Me at times, I love me some beef, and if you get the chance, try the 14 oz. Coffee Rubbed Char Broiled Angus Rib Eye, it's totally different from anything most of you ever tasted. Well, most local boys like moi won't even think of marinating a rib eye in some Hills Bros. Hey we have a hard time forking over 10 bucks for a plate lunch you kidding me? The coffee is for the mornings muchachoz!!!! So yes- I would recommend PG, and if you love to practice your putting, bring your putter and a few golf balls, the practice green is right smack in front of this awesome dig.

Chef Ryan Luckey does a fantastic job, and on Saturday nights there's some cool easy listening music. Sorry, no hip hop stuff here folks, but if you want that kind of music, I think Delta and American Airlines has flights to L.A. and New York City, I'm sure there's a huge hip hop scene there                                                                       

.http://www.pineapplekapalua.com/

PHOTO: Ron Sambrano 2011

Maui- How To Act at a Luau

Going to a luau? First time to Maui? Okay, here's the total skinny on what to do and how to act. First you and the spouse gotta go to Hilo Hattie's on Papalaua St. and Wainee St. and pick out a matching Hawaiian attire for you both. For the man, you can wear some baggy shorts and flip flops, and a bright Hawaiian shirt, and the missus needs a matching muu muu, and don't forget to buy the plumeria perfume for the missus also, you got to smell like you're in Hawaii. Oh by the by, the plumeria is a very nice fragrant flower, so the scent will be nice on her. Or you don't need to if you don't want to.


And you need to pronounce the Hawaiian words somewhat correct, at least make an effort to speak the words correctly.


Here are some of the foods you may encounter.


Kalua Pork: (Kah-loo-ah)
Lomi Salmon: (Loh-mee)
Poi: (Poy)
Lau Lau: (Low, low: like now with an L)
Kalbi Ribs: (Kahl-bee)


Here's some of the places that have luaus.
Wailea: (Why-lay-ah)
Makena: (Mah-ken-nah)
Kihei: (Kee-hay)
Lahaina: (Lah- high-nah)
Kaanapali: (Kah-ah-nah-pah-lee)


When you get to your luau, some may have a native climb a tall coconut tree, while Hawaiian music is being played in the background by a few aunties and uncles working for a few bucks to support whatever they need. Some may have an imu (ee-moo) ceremony where the pig is dug up from the underground oven.


So when you are ready to enter the luau grounds and to your designated tables, get ready for your drinks. Of course most of the drinks are watered down, but it's all about the experience, you want to get shit faced, all the ABC stores close before 11pm, and you can get all your beers and other poisons before they close, the luau should be a fun experience. And if you're sitting near the stage, you maybe picked to share a dance of the hula. Yes, we do want to see you make a fool of yourself, just for fun of course. Hopefully no one picked on this evening will be some psychopathic killer that will come back when the luau is done and off all of the performers. Let us pray that does not happen.


So enjoy your luau.

Lahaina Foodland Farms; Wine Salami, Sauces @ R. Field Wine Co.

You want wine, salami, and ready made sauces? Are you on Maui on the west side? Okay my friends, my foodie, head on down to R. Field Wine Co. @ Lahaina Foodland Farms located inside the Lahaina Gateway Mall or Shopping Center. It is located about 10 minutes south of Kaanapali, just look for the Lahaina Cannery Mall and it's across the highway. Turn either right or left at the stop light where Panda Express is located or Keawe Street.


Photo: Ron Sambrano 2011

You will find a huge selection of fine wine from major vineyards, reds, whites, sparkling wine, and other liquors. Also some good deals on bottles you just have to stop by and check. Lots of crackers, spreads, and cheeses too. If you are in the cheese section, look for the Ahi Spread that's real popular. Lots of spices too that you gourmet foodies will need.














Also- some salami, ask the counter clerk to get you some slices for the condo, some of the best salami around the island. So if you're from the east coast looking for some familiar comfort foods, R. Field Wine Co. @ Lahaina Foodland Farms has the salami too.


Photo: Ron Sambrano2011

Ready made sauces for your pasta dishes, all here at this small neighborhood supermarket, if you're gonna shop and cook for your family back at the condo, give me a buzz, I love to eat myself.


Photo: Ron Sambrano 2011

R. Field Wine Co. @ Foodland Farms Lahaina, 808-662-7088 Store Director, Craig Kadokawa 6a-11p daily, 345 Keawe St. #304, Lahaina, HI 96761


DVD rentals
Coinstar Machine
Bakery, Deli, Seafood, Meat, R. Field Wine Co. Western Union.


www.foodland.com

We like try your food!

Village Cafe and Sweet Shoppe review Good dig

Waiting for the Delivery Guy; We Open In an Hour!

Working as a prepcook in a restaurant is an alright gig, but I don't wanna do that shit no more! Your hands get sore from cold water, and then hot water, and holding the knife and slicing, dicing, and all that, and making sauces, and dressings, and smelling bad when you're done working... no thanks. Do not want to go there anymore if I don't have to.

But what really used to get us pissed off in the mornings was waiting for the delivery guys, maybe the guy that was delivering the meats, or the fish, or the produce. Sometimes shit happens, and they get stuck in traffic or something, nontheless, being late is well... being late.

Getting up early is bad enough, but one thing about kitchen work, it is just that work. And you can't slack at all. As soon as you clock in, you got your checklist at the ready, and boom! You're off to the races. Cabbage? Shred 50 pounds of it. Mahi Mahi? Slice and weigh 30 pounds of it. Tomatoes? Slice 10 pounds of it. Flank steaks? Trim and slice 80 pounds of it. Get the idea? Well, if we got the stuff to prep, we got stuff to work on, and hopefully get everything done for the cooks and the chef on time to open for lunch by 10:30 AM. But.............. What if the produce dude didn't show up yet? Well, for one, there's not going to be any shredded cabbage for the slaw. No tomatoes for the burger setups. No onions for the French Onion Soup. If the meat guy isn't on time, no burgers to mix, no Flanks to trim and slice. Can't do much, and if the restaurant is a hot item, and all of the food on the menu are all-stars, well, got to watch out, because people get freeking pissed if they show up for lunch and their Chicken Katsu won't be there. Pissed if their Teri Steak isn't on the menu for the day. You think Libya has it tough with pissed off peeps?

So if any of you want to open a restaurant, or get into the kitchen for work, expect the unexpected stuff to happen, and I mean, do expect the bad shit to happen. Now if you work at a lame ass dig, and you got hardly any traffic, that means your customers don't care to be there, so you really don't have much of a following, so this kind of sitch shouldn't bother you. But if you do have a hot restaurant, having all of the stuff on your menu to be made when someone orders it is a must. Try telling a 6ft. 3inch tall Tongan guy, "Sorry bro, we don't have your roast pork today." There's a good chance he'll try to rip your head off, or damage the counter. Call the cops but it won't work, a hungry pissed off anybody can be a hazard.

Maui- Baked Chicken Recipe

This is very easy to make if you are at home, and want something home made, but don't want too much work. And you'll probably have most of the ingredients in your kitchen.

1- 5 lbs. box of chicken thighs frozen but thawed.

3 cups of whole milk
4 tbsp. of vinegar

6 cups of flour
Salt and pepper to your liking.

4 cups of oil, in skillet, heat up to medium high heat.

Preheat oven to 350 deg. f.

1. Pat dry all chicken thighs with paper towels, let thighs stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
2. Mix the whole milk and vinegar together, and let stand about 20 minutes, it will curdle.
3. Place chicken thighs in a mixing bowl, add the whole milk and vinegar mixture (buttermilk) and soak for about 5 minutes.
4. Place flour in another mixing bowl, then dredge the chicken thighs in it, press flour onto the thighs.
5. Fry each thigh, skin side down, until slightly brown, then place each thing on a baking sheet.
6. Bake the thighs for about 50 minutes or until crisp and cooked through.

Serve with your favorite starch.

Maui- Grilled Chipoltle Pork Tenderloin

Okay here's a recipe for you pork lovers that love to grill, and let me tell you, if you do this recipe that I tweaked from one of my aunty friends, you'll definitely say, "wow Ron Broke Da Mouth!" Here goes. First go and get that grill of yours up to medium high heat.

Get a Pork Tenderloin about 3 lbs., and tie it with some wet twine so it stays formed like a log.

Okay, now we got that shit outta da way, you'll need these ingredients, and I'm just using the measurements here as just a guideline, you can add or subtract if you feel like it.

4 tbsp. onion powder
4 tbsp. garlic powder
4 tbsp. chipoltle chili powder
1 tsp. celery salt
2 tsp. Kosher salt
3/4 cup of raw brown sugar
4 tbsp. of red pepper flakes
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
4 tbsp. cracked pepper corns

1. Mix all of the ingredients well in a bowl.
2. Toss the tenderloin around in the bowl, and press in the ingredients so it adheres to the pork loin.
3. Let it stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes. (The tenderloin cooks better on the grill when it's not cold right outta the refrigerator.
4. Grill the tenderloin until there's a crust formed all around it, continue to grill it until it is cooked through. The inside temperature at the thickest part (center) should register at least 155 deg. f, and you can take it off of the grill as the loin will continue to cook as it rests on the chopping board.

Serve with lots of beers ha ha!!!!

Maui- Boiled Cabbage

A simple recipe for lots of fiber comes from this really simple recipe for boiled cabbage.

1 head cabbage boiled until soft.
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of vinegar
8 cloves of garlic smashed
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Pull apart the leaves of the cabbage and let it cool
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients in a non reactive bowl
3. Add the cabbage into the bowl and mix

Eating A Big Bowl of Saimin to Clear Your Sinuses

There it is, you, you are sicker than a freekin dog! Your sinuses are all stuffed up, you probably got the cold virus from shaking hands with infected people, and you, you did not go and sanitize your hands, you start to scratch your face, and eat your foods with your unwashed fingers at the Indian dig. You stupid S.O.B.! Why didn't you take the time to just wash your hands? It'll take just a couple of minutes, just head to the men's room, and wash. Easy right? I guess not you idiot!


Okay, this is what I suggest you do if you got a cold, and your sinuses are all jacked up and you can't even breath right, and your wife is upset because you should have washed your hands. Okay this is what you do, assuming you have an Asian section in your supermarket. Go to the freezer part of the Asian section and find S&S Saimin, it is a Japanese soup with noodles, it is sold in a plastic bag, with precooked noodles and a soup base packet. You boil a cup of water, then add in the packet, and then add in the noodles and just heat it up, and you can add in other garnish like sliced cabbage, cooked eggs, onions, and for a good blast up your nostrils, add in some Korean Hot and Spicy Kim Chee, and you chow down on it, and sweat it all out, it's great, you'll loosen up all that mucous in your airways.


Good Luck, next time.......wash your hands junior!


Sun Noodles took over S&S, just go look 
for it in the market and ask someone there
www.tastyislandhawaii.com

East meets Western favorites at Cafe Diem - Dining / Taste - ReviewJournal.com

East meets Western favorites at Cafe Diem - Dining / Taste - ReviewJournal.com

New article, looks like an interesting dig

Maui- Cancer Patient Swears on Turmeric

Cancer Patient & Turmeric- Her name won't be used, I see her at times, a bandana covers her head, her hair is slowly coming back, and so is her health. In her mid-fifties, she seems upbeat, and very positive, she's a cancer patient battling for her life. But... she does not want the chemicals that modern medicine has to offer her. "I get sick when I take it, and I'm adamant on going natural and organic if I can." 


As I watch her shop in a natural food store, she gets bags of kale, chard, cabbage, and lots of turmeric, lots and lots of turmeric. Besides the greens from the cabbage family that even some experts claim that helps fight cancer, she swears that since juicing some of the turmeric, and drying it and making it into powdered form, and putting it into a capsule, she is off modern day meds.


"I do vegetarian, vegan, and raw when I can, I have some help, I had taken some cooking lessons from a chef, now I understand how to cook. But I continue to read books on nutrition, and foods that heal. My favorite store is Borders Books and Music in Kahului. (Note: The store is now closing as of this date). I love to just get a green tea, and grab food books and learn as much as I can about healing foods. One of the books I recently read was The China Study, I can't believe the way big businesses dump the junk foods on us, cancer causing additives, food colorings, all bad for our health, but it is all profits, it's big business. No one cares if the chemicals a soda company is using causes cancer on rats, or if a farm is using GMOs, and poisons in the soil, if the companies can get away with it, they will. Money is more important than someone's health."


FYI, I read The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, and though it is filled with lots of awesome information on why we should stick to a strict vegetarian or vegan diet to cure our ills, and to not eat lots of animal fats, and artificial foods, I at times still eat the junk that our cancer patient is learning not to consume. Yes The China Study talks about how the FDA, the medical community, and food suppliers of not so healthy foods, are all in this big old racket that is into making money for all of their associates. Where doctors are instructed to not talk about eating healthy, where a surgery is money in the pockets of major hospitals, after all, how dare a doctor tell a patient, "Look, if you eat these GM foods, well, you'll get sick." Of course if everyone gets educated, and not eat the junk, ill causing foods America dumps down our throats, the medical professionals, and pharmacists won't make the profits they are capable of. Likened to a mechanic telling a driver of a car, "There's no need to change your oil mam, just drive it." Then the motor blows, and the mechanic has a job, but of course the mechanics won't tell them that now days, people are smarter, it's just that people need to educate themselves on the ill effects of the foods that are not healthy.


"For sugar or to make something sweet, I use organic honey, orangic maple syrup, or stevia, maybe agave nectar," she says as she shops with a serious demeanor. "Oh and I am learning that because of all the dairy I used to eat, it could be the cause of my cancer, I am very skeptical of the foods we are consuming in this day and age. How many more people will get cancer because of the bad foods being sold."


Skeptics may claim, that even if someone was to eat totally raw and organic, and all veggies, they can still get cancer from a myriad of ways, true that. But she is adamant that since she's been off of meats, and animal byproducts, even her doctor has claimed she's getting better, her blood tests look great, her energy is up where as if she was on meds, she'd be sicker than a dog, so going natural can be good, I take that back, going all natural will be good. God didn't make our bodies to consume man made destructive chemicals. Let's all eat better for the good of our lives and our loved ones.