‘The Choy of Cooking
Sam Choy serves Gingered Scallops with Soba Noodles
on glass platters created by Babs Miyamoto.
THE problem with most "coffee table" cookbooks - the ones with the mouth-wateringly luscious color pictures on lustrous paper - is that they stay on the coffee table.A cookbook isn't any good if it's too beautiful to use, or worse, too complicated to be of use. A cookbook's place is in the kitchen. It's meant to get dusted with flour once in a while, or spattered with the occasional drop of sauce.
Leave it to the people's chef, Sam Choy, to come up with a cookbook that may very well become the most-used you have. "The Choy of Cooking" contains recipes simple enough to make a novice look like a pro and recipes challenging or different enough to stir a pro's imagination.
"The Choy of Cooking" features text by Star-Bulletin food writer Catherine Kekoa Enomoto, sharing Choy's philosophies on the raw ingredients of local cooking, from ginger and black beans to fishing and friendship.
Each of the more than 150 recipes features a nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, of Exploring New Concepts, a nutrition scientist who also analyzes recipes for the Star-Bulletin.
In addition to analyzing Choy's recipes, Dobbs offers two pages of healthy cooking tips, as well as some tips for lowering the fat in the recipes. For instance, in a recipe for Grandma's Meatloaf she suggests replacing heavy cream with milk and for Ginger Steamed Mussels she simply suggests omitting butter.
And of course, the reader won't be able to ignore the book's beauty as designed by Leo Gonzalez, with photos styled by Faith Ogawa and snapped by Douglas Peebles. Most of the tableware that showcases the food in photographs was provided by local artists who are credited for their work in the back of the book.
It's a win-win effort for those who love food and those who love the arts. Here are sample recipes:
2 cups dried beans (kidney, pinto or small red)Soak beans in water overnight. Drain.
2 smoked ham hocks or shanks
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 10-ounce Portuguese sausage
2 cups diced potato
2 cups diced carrots
1-1/2 cups diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
2 cups tomato puree
Salt and pepper to taste
In a stockpot, combine soaked beans, ham hocks, chicken stock, cilantro and water to cover (about 6 cups). Bring to a boil; simmer until meat and beans are tender.
Remove skin and bones from ham hocks; shred meat and return to stock. Slice and fry Portuguese sausage and blot with paper towel. Add sausage to stockpot along with potatoes, carrots, onion, celery and tomato puree. Cook until potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Goes great with fresh baked bread. Makes 18 servings.
Approximate nutrition analysis per serving (based on 1/2 teaspoon total added salt): 290 calories, 15 grams total fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 55 milligrams cholesterol, 620 milligrams sodium * Lower fat tip: Use 2 pounds minced Canadian bacon instead of ham hocks to achieve 9 grams total fat and 240 calories per serving.*
5 pounds boneless chicken thighs
Marinade:1/2 cup miso (fermented soybean paste)Combine marinade ingredients and marinate chicken overnight in refrigerator. Grill over charcoal. Eat with plenty of rice! Makes 16 servings.
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup beer
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Approximate nutrition analysis per serving: 400 calories, 26 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 120 milligrams cholesterol, 920 milligrams sodium * Lower fat tip: Use 5 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast to achieve 6 grams total fat and 250 calories per serving.*
1-1/2 pounds scallops
2 teaspoons canola oil
Marinade:1-1/2 tablespoons dry white wine
1-1/2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced red bell pepper (or 1 Hawaiian red chile pepper, seeded and minced)
1 tablespoon minced yellow bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and white pepper to taste
Pasta mixture:1/2 pound soba (Japanese thin brown wheat noodles)Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl and marinate scallops.
12 fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/2 cup julienned red bell pepper
1/2 cup julienned zucchini
12 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Cook soba according to package directions; drain. In a large mixing bowl, combine soba with remaining pasta-mixture ingredients. Toss.
In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat and saute scallops 1-1/2 minutes on each side; do not overcook. Pour scallops and pan juices right over soba. Serves 6.
Approximate nutrition analysis per serving (based on 1/4 teaspoon total added salt): 300 calories, 6 grams total fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat, 35 milligrams cholesterol, 520 milligrams sodium * Lower fat tip: Already meets low-fat guidelines set by the federal Nutrition Labeling and Education Act.*
Sam Choy will be at the following locations to autograph copies of his new book, "The Choy of Cooking":Saturday - 2 to 4 p.m. at Kona Safeway
Sunday - 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Wal-Mart Mililani; 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Wal-Mart Kunia; 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Times Kunia
Monday - 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Costco Aiea; 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Costco Hawaii Kai
Nov. 30 - 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Kaneohe Marine Exchange; 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Schofield Aloha Shop; 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Times Waimalu