THE ELECTRIC KITCHEN
Cool meals keep heat and hunger down
The Electric Kitchen / Hawaiian Electric Co.
NOW that summer's heat is here, we thought we'd share some cool meal ideas that will still satisfy a hungry appetite. Cool noodles fill you up without weighing you down. And what's nice about these recipes is you can prepare them the night before, leaving you free to enjoy the summer fun all day long!
Firecracker Noodle Salad
1 head romaine, chopped
2 cups cooked soba (buckwheat) noodles
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup shredded daikon
1 Japanese cucumber, julienned
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 cup shredded red cabbage
» Pineapple-Ginger Dressing:
1 cup rice vinegar
1 cup crushed pineapple
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup turbinado or brown sugar
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup minced yellow bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1-1/2 teaspoons grated ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons dried tarragon
White pepper, to taste
To prepare dressing: Combine all ingredients; whisk until well blended. For a finer texture, use a blender. Chill several hours or overnight.
Attractively arrange all the salad ingredients in a dish. Just before serving, top with dressing over salad. Extra dressing may be used with greens, pasta, or meat. Serves 8.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (not including salt to taste): 130 calories, 0.5 g total fat, no saturated fat or cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 15 g sugar, 4 g protein
Cold Japanese Noodles (Chirashi Saimin)
1 package (10 ounces) refrigerated saimin (or ramen) noodles
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 package (12-ounce size) bean sprouts
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
3 sheets tamagoyaki (Japanese-style thinly fried egg sheet)
1 cucumber
1/4 pound char siu (Chinese sweet roasted pork)
1/2 block (9-ounce size) kamaboko (Japanese steamed fish cake)
1 can (7-3/4 ounces) crab, flaked
» Sauce:
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Cook noodles in boiling water 1 minute; rinse in cold water and drain well.
Combine sauce ingredients. Mix half of sauce with noodles, arrange on platter; refrigerate.
Heat vegetable oil in skillet; add bean sprouts. Season with salt and pepper; sauté quickly.
Cut tamagoyaki, cucumber, char siu and kamaboko into thin strips. Arrange on noodles with bean sprouts and crab. Pour remaining sauce over all. Serves 8.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 200 calories, 7 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 125 mg cholesterol, greater than 1,200 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 20 g protein
Chilled Noodles (Lang Mein)
1 pound Canton noodles
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound chicken breasts, cooked
2 medium cucumbers, shredded
2 eggs, beaten
» Dressing:
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons minced green onion
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sherry
Few drops hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Cook noodles according to package directions; rinse and drain. Mix noodles with vegetable oil. Arrange on serving platter.
Remove bones from chicken; shred meat. Arrange chicken and cucumbers on noodles.
In a skillet, fry eggs in a thin sheet; shred. Sprinkle over noodle mixture. Chill.
Combine dressing ingredients and pour over noodles. Serves 6.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 450 calories, 11 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 115 mg cholesterol, 1,000 mg sodium, 62 g carbohydrate, 11 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 30 g protein
Hawaiian Electric Co. presents this weekly collection of recipes as a public service. Many are drawn from HECO's database of recipes, accessible online at
www.heco.com.