THE best noodles – YOUPO!

Posted on October 20, 2022 by Aunty

(This post is for you, Jenny!)

I used to think that Lam’s Kitchen had the best noodles in town. Located on the corner of Maunakea and N. Pauahi, their noodles are the bomb – freshly made, silky soft and delightful in soup, with gravy topping, or great stir fried.

However, Pal Wandaful is always game for good noodles and I told her about MaybeItsJenny’s recommendation of a true hole-in-the-wall a few blocks away from there that had really good Beef Brisket Lo Mein – Kukui Cafe. Jenny is a true foodie, as is my Pal Wandaful, and so we went and enjoyed their Beef Brisket Lo Mein along with an order of moist and perfectly cooked salt and pepper chicken wings. Really good – and we didn’t have to worry about dishes or cups being dirty because everything was on paper or plastic plates and cups.

Since we were Downtown we stopped in to see the new and much smaller Robyn Buntin Gallery to ask about a new noodle maker they told us about before – Byong byong, or something like that. I lucked out and found an illegal parking space right in front of Robyn’s place and asked what and where the noodle people were and lo and behold – there were the noodle people – right behind my illegally parked car loading up their truck for the Blaisdell Farmers Market!

Talk about food fate! Wandaful and I HAD to check them out and boy are we glad we did. Their name is Youpo Noodles Hawaii and people follow them on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youponoodleshi/?hl=en. They make Biang Biang Mein (the sound of the noodles stretching).

We had their Cumin Lamb with cabbage, choy sum, bean sprouts, soy & black vinegar ($17), Duck with mustard greens, cabbage, choy sum, bean sprouts, soy & black vinegar ($17), and their Mushroom Tofu with cabbage, choy sum, bean sprouts, soy & black vinegar ($15).

All of them were SOOOOO good! My favorite was the Mushroom Tofu which was quite spicy – but then, I do like spicy. The sauce is indescribable – so I won’t try to describe it. Okay, maybe I will try. Savory, rich, fragrant, sexy. The noodles were unbelievable. Soft yet chewy, thick and frilly, long and continuous. The sauce, toppings and noodles were like a symphony. A masterpiece that has to be eaten fresh.

Youpo Noodles are at Blaisdell on Wednesday afternoons, Kailua Farmers market on Thursday mornings, and the super busy Kakaako Farmers market on Saturday mornings. We going again next Wednesday, right, Wandaful?

Here is a first time iMovie I did with my iphone and posted it on YouTube showing how it is made. That was a rather excruciating process that was also kind of surprisingly easy!

Update: I went again to the Wednesday Farmer’s Market today because I didn’t get to go with Wandaful last week. She cooked up her leftovers with more veggies such as bok choy, which made it less spicy. According to her, it was still good a few days later. Today I ordered the mushroom tofu again – and found out from 2 ladies that were thinking about ordering – that the mushroom tofu had 4 chili peppers – so it is the hottest. Yup, it was, but oh so ono! And like Wandaful, I will save the leftovers (instead of letting my son-in-law eat the rest) and stir fry it another day with veggies. Or, I wonder how it would be in broth like saimin. Maybe next time I’ll see if I can just order plain noodles for my little grandson to try. He will probably love the thick chewy-ness. Such a treat!

Ring and the Neighborhood

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Aunty

I remember the first time I encountered a Ring doorbell. I went to visit my brother in Palolo but no one was home after I went to their front door. Then I had to jump back because my brother’s voice came out of the woodwork and said “Hi! We’re at Costco right now.” and I could hear my sister-in-law laughing in the background because she could see my shocked reaction via the Ring camera.

A few years after that, I decided to buy one for my front door and it has been one of the best techie gadgets ever. It is super easy to install – especially if it is the battery model. My grandson loves to ring it and hear the chimes and I can see whoever is there whether they press the door bell or just pass by. $39 per year will save videos so I can scroll backwards and see who came by (as well as seeing myself going in and out). There are several different models that can be found on the Ring.com website and once you sign up and buy one, you get special deals and discounts (so now I have a second ring for my back door). At first I balked at paying $39/year but it comes out to a bit more than $3/month and being able to scroll back is a wonderful feature vs. only getting live views that are not recorded.

The Neighborhood app

Just the doorbell and video features are great, but what is even niftier is the sister app to Ring called Neighbors. I signed up for notifications about crime, lost animals, community events all within a certain range from where I live. I get notifications about break ins, weird people walking into yards – captured and shared videos posted by other Ring users in my vicinity. There are some unlawful incidents and the perpetrators are caught on camera to alert us and help the police catch them.

Tonight, the Ring Neighborhood app brought home my daughter’s doggie.

Toshi wandered out of the yard around noon because the side gate was left open. Usually he hangs around since he is 14 years old, slow, and deaf but this time I didn’t notice that he was missing until a couple of hours had passed. I drove around and around and then put on my walking shoes after killing my feet with rubber slippers and walked for blocks in the hot sun asking people if they saw a loose dog. I gave up in the evening, called the Humane Society to report a lost dog, posted on Facebook’s Paw Posse Ohana (which takes a few hours to be moderated and approved), and then decided to try the Ring Neighborhood app.

I described the situation and posted pictures of Toshi. The app shows the general vicinity of where I live and immediately I started getting feedback and support from others in my neighborhood, asking what cross streets I lived on, kind sympathetic messages of hope, people saying that they would go driving around, etc. Within 10 minutes, a message showed up with a phone number and that they found Toshi! He was on a leash at a man’s house and when they saw him and asked the man about it, he said he found a dog roaming around on the street, fed him, and was taking him out to poop, hoping someone would show up looking for their dog.

I called the number and was given an address. I zoomed over and found a nice young couple (Tessa and James) in front of their house holding Toshi in their arms. The kindness of strangers. A community of caring individuals. How wonderful is that.

It makes me want to cheer: “I’m from Kaimuki and no one could be prouder. And if you cannot hear me, I’ll yell a little louder! …..”

I love this neighborhood and Ring helps us to be better neighbors. A big mahalo to Ring and its Neighborhood app. It makes me want to cheer for Ring but it’s hard to figure one out for a name that is just one syllable. “Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!”

Apps that I could not resist

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Aunty

I am a take out queen. It is a terrible admission but that is who and what I am. I KNOW I should be cooking healthy dishes and I do thoroughly enjoy a good home cooked meal (mahalo Wandaful!) but all those preparation logistics such as rinsing and starting the rice pot and defrosting frozen meats make me dizzy. And so, I do take out and fast food.

This month, I downloaded the Zipster app. This is a new app by Zippy’s Restaurants to replace the old one. I had paid my $20 annual dues to be in the Senior discount club saving me 10% on my purchases there but that program was going to be discontinued SO they offered me a refund check of $20 or a credit of $100 if I joined the Zipster app. Of course I opted for the $100 and followed the instructions on their fun “how to” video. So now I have $100 in food credit! My first purchase with the app with be a glazed donut. I love Zippy’s glazed donuts. After any first purchase by September 30, I earn a Zip Pack meal – woohoo, such a deal!

The next app I downloaded was the McDonald’s app. Why? Because I made a bet with a friend and lost. The bet was for lunch and he wanted a Big Mac meal. I hadn’t eaten at McDonalds for decades – other than getting their 99¢ large Coca Cola in drive through. I took a bite of my Big Mac. Surprise! It was delicious! Juicy, with dill pickles and shredded lettuce on a soft bun. Probably totally unhealthy but REALLY tasty and satisfying. (Good for the soul but not for the body.)

So he heard from pal Cookie about the deals on the app. Buy one Big Mac, get one free – and our mutual friend downloaded the app and we kept making Big Mac bets, happily winning or losing, going through the drive through windows and getting 2 Big Macs and our 99¢ Coca Colas. Easy to do – order through the deal through the app and tell the drive through teller the 4 digit code that pops up. We order our sodas after we supply the app codes. Only one deal can be done at a time (so we didn’t order french fries.)

But today, my daughter said the deal is a Big Mac and fries for $4.01. Ayeeyah! So I downloaded the McDonald’s app (very fast) and sure enough – that was the deal today. A thank you for signing up deal is a free large fries expiring on August 31, which I will use in the coming weeks. Yum yum yum.

Guess what I am having for lunch today!

Oldies

Posted on August 12, 2022 by Aunty

I will soon be old enough to collect the maximum amount of Social Security benefits. Seven decades old.

I walk past windows and if there is a mirror, I sometimes see a senior citizen dressed rather nicely and then I realize that it is me in the reflection. Ouch! Am I THAT old woman?

Yep, I am. And I am growing up and learning to accept it and embrace it. Getting older is quite wonderful. The hidden “rules” of youth such as not farting in public are relaxed and we learn to chuckle at those gastric escapes when they occur.

And old songs that we forgot come into our ear space with the wonders of the internet, such as this oldie by The Seekers that brings back penguin feelings that Uncle and I shared, “I’ll Never Find Another You.”

How to fold tea towels

Posted on May 27, 2022 by Aunty

I found this Tik Tok video and it took me a few tries because they make it look easier than it is – but I love it! (More KNF posts soon to come. Aunty is taking a little break of busyness.)

WARNING: the music in the video is really LOUD. I don’t know how to mute it…

OHN – Oriental Herbal Nutrient

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Aunty

This is the hardest formula to make because it has many steps, uses many bottles, and takes a long time to complete. This is also one of the most important formulas and is used in many of the solutions such as IMO3, Plant Maintenance Spray, Seed Soak Solution, etc. This is medicine for soil, plants, animals and people. It aids in digestion and metabolization, creating environments for pathogenic reduction. It prevents disease and improves beneficial microbes – for our garden as well as for us humans.

Here is a video done by Chris Trump that demonstrates the beginning of the process using dried angelica, licorice, cinnamon, ginger, and garlic:

This might be fun for some people to do but it was just too much work for me. Stirring, adding, subtracting, and storing separately until the end would not be fun at all for this aunty.

So, what did I do? I checked out Chris Trump’s shop (best deal at 32 oz for $64.95) but haven’t been able to get any because it has been out of stock for weeks now. So I shopped on Etsy and found a couple of sellers that sold OHN in 8 oz bottles for quite a bit more BUT I had to have OHN to continue on in my solution and IMO making processes, so I bit the bullet and ordered it. I am hoping to be able to buy some locally – there are some avid KNF people on the Big Island that could be a resource for me, but for now, I have enough to last because OHN is used at a 1:1000 ratio in the plant formulas which works out to 2 ml per half gallon of water or 4 ml per gallon. 4ml is a little less than a teaspoon.

In addition to using it for my soil and plants, I put some in a small tincture bottle and add one drop to our old dog’s water every day. I also put a drop in water and drink it myself when I remember.

If any of you do decide to make this and have a lot of extra, please let me know and I’ll be your customer!

FPJ – Fermented Plant Juice, KNF

Posted on April 10, 2022 by Aunty

This is another easy recipe of the Korean Natural Farming formulas. Use vibrant “good” plant stock, i.e. herbal plants that supply good health benefits, or plants that thrive with vigorous plant tops. Some examples are comfrey, purslane (portulaca), watercress, sweet potato leaves, emerging mango leaves (unless allergic to mango), moringa, parsley, etc. Plants that grow in your region work best for your garden.

Pal Cleta came for a visit and saw a weed in my lawn and pointed out that it was a Hawaiian herb called uhaloa that was very good for respiratory problems – and the remedy was to pick 9 leaves and steep as a tea. Who would know that? And another friend had pointed out another weed that is called pakai, a prickly amaranth that is good for stomach disorders, cholesterol, inflammation, skin disorders. These and so many other plants are great candidates for FPJ. I now have a new appreciation for the my weeds.

Drake of KNFsupport.org considers these FPJ formulas as food/medicine not just for plants, but also for humans. He will dilute some in water and drink it. The beauty of KNF is that all these formulas are not just good for plants and soil – they are also good for us.

How to make FPJ

Wake up early – just before the sun rises – and clip the tips of the vigorous growing plant. Do not wash off dirt if present. Only gather one type of plant, i.e. purslane only. Layer in a jar with a wide mouth so you can add brown sugar to cover. Massage the plant material and brown sugar until the leaves begin to wilt. Pack tightly, cover with a permeable lid (paper towel and rubber band), and keep in cool dark place for a few days.

After awhile, the leaves and stems float to the top and a syrupy liquid forms on the bottom. Remove the plant material and strain the liquid into a clean bottle. Do not squeeze the leftover plant material to extract every bit possible. Discard the leaves and stems. Label, seal bottle with a permeable lid, and store in a cool dark place for up to a year.

How to use FPJ

Unlike LAB, this is not used as a stand alone product for plants or soil, but it is part of solutions such as Seed Soak or Plant Maintenance solutions. However, the College of Tropical Agriculture at the University of Hawaii has an info sheet on it, and they use it in a 1:500 or 1:800 dilution (1 or 1 1/2 tsp per gallon of water) as a soil drench or spray. It is best to use each plant’s “juice” on itself, i.e. tomato FPJ on tomato plants. Various different FPJs can be combined while diluting. Have fun making this and watching your plants thrive!

Here is a really good video of Alika Atay showing how he makes FPJ from purslane (portulaca, pig weed). Good stuff!

Genki Balls – KNF related

Posted on April 3, 2022 by Aunty

Yesterday (Saturday, April 2, 2022), a group of people threw 5,000 “genki balls” into the Ala Wai Canal to clean the waters of sludge and harmful bacteria that have plagued its waters for decades. These genki balls are made of mud, rice bran, molasses, yeast, lactic acid and phototrophic bacteria. These balls release microbes (Korean Natural Farming microorganisms) that oxygenate the bottom soil in the canal, digest sludge, and allows plankton and other natural creatures to multiply that attracts and feed fish.

This was not the first time that these balls were thrown into the Ala Wai. The first was in 2019 by Jefferson Elementary School students on a smaller scale. Less than a year later, the very harmful enterococci bacteria count dropped from 700 to 50, according to data from the state Department of Health.

Genki means “healthy” in Japanese. The Genki Ala Wai Project has a goal of cleaning the canal and making it suitable for swimming and fishing by 2028. It is well on its way to reaching that goal. So far, the area where the first balls were strewn and establishing, fish and birds have returned – and even some turtles.

I find this to be super exciting as it ties in with many of the principles of Korean Natural Farming. Please join me in future posts as I (slooowly) cover the other basic formulas and apply them to my small yard and garden. Next post will be about Fermented Plant Juice (FPJ).

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Aunty

It is such a humble food that we used to make simply by toasting up some bread and then slapping in a piece of cheese while hot to melt the cheese. Or, putting buttered bread with a slice of cheese on a skillet and heat and smash until done. It was never my favorite until I had one at an open market in Ballard with my Seattle transplanted daughter. That day, the air was chilly and a vendor was cooking up several grilled cheese sandwiches on a gas cooktop.

It was SO delicious – greasy, gooey, hot and steamy – in the cold air. This was years ago, before the Covid lockdown madness. On a recent visit to see Seattle daughter and her newborn hapa (haole and Asian) son, we didn’t attempt going out and I don’t think that market was even open. But I kept craving a good grilled cheese sandwich again.

And so, I made it myself at home. I did a little googling and began by putting mayonnaise (NOT butter) on both sides of 2 slices bread. I then heated both sides in a skillet until a slight crust formed. A big slice of Swiss cheese (it was on sale at Safeway’s deli counter) was sandwiched between the two slices and left in the skillet on low heat. Google search specifically said to cook it on low instead of blasting it and smashing. The cheese melted slowly and I flipped the sandwich over to continue toasting the other side.

Was it good?

Man-o-man, it was REALLY ono. Not as greasy as the Ballard market, or as steamy (it is too warm in Hawaii for heat steam), but it was gooey and hot and very satisfying with a bowl of my favorite chicken noodle soup (Lipton’s). I was never a soup and sandwich kind of gal, but I may be turning the corner on that one. I added some moringa leaves to the soup that I picked in the garden so it became healthier by a smidgeon.

Just thinking about it makes me want to make another one. Maybe tonight, after I play in the garden today.

Pal Fay sent me this link to Bon Appetit’s version using butter and only putting mayo on the outside of the bread slices. I will try this way too since I am on a grilled cheese sandwich thing and the joy of biting into this gooey crunchy simple cuisine – at least until I run out of my supply of cheese and/or bread.

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/best-ever-grilled-cheese

Biochar is like a sponge for the soil

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Aunty

Biochar is charcoal-like organic material such as wood that has been burned in oxygen limited conditions. I found a big bag at Koolau Farms – one cubic foot – for $55! This will probably be the most expensive purchase for me in my journey into Korean Natural Farming (I shall use the abbreviation KNF), and a little will go a long way because I will not use it in the traditional way of adding cups to potted plant soil, but will use it sparingly along with the other formulas of KNF. Its effectiveness in the soil lasts for years and years.

Biochar under a microscope looks like pockets of pocketed caverns. It is very light, porous and can last for thousands of years. Its structure is ideal for storing water, nutrients and housing for microorganisms – the bedrock of Korean Natural Farming. It lets plants grow to their full potential.

It is different from charcoal that you use to grill with because of the way it is made. Instead of releasing carbon into the atmosphere, it is stored as a carbon negative energy. It is easy to make yourself, but not recommended because you could start a neighborhood fire if you are not careful, and probably illegal to do so given our strict county laws.

Biochar is the easiest “ingredient” without any processes, mixing, or waiting, except going to the store and buying it (or having a friend share it with you). Master Cho (originator of KNF) has been teaching and practicing KNF around the world. He took a parcel of land in the Gobi desert in Mongolia and put 4 pieces of biochar and IMO4 per tree planting, and the previously barren area now has trees that can survive the severe habitat of high winds and sparse rainfall.

Here is a TedXHilo talk by Josiah Hunt of Pacific Biochar, a biochar enthusiast. An early goal of his was to save the world and get paid for it.

Stay tuned for more “episodes” on Korean Natural Farming with Aunty!