CHOW FUN

Chow Fun is an easy dish to make, all you need is a wok, some oil, ginger and garlic, your choice of meat, and some mixed veggies like carrots, green onions, round onions, bell peppers. Soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and you are definitely good to go.

This is Sun Noodle from Honolulu, these are

what you'd call fresh. It's fully cooked, and all you need to

do is add them to some hot water to quickly blanch them, or just 

add them to your hot wok with all of your stir fried ingredients

already in the wok. Cook for a few minutes and voila!

If you need gluten free noodles, you need to check your local market.

Ron Sambrano Blogger

        

© 2016

EGG FU YOUNG

Egg Fu Young... Easy to make, basically it's really just an omelet. I called this one Egg Foo Fighters Young, since I'm a Foo Fighters Fan.

A simple recipe for Egg Fu Young.

3 eggs scrambled with 1 tbsp. of water, a dash of salt, a dash of soy sauce, a dash of sesame oil, and mix well.

1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 tsp. mixture of minced ginger and garlic
1/4 cup of sliced ham
1/2 cup of mixed veggies like carrots, bean sprouts, cabbage, mushrooms
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
black pepper to taste
salt to taste

Gravy
1 1/2 cup of chicken stock (low salt)
1/2 tsp. oyster sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. cornstarch
3 tbsp. water mixture (slurry thickener)

Garnish: Minced green onions 1/4 cup.

Directions
1. Heat up wok with oil, over medium high heat, add in garlic and ginger, and swirl.
2. Add in the ham and stir fry for 30 seconds, then the mixed veggies, and stir fry for about 1 minute or until heated through.
3. Add in soy sauce, sesame oil, and black pepper to taste. (No salt because soy sauce is generally salty).
4. Add in the egg mixture, and cook until the bottom of omelet is settled, then flip, and cook next side until firm. About 2 minutes or so each side.
5. Remove and plate Egg Fu Young (Omelet). 

6. Make the gravy. Return wok to medium high heat, add in the chicken stock, oyster sauce, sugar, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then lower to a high simmer. Add in cornstarch mixture, cook until thickened up. Pour gravy of the Egg Fu Young (Omelet). Sprinkle a dash of salt over omelet and garnish with minced green onions.

Note: Some people really want their egg fu young to be filled with lots of veggies, that's possible. Just add more eggs if the eggs aren't enough to hold it all together. If it breaks apart, no worries. The gravy covers it up, and diners will still love it. If presentation is a must, then don't make it too thick with veggies, offer them a couple of omelets instead.

All photos are copyrighted 2016 Ron Sambrano

Ron Sambrano Blogger

      

© 2016

Making A Perfect Breakfast

Breakfast is the first meal of the day for most of us, so what do you eat? What do you cook? Do you need energy?

It's time for us to look at our menu options, it involves a few factors. 

• Are you the one making breakfast?
• What is my budget?
• Am I eating out?
• I have a health issue
• I have no time to eat breakfast

Tips:

For the first issue, if you are the one making breakfast, you want to have all of your ingredients in your kitchen at the ready. Always shop for what you need.

a. for energy- buy lots of fruits, apples, oranges, grapes, and wholegrain breads, low fat butters, and lots of natural juices. Eggs are a great source of protein, and having carbs is essential. Potatoes are good, just watch your portions.

 If you are on Maui, or Las Vegas, depending on the season, call me and I can help you with your breakfast planning.

b. your budget is key, some of you have an unlimited source of funds to buy lots of good food. And with all natural and organics costing a premium, you are blessed to buy the best. So count your blessings. If your budget isn't up there at this time, I feel you, life is hard. Shop with common sense. Purchase foods in bulk. Supermarkets have markdowns all of the time. Call your local market, and talk to the manager. I know a woman that makes it a point to make friends with the meat cutters, and fish cutters, as well as the other departments. She'd ask, "Hey when is that loaf of bread going to be tossed out? Call me if there's extra, I'll buy it at a discount." Or "Hey when will you mark down those steaks? Let me know." And believe it or not, being friendly works. She makes a huge savings for her and her family of 5. I mean, let's say if her sack of groceries would cost $150.00 at a normal rate, and she saves anywhere from 40-60%? That's $60-$90.00 in savings. Think of what you can do with those savings?

c. are you eating out for breakfast? Again your budget will determine where you can get a good healthy breakfast or not. Look around, ask around, sometimes some eateries will have specials. Believe it or not, if you are on a strict budget but a healthy breakfast isn't too much of a big deal, convenience stores got great deals on boxed hot breakfast with eggs, bacon, ham, sausage and potatoes for cheap. Not the greatest but it's something, that or starve, you know there's people in the world that don't have food period, and won't hesitate to eat...gas station convenience food.

d. got health issues? Again your budget determines if you can eat healthy or not. I feel for you guys. Diabetes? Hypertension? You know what you can and can't eat, so this is all your call. I suggest you try and get help from your local clinic if your income isn't up there. There are programs from local, state and federal government. You need to seek it.

e. no time for breakfast? If you are on the run early, you need to make that Costco stop, or wherever you can buy healthy breakfast bars, and other ready made juices by the bulk for you to take when you leave your house to tackle the world.

Good Luck on your morning journeys.

Ron Sambrano Blogger

        

© 2016

My Cooking Video on "Pork Stew"

Welcome to my blog post, watch this video I did on Pork Stew. Or Baboy Vino, pork in wine. It's a very simple dish I produced for beginner cooks. Watch how simple it is. All you need is a knife, a wok, a ladle, and a cutting board, a stove, and you are good to go. Enjoy the video folks, please leave a comment in the comment box.

Chef Ron Sambrano's

Pork Stew

Ron Sambrano Blogger

        

© 2016

My Cooking Video on Chicken Chow Fun

This is my cooking video "Cooking Chow Fun" watch it and learn how simple it is to make this Chinese dish. This video was made for beginner cooks that already know how to use the stove and pans. 

Learn to cook, it's healing too. Using your mind, hands, and heart, you can create a really good living environment.

Go to your supermarket, in the Asian aisle, find chow fun rice noodles, or a chow fun wheat noodle. Most rice ones are fresh, or fully cooked and not dried. If you buy the dried ones, you'll need to cook them in boiling water el dente. There are many recipes from simple (Like this video), to more exotic chow funs cooked with lots of different herbs and spices, and fine meats. One thing about these noodle dishes, even the simplest of chow funs will make someone happy.

Have on hand, vegetable oil for stir frying, garlic and ginger minced, green onions, and veggies trimmed to small bite size pieces, use any vegetable you like. In this video I kept a green theme. I could have used red peppers, carrots, and red onions to make it look contrasting, but that wasn't the case.

This video is for learning purposes and to be entertained. Don't take it too seriously folks, life is too short. 

CHEF RON SAMBRANO'S

 "Cooking Chow Fun"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl56sP4e_qQ

Ron Sambrano Blogger

           

© 2016

BACK TO PHO

I love to cook Asian style foods because I grew up with it, and because a lot of Asian cooking share similar ingredients and cooking methods, it's easier for me to look at a recipe and figure things out. Not that I'm a master chef or anything I'm far from that believe me. But common sense prevails. Today's blog post will be dedicated to the Vietnamese Pho. 

I won't be delving into the whole history of this dish, which is a soup. And how it's pronounced, I heard Vietnamese guys go "Foh" and also "Fow!" and "Fuh"... so go figure. I usually go "Fuh"

To make a beef pho, the way Vietnamese mom's make it, it is a time consuming process. I mean, sure you can buy the ready made beef broth that Foodland or Safeway sells, but would you tell an Italian woman "Excuse me why are you wasting time simmering all those tomatoes and herbs? I mean, just buy the marinara mam." Well, I'd expect to get a ladle whack upside my head. Same goes for a Vietnamese mom, she'll make the broth from scratch.

First some onions and ginger are roasted to gain the sweetness from the heat extraction. It adds color to the soup as well.

I won't give you a recipe, I'll just tell you how it's really done. So cold water is added to like beef bones with marrow, and fat. Along with chunks of beef, the water is boiled for several minutes to release some of the fat and marrow, but not all the way. About 5 minutes of the first boil. Then the water is drained, and all impurities are removed. The bones are rinsed under cold water, and then the process is continued.

On the second boil, with water covering the bones up close to the rim of pot, it is boiled then simmered for about 90 minutes. Once simmered, the bones should lose a lot of its marrow into the stock. All the bones and meat are removed. Then the broth is seasoned with some fish sauce (nuoc mam) or you can use Filipino (patis). Ginger, cloves, cinnamon stick, salt.

Vietnamese rice noodles (ban pho) are presoaked, and then added to the bowls, along with the slices of cooked meat, cilantro, cooked onions, ginger. then the broth is heated to a higher heat before serving, and then ladled into bowls. Garnished with sprigs of spearmint, bean sprouts, red hot chilis, and lime wedges.

Check online for some great Pho recipes, and try to find recipes that aren't made by a non- Vietnamese, unless they lived with a Vietnamese person.

Good Luck all you Pho foodies!

As you can see, the beef is rare and cooked,

the broth is somewhat golden, that's from the

roasting of the onions and ginger process.

Vietnamese rice noodles sold dried, all you need 

to do is soak it in warm water for a few minutes just to loosen it

up, but not too long. Once your broth is added to the

bowl, it will cook the noodles more, you just

want to blanch the noodles to loosen it up.

Nuoc Mam Vietnamese fishsauce 

Until next time Ron Sambrano Blogger

         

© 2016

FILO DOUGH WITH LEFTOVERS

Filo dough is a thin piece of dough that is used for pastries like baklava, spanakopita, and lots of other tasty hand foods. 

If you have leftovers in the refrigerator chances are it was good eats, otherwise you would have thrashed it by now right? Take out some sheets of filo, peel them apart. Use as much as you want, if you want a thicker crust, simply use more sheets.

If you had Chinese food the night before, maybe some orange chicken, or some sweet sour shrimp, maybe some kung pao. Simply place your leftovers in the middle of the filo sheet, and fold it. You can brush it with some softened butter, and then put it on a greased baking sheet, and bake it in the oven at 350 dg F, for about 12-15 minutes or until golden crisp but not burnt. 

And eat the finished product, how easy is that?

There's all kinds of ideas you can get online, or on social media, so have fun with filo dough, until next time.

Ron Sambrano Blogger

        

© 2016

PORK WITH POTATOES & GREEN BEANS BRAISE MANILA STYLE

Filipino style braises encompasses Spanish and Chinese influences. And in this pork with potatoes and green beans braise, I'll infuse some flavors common to Chinese Schezuan and flavors of Manila. This simple braise will be on the pungent hot side of the tracks so get ready.

Do this first! Preheat your oven to 375 deg F.

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4-6)

3 lbs. boneless pork butt shoulder. (may have leftovers which is all Yay Yay) Leave at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes, never cook a cold piece of meat it will not cook evenly.
1 tsp. cloves
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 8 garlic cloves crushed
2 inch ginger crushed

3 lbs pork shoulder or butt, tied from the butcher

1 tbsp. Schezuapn peppercorns
2 cup of low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup or more fish sauce (patis)
4 tbsp. Yeo's Hot Bean Sauce

* If you can't find Yeo's Hot Bean Sauce, simply use any hot sauce, and 1 tsp. of fermented Chinese black beans. 

3 large russet potatoes peeled and cut into slightly larger than bite-size pieces, and about 1 lb. of fresh trimmed green beans.

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium sized stainless steel roasting pan, put it on your stove top over 2 burners over medium heat. Add oil, then cook the cloves, garlic and ginger for a few seconds until you can smell the aroma. Immediately add in the pork shoulder, and sear all sides creating a brown crust.

2. Carefully remove pan from stove top and turn off the burners. Add the Schezuan peppercorns to the bottom of the pan, spreading it evenly. Then pour in the chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, fish sauce, and Yeo's Hot Bean sauce. Using tongs, flip the pork shoulder to coat with the ingredients on the bottom of pan.

3. Cover the pan with foil, keeping on corner slightly loose.

4. Place in the center rack of the oven, and braise for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven, and add in the green beans and potatoes, return to oven, then lower heat to 290 F. Deg. Cook for about 30 minutes longer. Then remove from oven and let it rest covered. Off the heat.

   You can keep this warm on the counter up to an hour in the event you aren't eating right away. Make sure it is covered but some air can escape. When you are ready to eat, you can place it back in the oven and heat it up at 300 deg. F. for about 15-20 minutes.

    Remove from oven, uncover foil, carefully remove the pork with some tongs and large carving fork or whatever you use that's comfortable. Place on cutting board, and slice pieces evenly. If it is fork tender, no problem, just scoop the meat as best as you can on to the serving platter. Scoop potatoes and green beens, and place them neatly around the pork, then drizzle the sauce from bottom of pan onto the pork. Yay! You got your meal. You can have salt and pepper on the table for your eaters, and even extra ramekins of fish sauce, hot sauce and even vinegar for them to dip into.

Serve with white rice, fried rice, or brown rice for a more healthy dish if someone may have a white rice issue.

Ron Sambrano Blogger

        

© 2016

INFUSING BUTTER

This is going to be a short blog post folks, simply because I am very busy doing some other projects, but just checking in eh?

Let's talk about infusing butter, what does that mean? Well, if you ever had shrimp scampi, you probably had it with infused butter. It just means that some other ingredient was added to the cooking process where butter was the main fat. For instance, when you are sautéing with butter, but before your protein hits the hot butter, you toss in some minced garlic, and some wine. Well you just infused your butter in the hot pan.

Now, you can infuse, or flavor butter by just softening up the butter at room temperature, and if it's softened you can add to it. You can add parsley flakes to it, garlic pieces, you can add pepper flakes, all kinds of items. I know one dude that infused his butter with furikake flakes. Go figure.

Just remember, infusing simply means adding to. So go ahead and infuse your butter, but make sure you use unsalted butter when infusing other ingredients because salted butter can rob the infused ingredients of its true flavoring.

Ron Sambrano Blogger

                

© 2016

PORK WITH CABBAGE & TOMATOES

This is a one pot meal for 6-8 people, or 2-4 people and save the rest for later. It's very easy to make, and this is geared for families that don't have much time to be cooking. So, you can actually make this on your day off, so it can cool down so you can refrigerate it to eat in two days.

INGREDIENTS

4 lbs. of pork shoulder cubed
2 lbs. of pork bones (joints)
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 quart of cold water
1 inch smashed ginger
1 small round onion chopped
8 oz. sliced cherry tomatoes
1 bay leaf

1 small head cabbage, cut into sixths
2 tbs. vinegar
2 tbs. fish sauce
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large enough pot, add in the oil over medium-high heat, stir fry the ginger for about 30 seconds. Add in the pork bones, and cubed pork. Cook until the meat releases its juices.

2. Add in cold water, onions, tomatoes, and bay leaf. Raise heat to high, and boil for about 1 minute, then turn heat down to low. Simmer for about 40 minutes covered.

3. Remove any fats from top that may have risen. Add in cabbage, vinegar, fish sauce, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Seasons with salt and pepper. Add in cabbage. Off heat, let the cabbage wilt. Serve with rice.

Ron Sambrano Blogger

POUTINE

This is Canada's comfort food, chips, gravy and cheese curds are the star ingredients. However this recipe is slightly altered.

5 oz. of mozzarella (shredded is fine)

GRAVY
1 lb. of chicken wings

• 5 tbsp potato flour
• 1 tbsp oil
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
• 1 sweet round onion diced fine
• 1 small carrot, chopped
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 2 1/4 cups of low sodium chicken stock
• 2 1/4 cups of low sodium beef stock
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

  2 large russet potato

1. DIRECTIONS
   
   
   Gravy.
   For the gravy, toss the chicken wings in 1 tbsp of the potato flour, then heat the oil and butter in a large pan. Fry the chicken wings until well browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 8-10 mins until soft and turning brown at the edges.
2. When the onions are cooked soft, add the remaining potato flour and stir well. Put the chicken wings back in the pan, then add the carrot, dried bay leaf, the low sodium chicken and beef stocks and garlic.
3. Bring to a boil and cook for approximately 15 mins. Strain the mixture through a sieve into another pan and simmer for another 10 mins or until thick, seasoning to taste.
4. Chips
   For the chips, scrub the potatoes with a clean souring pad, but leave the skins on. Cut into chunky chips and put them in a bowl filled with ice cold water.
5. Pour oil into a large pan until it is just less than half full, then heat until it reaches 300 F. Drain the chips from the water and pat dry with a clean tea towel. When the oil is ready, carefully lower 1/4 of the chips into the pan. Fry for 10- 12 minutes, then remove with the slotted spoon and lay on a wire rack covered with kitchen paper. Repeat the process with the remaining chips. When they have all had their first fry, increase the temperature to 375 F. and fry the chips in small batches again, this time for approximately 5 mins or until golden brown. Sprinkle the chips with salt once done, keeping them warm on a wire rack or grill tray in a low oven while you fry the remaining.
6. For presentation, pile the chips into deep bowls, and warm the gravy and pour it over the chips. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and serve immediately.
   
   
   
   
   
   This picture is what a standard dish looks like.
   Google.
   
   
   
   
   
   

Spicy Tofu Stew with Beef and Seafood

Korean style foods are very popular in Hawaii. It's gained in popularity big-time overtaking Japanese and Chinese as far as Asian foods is concerned. I got this recipe from a friend of mine who loves to cook, a retired office worker all she does all day is delve in cooking websites, cookbooks, and of course food shows on television. Try this out.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 lb beef sirloin, thinly sliced
2. 10 oz tofu
3. 3 dried shiitaki mushrooms soaked in water
4. 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce for soup
5. 2 garlic clove minced
6. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
7. 2 1/4 teaspoon oil
8. 2 tablespoon red chili flakes
9. 4 dried anchovies, cleaned
10. 1/2 small onion, chopped
11. 1/2 zucchini. diced
12. 3/4 cup mixed frozen seafood, thawed
13. 1 fresh chili, sliced
14. 2 teaspoon anchovy sauce
15. 1 green onion chopped
16. salt and pepper to taste
17. Instructions

    1. Drain the mushroom out of soaking water and chop into small pieces. Reserve soaking water and set aside.
    2. In a small bowl, combine beef, 1/2 tablespoon Korean soy sauce for soup, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside for 5 minutes.
    3. Heat oil in a soup pot, add the beef and Korean chili flakes and saute the beef for about 2 minutes. Don't burn the chili flakes.
    4. Add the 1-1/2 cups of mushroom soaking water to the pot. Add the dried anchovies, onion, and the chopped mushrooms. Bring them to boil for 3 minutes.
    5. Add the tofu, seafood and continue to boil over medium heat. Add the zucchini, fresh chili, and the remaining garlic. Season with the rest of soy sauce for soup and anchovy sauce. Adjust the amount of seasoning according to your taste. Add salt and pepper in needed.
    6. Sprinkle green onion at last and serve hot with rice.

    
    

    Ron Sambrano Blogger

            

    © 2016

    
    

    
    

How To... cook steak, with Jamie Oliver, Video

Chef Jamie Oliver teaches a basic sirloin steak cooked on a frying pan. All you need is cheap olive oil, salt, pepper, and about an 8 oz. sirloin.

Ron Sambrano Blogger

© 2016

Steak - Part 1 "Rib of Beef" Video

In this video the butcher gives you instructions on how to clean out the prime rib, so you can cut steaks from it. Ever went to your market and purchased rib eye steaks? Well this is how it is done. Enjoy.

Ron Sambrano Blogger

© 2016

TYING PRIME RIB VIDEO

Hi foodies, for the next few posts I'll share with you some videos. For your info, this blog since I started back in 2010, was supposed to feature myself cooking, and sharing. However, it's difficult for me to shoot videos at this time, it's been like 6 years? Go figure. Life is life, and someday soon I hope to get that kitchen studio up and running.

So here's something from Ted The Butcher.

This is an excellent video if you've never done a prim rib before, Ted talks about removing the bones and then tying it back no before roasting. Enjoy.

Ron Sambrano Blogger

          

© 2016

PORK CHOPS WITH TOMATO CREAM

In life there's always something, someplace, or someone that is just a perfect marriage. Like a rock band with a solid bassist and drummer, or art galleries in the wine country. You know, that perfect match.

Which leads me to pork and tomatoes. Why everyone loves a good bacon & tomato sandwich right? With reach creamy mayonnaise. We locals here in Hawaii love pork, tomatoes, and mayonnaise. It's some of the three food items we love to eat. So let's do something so simple, so easy for you home cooks that's just learning. You pull this off your friends are gonna love you and call you a genius.

Tools: 12" stainless steel pan. (no non-stick).
Tongs: medium length for flipping chops.

INGREDIENTS

Vegetable oil for frying (just have about 1/2 a cup at the ready)
4 Rib pork chops bone in 1/2" thick. (Seasoned with salt and pepper on both sides to your liking) Keep at room temperature, never fry a chop cold it will take too long.
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/4 cup of cornstarch

Tomato Cream
5 oz. of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half.
1/2 tsp. dried Italian herbs.
3/4 cup of good quality sour cream.
1/2 cup real mayonnaise
Juice of 1/2 lemon
dash salt and dash white pepper

Step 1- Mix the flour and cornstarch in a small bowl with a fork well. (This is your coating for the rib chops). Set aside.

Step 2- In a separate bowl, squeeze all the juices from the tomatoes including the seeds, the seeds won't kill you. Honestly it won't. Add in the Italian dried herbs, then the sour cream, mayonnaise, and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Mix well, it won't look promising, but that's just the way it is. Season with salt and white pepper. Keep in the refrigerator covered.

Step 3- Heat up about 1/4 cup or more of vegetable oil in the pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough, you are ready to fry your chops. Oil is ready when you put a piece of bread crumb into the oil and it immediate sizzles. Never place any foods into a pan of oil when it is not hot enough, a less than desirable product will be produced. Do this step right, you'll be on your way to chef greatness!

Step 4- Take your seasoned chops, and dredge one at a time into the flour mixture, pressing firmly onto each side of each chop.

Step 5- Gently place 2 chops at a time in the pan, fry them until brown on each side. To make sure that each chop is cooked to a safe temperature, insert an instant read thermometer into the center of each chop if it registers about 155 deg. F, it should be good to go. Don't overcook it, it will turn out dried. As long as the heat has penetrated the chop, and it is not raw, common sense will tell you it is cooked. But use that thermometer to make sure. And remember when the chop is out of the pan, it continues to cook. 

Plate for 4 servings, or for 2 (2 chops each). Top each chop with the Tomato Cream and add some potatoes or rice to your plate and your favorite veggies, and Bon Appetite 

Ron Sambrano Blogger

        

© 2016