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SHUMAI RECIPE – a spin on the traditional

June 17, 2019

In Hawaii, it’s known as Pork Hash

BACKSTORY – One of the things I miss about home, Hawaii, is the food. A favorite is Shumai or what we like to call, Pork Hash. In the states, people get these at Chinese Dim Sum restaurants but in Hawaii you can find Shumai everywhere. At little grab and go eateries, or Okazuya’s, & Manapua wagons (a great story for another post)

I’ve learned the next best thing to going home to Hawaii is bringing a little bit of Hawaii to me. Making food I grew up on does exactly this. Recently, I had a craving for Pork Hash but these little yummies are time consuming to make.

First you have to prep the filling, stuff won ton wrappers then steam them. I didn’t have the time nor the energy to do all that so I figured I’d put my spin on it. Thus the unfilled Pork Hash was born.

I made this recipe on my Instastory over on Instagram. If you’re not following me, you really should. I share a lot of good, useful stuff that you didn’t know you needed in your life. LOL Instastories are only viewable for 24 hours but I’m inserting the video snippet in case you missed it or need a refresher.

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SHUMAI RECIPE - unstuffed

also known in Hawaii as Pork Hash

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: Pork Hash, Shumai

Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

4 T olive oil extra virgin
2 trays ground pork
1/4 cup sweet onions diced
2 T garlic diced
2 T ginger diced
2 T sesame oil
4 T soy sauce
2 T sugar I use date sugar but use whatever you have
baby bok choy about 10 or so of them, chopped
1 can water chestnuts diced
Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

Add olive oil to wok/pan on Med high heat
Saute onion, garlic and ginger till onion is translucent
Add ground pork and brown
Add sesame oil, soy sauce & sugar to pork & mix well
Add baby bok choy & water chestnuts & cook 2 minutes
Simmer everything for another 5 minutes

Notes

Serve over rice or tofu or as a filling in a lettuce leaf

3 BEST TASTING SUGAR SUBSTITUTES

June 8, 2019

Disclaimer: Please be advised that this post contains affiliate links of which I make a miniscule commission. I appreciate your support of my blog should you choose to use my links.

Over the past several years, I have found that eating processed sugars really aggravates my auto immune issues. Too much white sugar or soda’s sends me into a downward spiral. This has led me to try alternative sweeteners.

Honey Crystals

A few years ago while in Seattle, one of my Bffs – Steph, introduced me to Honey Crystals. We were walking down the tea isle in Uwajimaya, a Asian store in seattle, and she suggested I try it as a sugar alternative in teas. I loved it. For the longest time, I was unable to get it and she would send it to me from Hawaii. Eventually an Asian Market popped up in my city not far from my house and I was able to buy Honey Crystals whenever I wanted. Honey crystals, according to Google, is pure sugar cane infused with raw honey to form little non-sticky crystals. It’s extremely sweet therefore less is needed.

Agave

Then a couple of years ago when I was discussing some of my nutrition changes with my sister, she suggested I try Agave. The nectar is made from the Agave plant. It’s a dark amber color and more closely resembles the consistency of honey. It’s sweeter, a little higher in calories but you use much less then sugar. For diabetics it might not be the ideal sweetener due to it’s high glycemic index. Agave can be purchased at many grocery stores.

Manuka Honey

Last year, my neighbor introduced me to Manuka honey. I had heard about it before but had never tried it. She raved about it and swears it’s the best overall sweetener with so much more benefits. Here are some of the benefits of Manuka Honey:

Antibacterial – it attacks the biofilms on an infection, destroys then heals it.
Antiviral – Bee enzymes help produce hydrogen peroxide, known to kill germs
It heals cuts and scrapes by sealing the wound to prevent further infection, pulls the germs out of the wound & heals the skin
Improves digestion and helps with stomach aches
Provides energy
Boosts your immune system
Helps with acne & eczema by applying a thin layer of honey over the infected area for an hour then rinse.

According to this health line article there are different ranges to consider when purchasing Manuka Honey based on the UMF (Unique Manuka Factor)

0 to 4: an undetectable amount is present
5 to 9: low levels are present
10 to 15: useful levels are present
16: superior, high-grade levels are present

The higher the UMF the better the benefits. I have been purchasing my Manuka Honey online from amazon but recently I found it at Trader Joes with a UMF of 10. Trader Joes has been the most cost effective place I’ve found h.

I drink a few cups of tea a day and always add Manuka honey to my mug. Research shows, taking 1-2 teaspoons of Manuka honey a day can do wonders for your digestion and immune system. Personally I have been feeling much better overall since incorporating Manuka honey into my nutrition but can’t say definitively that it’s the primary reason for it.

Let me know if you have any sweetener alternatives you’d like to share with me. Leave a comment below or hit me up on Instagram with your suggestions.

EASY SPANISH RICE RECIPE

June 5, 2019

The EASIEST Spanish Rice you will ever make

Backstory

Before my hubby proposed to me, he took me home to meet his family. My late father-in-law was Cuban and came over from Cuba as a young boy. My mother-in-law is Puerto Rican & also came over as a young child. She was the youngest of 16 children in her family. Can you imagine birthing 16 kids? *shivers*

I’m pretty sure they were apprehensive about their son being with someone from Hawaii. I remember my hubby trying to explain to them my nationality. Hawaii is a melting pot with a very small population being 100% pure Hawaiian. Most people are a mix of things: Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Samoan etc. I happen to be a mix of things.

Anyhow as most initial introductions go, it was awkward and uncomfortable, mostly for me. I remember my ex sister-in-law calling the house and my mother-in-law whispering into the phone trying to give her a description of what I looked like. *chuckles* As most of you know from following me on Instagram or SnapChat, my hubby is fair skinned, dark hair and dark eyes. Totally opposite of him, my brother-in-law is caucasian in complexion, dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. FYI neither of them are adopted. lol

To keep everything in context, my ex sister-in-law is white as snow with reddish blonde hair. So you can imagine how, brown skinned me, stood out like a sore thumb at the house. Anyway, right from jump they decided to have a dinner with my brother-in-law, his then wife and my hubbys God-parents.

I remember my late father in law asking me if I wanted a steak because they were making Spanish food. He said it wouldn’t be a problem because he was making one for my ex sister-in-law since she didn’t eat Spanish food. I declined because I was brought up eating a lot of different kinds of food, Spanish food being one of my faves. I shared with him that one of my best friends from College, Cybilee, was Puerto Rican & her family made some awesome Puerto Rican dishes.

But does she really eat Spanish food?

So as they laid out the spread of Spanish food, I helped myself to all of it. I remember this vividly. All of their eyes almost popped out of their heads as I started to eat pasteles and gandule rice (Spanish rice w/ pigeon peas) Perhaps they thought I was lying or just being polite when I said I ate that kind of food but after clearing my plate, they knew I was a keeper.

In fact, when I was pregnant, my inlaws would cook me Spanish food, freeze it and over night it to me all the way from Jersey. Every time we would go and visit my in-laws, I would watch them cook. They both cooked equally amazing. My mother-in-law cooks more from feel and taste. My late father-in-law cooked from a cookbook, which he gave to me before passing.

Over the years, I have taken what I learned from them and put my easy lazy girl spin on it. Because as you well know, I love to eat but I hate slaving in the kitchen. The following recipe is my take on my mother-in-laws Spanish rice with gandule beans (pigeon peas). It’s super easy, inexpensive to make and delicious. Recently, my mother-in-law traveled from Jersey to attend RJ’s graduation, I made this rice for our bbq and she LOVED it. Let me also add that she’s extremely picky about how food tastes so since she ate a lot of it, I know it’s a winner…like me! lol

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