The CookingBites recipe challenge: cooking oils/fats

Hawaii-Style Cold Ginger Chicken

This is a very popular dish in Hawaii. Its origin is from China. There were many immigrants to Hawaii to work the plantations back in the day. They shared their dishes from back home with other workers at meal break, like Japanese, Koreans, Okinawans, Filipinos, Portuguese, Puerto Ricans and of course Hawaiians, and they all seemed to morph into Hawaii-Style dishes.

I have NEVER made this dish before, EVER! DH was over the Moon, "I forgot how good this dish is. Why haven't you made this for us before?"
Well ... for one, the "local dishes", I didn't have to make because they were everywhere! You'd find Cold Ginger Chicken in Bento Boxes at lunch counters as 'grab `n go' type of fare. Packed with hot Rice and some sort of vegetable.
Over the years that we have lived here on the Continental United States, I've had to teach myself how to make such foods and use my well taxed memory as to the taste as it should have.
When this new recipe challenge came up, I couldn't think of anything to try and then this popped into my head the other day and it was all I could think about.
I was so excited to make this dish, not just for the challenge, but for us two. My mouth has been watering all day today in anticipation. I'm happy to say that there is a small portion leftover for someone's lunch tomorrow :wink: THAT'S ME!!!!

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I was reading several articles about this dish from back home and one was suggesting that IF you had leftover Sauce, to mix it in with Hot Rice and make a Tuna Mayo Onigiri - ding ding ding 🛎️ that'll be next up on my play list for sure!

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For this evenings meal, this is the suggested serving:

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Just an oil question....
I have made that eggplant a la nonna (antipasto).
Now my challenge is where to keep it?
In the fridge or outside?
I got fridge space, but the peanut and olive oil go solid at fridge temperature.
But out of the fridge is about 30 °C
I got no inbetween.
The recipe said to leave it for about a month before tasting.
So?
Fridge? Or not?
 
badjak said:
Just an oil question....
I have made that eggplant a la nonna (antipasto).
Now my challenge is where to keep it?
In the fridge or outside?
I got fridge space, but the peanut and olive oil go solid at fridge temperature.
But out of the fridge is about 30 °C
I got no inbetween.
The recipe said to leave it for about a month before tasting.
So?
Fridge? Or not?
Click to expand...
So since the eggplant slices were soaked in vinegar they shouldn't be a vector for spoilage. The oils and the garlic might though. Were the oils boiled before you jarred it all up and if they were did you pour the hot oil onto everything in the jars?
 
badjak said:
Just an oil question....
I have made that eggplant a la nonna (antipasto).
Now my challenge is where to keep it?
In the fridge or outside?
I got fridge space, but the peanut and olive oil go solid at fridge temperature.
But out of the fridge is about 30 °C
I got no inbetween.
The recipe said to leave it for about a month before tasting.
So?
Fridge? Or not?
Click to expand...
I would not be storing it in the fridge because of the oil issues. It won't keep all air excluded if it is in the fridge. I did a chutney recently and it's on the counter top not in the fridge for the very same reason.
 
badjak said:
Just an oil question....
I have made that eggplant a la nonna (antipasto).
Now my challenge is where to keep it?
In the fridge or outside?
I got fridge space, but the peanut and olive oil go solid at fridge temperature.
But out of the fridge is about 30 °C
I got no inbetween.
The recipe said to leave it for about a month before tasting.
So?
Fridge? Or not?
Click to expand...
I have no experience in this area, but my gut says fridge and then before consuming, pull it out for about 45 minutes to allow the oils to come out of their solid states. That's what I do with salad dressings made with olive oil, we keep it in the fridge but take it out awhile before we eat our salads.

Edit: didn't read SNSSO's post before I posted, LOL. Apparently she has experience in this area where I do not.
 
Last edited:
badjak said:
Just an oil question....
I have made that eggplant a la nonna (antipasto).
Now my challenge is where to keep it?
In the fridge or outside?
I got fridge space, but the peanut and olive oil go solid at fridge temperature.
But out of the fridge is about 30 °C
I got no inbetween.
The recipe said to leave it for about a month before tasting.
So?
Fridge? Or not?
Click to expand...
Giggling around on using olive oil for preserving foods and the general take away is everything that's to be preserved has to be blanched or roasted or boiled or in some way rendered pathogen free before submerging in the oil.
 
The layer of oil on the top is to exclude air. It can be for a couple of reasons. The first is to exclude air as a preserving method (think pesto), the second is to exclude air whilst something ferments anaerobically.

The first I'll keep in the freezer, because the fridge only solidifies the oil. I've put it in the fridge before now and seen it go bad when making fresh pesto, which I now keep in the freezer because it's not cooked or otherwise heated or treated.

The second I'll keep on the counter until it has done its job with anaerobic fermentation. I've yet to decide what I'll do with it afterwards, but it is not heat treated at all, so I'm suspecting I'll probably freeze that as well in much smaller containers especially as I think it needs a little sugar adding to it, but whilst it is fermenting, it will remain on the work surface where I can check on it daily.
 
Okay, many opinions...
I'm going to ponder it a bit more.

As a summary:
The slices were salted and drained thoroughly. Then acidified and drained.
Then covered with room temperature oil
It's not supposed to ferment. Just to let the flavours blend and mature

I would leave them outside for a couple of weeks if it was round about 20 °C (68 F).
They are in the fridge now.
I think I may move them outside in a small cooler with a fresh cooler element every day for a week or 2. Then move to the fridge.
Or keep them in the fridge...
Still undecided
 
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