Okinawan dishes my ex taught me to make

[RAHiggins1]

My Ex-wife's family taught me to make several dishes that I do not remember what they were called. I'm going to desribe them and see if A) anyone recognizes them and B) knows what their names are.

Spinach, boiled and drained and mixed with Cupie-mayo.

Spinach, Saute'ed and then stir fried with vermicelli style rice noodle.

Spam and Daikon radish stir fried in salad oil.

Skin on mackeral filets salted and fried in salad oil.

Beef marinated in sake' and served like sashimi. (no heat)

Obvious stuff was rice in a ricemaker (never heard f one before then), Curry from the instant curry (looked like chocolate bars, I see that stuff locally now). Everything was seasoned with dashi powder. I call it dashi because I think it was meant to make instant dashi. I've found it locally as well.

I'm trying to remember a few more, it's been 20 years. I remember I was always asked to make chicken fingers or fried chicken as american food.

So name these for me and I'll try to remember what else.

Edited June 17, 2008 by RAHiggins1 (log)

[Hiroyuki]

Are you sure that all the dishes you described above are Okinawan?

Spinach, Saute'ed and then stir fried with vermicelli style rice noodle.

This sounds like chanpuru (sp?) to me, but rice noodle? Not somen (thin wheat flour noodle)?

[RAHiggins1]

Are you sure that all the dishes you described above are Okinawan?

Spinach, Saute'ed and then stir fried with vermicelli style rice noodle.

This sounds like chanpuru (sp?) to me, but rice noodle? Not somen (thin wheat flour noodle)?

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You know it could be Somen. Very thin, white noodles bundled with a paper band in the middle.

[judec]

Spinach, boiled and drained and mixed with Cupie-mayo.

Beef marinated in sake' and served like sashimi. (no heat)

sounds like a variation on spinach with sesame dressing (horenso no goma-ae)

gyuniku no sashimi? Literally, beef sashimi. Obvious, I know.

[helenjp]

Spam Fried with Daikon Recipe from Cookpad, a big everyday recipe site in Japanese.

1 can spam, sliced thinly

300g (roughly 12 oz) daikon, peeled and sliced thinly

1/2 tsp (roughly) Japanese sesame oil (goma-abura)

1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

black pepper if liked.

Heat pan, fry spam in sesame oil till it sheds fat, add daikon and fry till translucent and soft, sprinkle over soy sauce, turn a few times, turn off heat, add black pepper and a little finely chopped scallion or parsley.

Again, don't know if this is specifically Okinawan - to me the dishes listed seem reminiscent of easy family cooking of that period, rather than local to Okinawa.

[RAHiggins1]

Spam Fried with Daikon Recipe from Cookpad, a big everyday recipe site in Japanese.

1 can spam, sliced thinly

300g (roughly 12 oz) daikon, peeled and sliced thinly

1/2 tsp (roughly) Japanese sesame oil (goma-abura)

1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

black pepper if liked.

Heat pan, fry spam in sesame oil till it sheds fat, add daikon and fry till translucent and soft, sprinkle over soy sauce, turn a few times, turn off heat, add black pepper and a little finely chopped scallion or parsley.

Again, don't know if this is specifically Okinawan - to me the dishes listed seem reminiscent of easy family cooking of that period,  rather than local to Okinawa.

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Yea that's entirely possible. They live in Kin cho which is a very rural community where they spend their entire day farming their 23 seperate lots each about a quarter to a half acre in size. I remember that if you made somethng and it was not greasy enough, they would add fat to it. I know that here as very country. Just good, simple, people who ate good, simple, food.

Oh, there was one time when I had just arrived and they were eating lunch. It was a squid ink soup with little clams of some sort in it.

Edited June 22, 2008 by RAHiggins1 (log)

[helenjp]

Extra fat - now that probably is Okinawan. Daikon and ham is a favorite combination throughout Japan, but Daikon and spam sounds old-fashioned.

The soup sounds interesting. Can you tell me more?

[RAHiggins1]

Extra fat - now that probably is Okinawan. Daikon and ham is a favorite combination throughout Japan, but Daikon and spam sounds old-fashioned.

The soup sounds interesting. Can you tell me more?

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Look at the bottom picture on this link Ikasumi Jiru

There is also a bitter melon stir fry presented. I was looking at bitter melons yesterday in the asian market wondering what could be done with it. Now I know.

Edited June 24, 2008 by RAHiggins1 (log)