Main Ingredient

March 18, 2010

Island Sides

Today, we continue our expedition into the world of low sodium Hawaiian cuisine. But first, a spoiler alert: Friday brings a big bang of a recipe for drippy, delicious, fall-off-the-bone Char Sui Spare Ribs. So leave your restraint and dignity at the door and grab yourself a bib for this one. Until then, I’m tiding you over with some low sodium Island sides that are as essential to a complete Hawaiian meal as a tropical drink with a miniature umbrella. First, Coconut Black Rice, or as it is also called, “Forbidden Rice.” This black grain turns a deep purple when […]

March 16, 2010

Kalua Pork – An Interpretation

I am a big fan of a luau and one of the most well-known dishes served at these celebrations is the famed Kalua pork. You just can’t have a luau without one – it’s almost as important as hula dancing. Almost. The word kalua literally means “cooked in an underground oven” and this is how the pork is traditionally prepared. Hot lava rocks lined with large banana leaves are used to form the underground oven, called an “imu.” Then, a salted pig is placed inside, covered with more banana leaves, a burlap sack, and dirt, and left to steam all […]

March 8, 2010

Puerto Rican Challenge

A cook club. It’s like a book club, but without all the reading and the guilt of only getting through the first 30 pages. Plus, your main focus is on eating and sharing in culinary delights. Now, that’s my kind of food for thought. Last week, I connected with fellow SF food blogger and adventure seeker, Anne Pao, for our first of many cook club gatherings. While she is not a “challenged” eater like myself – no dietary restrictions for this gal – she is always up for a dining adventure. Whether it is sucking crab meat directly from […]

March 1, 2010

Gimme A Beet

It is the end of February and that means San Francisco has had a few days of faux-spring weather, causing me to swap the soup ladle for the grill. While I love a good beef patty, there is something about the taste of a nutty veggie burger. But the pre-made brands are skyrocketing with sodium and, although I have tried creating a chickpea patty of my own, the addition of breadcrumbs made it taste more like a falafel than a hamburger. This isn’t a bad thing, just not the result I was looking for. So I wondered, what vegetable is […]

February 12, 2010

A Super(bowl) Makeover Story

I don’t know about you, but I rolled home last sunday full of chili, chips, and chicken wings. I love Super Bowl Sunday for a variety of reasons – mainly good time spent with friends and the excuse to be overly-gluttonous. But I forgot that on Super Bowl Sunday, even more so than on my second favorite holiday of the year – Thanksgiving – our eyes become much bigger than our stomachs. And I came home on Sunday evening with a tupperware tub full of spicy, ginger chicken wings that needed to be consumed. Now, wasting food annoys me more […]

February 9, 2010

Cooking with Kaz – The Novel

I’m sure none of you could sleep well last night, awaiting today’s big reveal of Kaz’s five-course, Shojin feast. I think I’m personally working on about four hours of sleep. So let’s jump right in and get to the good stuff. I just can’t wait any longer. Last Friday, I invited three friends over to share in my low sodium, Japanese cooking project and our evening with Kaz couldn’t have been more special. He is one of the warmest people I have ever met and Kaz immediately made himself at home. He regaled us with stories from Japan, LA, and […]

February 1, 2010

Once You Pop, You Can't Stop

Sometimes, it’s nice to take tradition and flip it on its head. The oyster po’ boy sandwich is an old favorite – a seaside comfort food that stirs up memories of overcast Half Moon Bay weather, a cold brew, and a bonfire. There is something clunky and majestic about this treat that calls for it to be eaten from a paper boat plate, away from the rugs and white couches of one’s home. So to make it a home-cook, classic, I needed to repackage the recipe and turn it into a one-bite wonder. I took all of the sandwich’s magical […]

January 28, 2010

A Tale of Two Cods

One of my proudest achievements so far, as a low sodium cook, has been creating a recipe for Faux Miso-Marinated Cod. If you have never experienced the real thing, a two-day, miso/sake/mirin bath gives this already fatty fish a sweet and silky flavor that really does melt in your mouth. I personally believe it is one of the greatest ways to prepare fish. The texture is satisfying and the taste overcomes any remnants of fishy-ness that might displease your palate. It is an utterly decadent dish and as an added bonus, incredibly easy to cook. The problem? Miso contains over […]

January 25, 2010

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, the Lunch Edition

Last week, I played caterer to a very special guest. Apron tied on tight, prep bowls aplenty, and a glass of white wine to keep me cool under pressure, I served a three course meal that was light, bright, and of course, low in sodium. While my companion’s identity will remain anonymous – sorry, I’m keeping this one to myself – I will share with you the secrets that made this mid-afternoon feast an easy success. I went simple, choosing recipes that I could make the evening before, that required minimal attention, and that, well, honestly, had a lot of margin […]

January 19, 2010

Soup's On

Say hello to a bowl of caramelized fennel corn chowder. It was noon thirty on Sunday and I was hungry. But it was raining, I was pretty full from breakfast, and what I really needed to focus on was cleaning the house. Never a good sign when your feet turn dusty gray from walking around barefoot. So I did what I always do when I want something healthy, light, and quick to eat. I made soup. But I’m not talking pour-it-from-a-can, chunky chicken and wimpy noodle soup. I’m talking about a delicate, earthy soup that is complex in flavor and […]

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