Cheap Eats

At The Cat’s office today. Always a challenge hunting for food, mall food. Either too pricey for what I get or not appealing (sometimes both).

Ended up at the supermarket in the mall. Cheap eats.

Oyako Don

Rice topped with eggs simmered with onions, Japanese fishcake, red ginger. Think Japanese style savory custard (or quiche filling on rice).

Okara

The solid remains of soybeans after the milk is filtered for tofu (ohh sounds yummy, heh heh). Mixed with soy sauce, sugar, and vegetables. Only side effect is it makes me very very gassy (sorry TMI). The Cat did not appreciate me in the office. Hee hee!

This used to be used for animal feed. I wonder who was the first person to think of making this edible for people. And did that person experience gas too? Hmm.

Andagi

Okinawan fried donuts. So bad for me but taste so good (not to worry, I shared).

Both the okara and andagi were on the clearance table for almost half-price. Pake Mouse rules.

Chocolate Covered Mochi Crunch Crakers

From Chocolates on a Mission (the non-profit that trains people in transition). Chocolate dipped Japanese savory crackers. Is it me or do these candies look a little phallic? Excuse me while I go wash my mind out with soap.

Everthing for less than seven dollars. There’s hope in mall food after all.

Enjoy. Eat well.

The Mouse

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Eggs (And Things)

A surplus of eggs (long story).

Rather than just fried eggs, I decided to make a “clean out the refrig egg fu yung” (or sloppy frittata if you will).

Egg Fu Yung I

Eggs, carrots, Napa cabbage, and Romaine lettuce.

The Cat said yum.

Egg Fu Yung II

Second night, house smoked salmon (not my house, someone else’s), tomato, and of course eggs (a Chinese tomato and eggs variation).

The Cat said nom.

The presentations were ugly but the taste was there, have to work on my plating skills.

Enjoy. Eat well.

p.s. Happy Female Parental Unit Day! Hee hee!

The Mouse

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SPAM Was Involved

Not digital spam, the good SPAM.

There used to be a little breakfast place that was popular with the locals, Eggs and Things (451 Piikoi Street, Honolulu, Hawaii). The last time we were there, they were still at their original location at the edge of Waikiki.

Near the cashier counter there was a little plaque with caricatures of a cow, a pig, and a chicken on the left side. The little animals were pointing to the right. On  the right side there was a caricature of a fish. The message in the middle said “Please eat fish”. Very funny.

A while back there was a kitchen fire and the placed closed for a long time. When they re-opened, they opened closer to the center of Waikiki.

Then the unthinkable happened. They were discovered by tourist. Shudder.

Good for them, not so good for locals. Long lines and higher prices.

We haven’t visited since.

From one small single restaurant, the owners have expanded to three locations.

Got the chance to try their newest location near the mall this week. Prices are still on the high side (in my opinion), but I wasn’t paying.

A dish that caught my attention. Minced Meat w/ Green Onions and Scrambled Eggs. Choose one of the following: Portuguese Sausage, Ham, Spam, or Bacon. It was a little cheaper than an omelet with the same ingredients.

Minced Meat w/ Green Onions and Scrambled Eggs

In my mind, SPAM pairs better with green onions. SPAM it is.

Pancakes

The dish also came with a choice of starch, I usually choose pancakes.

This was also my first time trying the green milder Tabasco sauce. It’s become an instant favorite.

Condiments

All in all, it was okay, good to try. Will I be back? Not too often (unless someone else is paying). I feel there are “hole in the walls” that I am very satisfied with at a lower cost (I guess I’m more of a “hole in the wall” kind of mouse).  Which is kind of appropriate since mice tend to live in mouse holes (at least in the cartoons). Hee hee.

Enjoy. Eat well.

The Mouse

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The Cat Chef

We used part of the Whole Foods gift card to pick up two organic tomatoes.

Organic Tomato

We had four eggs left. She wanted to make scrambled eggs and tomato, Chinese style. Seems like the dish is known in all regions of China. One of her favorite.

I stayed out of the kitchen.

She scrambled the eggs, sliced the tomato, quickly sautéed it, then incorporated the two. The result.

Eggs and Tomato, Chinese Style

The third major ingredient is green onions (or spring onions). We didn’t have any. The Cat used a little fresh basil instead.

I thought the dish was pretty good. However, we both agreed there was something missing. I believe we can’t get the pan hot enough (no fire breathing dragon heating our stove). The Cat thought it needed a little more oil in the pan, plus the heat.

Still, pretty good since The Cat rarely cooks. But with practice …

Enjoy. Eat well.

The Mouse

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Gordon Ramsey’s Scrambled Eggs

Found this video on YouTube, Gordon Ramsey’s scrambled eggs. The instructions seems to counter everything I learned on how to make scrambled eggs. Thought I’d give it a try today.

I kind of followed the instructions, sort of. Instead of butter, I used Smart Balance spread (we don’t normally keep butter in the house). Almond milk instead of crème fraîche. And green onions instead of chives.  No mushrooms nor tomatoes, didn’t have any. Also, I sprayed the pan with non-stick spray at the start.

Had to kind of experiment what “generous heat” was. Started on high but was too hot, turned it down to medium. Stirred, stirred, and stirred. After a few minutes, added the green onions and almond milk, stirred some more, and I got this.

Scrambled Eggs

Plated the eggs on a piece of whole wheat toast.

Gordon Ramsey’s Scrambled Eggs

Not bad at all. The texture is way different from what I’m used to, more saucy smoother texture. I’m not giving up on whipping in a bowl and pre-heating the pan though. Both methods are good.

Next time I’ll have to pick up butter and crème fraîche. Maybe some bacon lardon, or pre-cooked ground pork, or … the possibilities are endless. Heh heh.

Enjoy. Eat well.

The Mouse

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