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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, February 13, 2002

Keep basics on hand for quick, easy meals

By Kaui Philpotts
Advertiser Staff Writer

Everyone marvels at my cookbook collection. Walk into my kitchen and there it is, stacked to the ceiling across one entire wall of the room. I must admit it sometimes impresses even me. So you'd think that, with all those recipes at my fingertips, I'd never run out of ideas for dinner. Wrong.

Fried rice ingredients, clockwise from bottom left: garlic, soy sauce, bean sprouts, marinated pork and rice. Kim chee may be added.

Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

I have been known to go for a week trying to avoid the supermarket. I do take-out, I scheme ways to go out to dinner instead, and whenever possible, I live out of my pantry and freezer. It's only when the fresh fruit and vegetables are gone that I get a hold of myself and go grocery shopping.

I have learned the value of a stocked cupboard especially for these times. If you always have basics on hand, you can whip something up. Here are some ideas:

• Rice: Always have a big bag on hand of local-style, short- or medium-grain white rice (or brown if you like it). If you haven't tried one of the new and improved rices from California, do so. They are delicious. Long-grain jasmine rice also is nice.

• Pasta: Have a supply of dried, good-quality spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, egg noodles and macaroni on hand. It takes little else to make a quick supper. When you buy the pasta, stock up on a couple of bottles of good pasta sauce. Most prepared sauces need only a little doctoring with garlic, herbs and wine to make them taste like they were made from scratch.

• Canned goods: Buy basic canned goods when they're sale. Stock reduced-sodium and -fat chicken broth for quick soups (egg drop and chicken noodle), coconut milk (for curry sauce), tuna (for sandwiches, casseroles and creamed dishes). I have my personal favorites, too, such as lychees, mandarin oranges (great to throw into salads) and olives. If you cook East Asian foods, have bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.

• Sauces, spices and preserves: Always have soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce (if you use it), ketchup and worcestershire or steak sauce. Make sure you have graduated to freshly ground pepper (buy yourself a mill) and have introduced yourself to sea salt. Hawaiian salt, or one of those local salt mixes, are good to have on hand for meats of all kinds. I always have a box of Japanese curry cubes in the cupboard, too.

Good mustards (one dijon and one honey) as well as wasabi are a must. Make sure you stock up on mango chutney, pepper jelly and your favorite preserves (orange marmalade can do wonders for a deglazed pork roast) at school or church fairs. Dried shiitake mushrooms and packages of nuts (walnuts, slivered almonds and peanuts) come in handy for kicking dishes up a notch and adding crunch.

Buy good olive oils when you see them on sale. Try to have an assortment of vinegars — not the fancy herbed ones necessarily, but plain white vinegar, a wine vinegar and a balsamic vinegar.

When I cook with wine, I often use the balance of a bottle left over from the night before. Don't use cooking wine. If you wouldn't drink it, don't think you can get away with cooking with it.

Throw some Portuguese sausage, bacon, grated cheese and packaged vegetables into the freezer for meals you can put together in a flash. Packets of saimin noodles also are a lifesaver.

The next time you are caught in a bind for dinner, consider these easy-to-prepare and quick dishes.

• • •

This one is adapted from "The Tastes and Tales of Mo'ili'ili."

Korean-style Fried Rice

1/4 pound pork, thinly sliced (ground pork or char siu also work)
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (12-ounce) package bean sprouts, washed and drained
3 cups cooked rice (leftovers are best)
1 cup minced green onion

In a small bowl, marinate the pork in the sesame oil, sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce and garlic for about 15 minutes. In a skillet, heat the vegetable oil and stir-fry the pork until cooked through, about 2 or 3 minutes.

Add the bean sprouts and cold rice and stir-fry another 2 minutes or so, breaking up the rice clumps as you fry. Add 3 tablespoons soy sauce and green onion and toss until well mixed and heated through.

Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings. (If you have kim chee in the refrigerator, chop it and add to the rice.)

• • •

This is from "Entertaining," by Donna Hay.

Noodle Bowl with BBQ Pork

8 dried Chinese mushrooms
13 ounces fresh or thawed frozen udon noodles
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup wine or sherry
6 slices ginger
1 green chili, seeded and sliced
2 stalks green onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 cups chopped bok choy
12 ounces char siu
Chili pepper water, chopped chilies or chili oil

Place the mushrooms in a bowl, cover with boiling water and allow to soak for about 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze dry. Slice them into pieces. Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop the noodles in for about 1 minute, until they are soft. If you are using frozen noodles, cook according to the package directions. Do not overcook.

Drain and divide the noodles into separate bowls. In a saucepan, over high heat, combine the chicken stock, wine, ginger, chile, green onions and cilantro. Bring to a boil. Add the bok choy to the stock and cook for a minute or two. Add the stock to the noodles, arrange the bok choy, char siu and mushrooms on top.

Serve with chili pepper water, chilies or chili oil. Serves 6.

• • •

Chicken with Mushrooms

1 tablespoon sherry or mirin
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
Pepper to taste
1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into pieces
8 dried Chinese mushrooms
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup sliced bamboo shoots
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Cilantro and chopped green onions for garnish

In a bowl, make a marinade with the sherry, oyster sauce and pepper. Add the chicken to the marinade and soak for about 5 or 10 minutes. In a bowl, pour hot water over the mushrooms and allow to soak for about 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze dry. In a wok or skillet, heat the oil and stir-fry the marinated chicken until it is almost cooked through.

Remove the chicken to another plate. In another tablespoon of oil, stir-fry the mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Return the chicken to the pan. In a bowl, mix the cornstarch, sugar, chicken broth and soy sauce until smooth and pour over the chicken mixture. Cook until sauce comes to a boil and thickens.

Garnish with cilantro or green onions. Serve with rice or noodles. Serves 4.