Tuna Salad Onagiri [GF]

Over the last couple of months, I've been experimenting with a number of unorthodox maki and onagiri fillings, and I think this particular one is worthy of a post.  It's a bit unorthodox as onagiri go anyhow, seeing as it's actually stuffed with sushi rice (which really does make a difference in the taste), but for something an inch and a half in diameter, one of these makes a surprisingly satisfying meal in itself — or accompanited by a couple of carrot sticks, peanuts, and fresh fruit, which is how I've been consuming them.

Rice

• 2 cups medium- or short-grain brown rice
• 4 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. salt

Filling

• 1 can (3 oz.) tuna fish, drained
• 2 cm. piece of lemon grass, minced.
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
• Juice of ¼ of a lime
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. sweet paprika
• ¼ cup bean sprouts
• 1 tsp. dried dill weed
• 1 tsp dry basil
• ¼ tsp. dry oregano
• 3 - 4 Tbsp. mayonnaise (depending on consistency of mixture)
• 1 tsp. black mustard seed
• 2 small stalks celery with leaves, chopped

Wrappers

• 6 sheets sushi nori

Cook the rice in a medium-sized pot or in a rice cooker (using the appropriate amount of water, given the method).  While it's cooking, combine the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and stir them together, adjusting the amount of the mayonnaise and lime juice so that the mixture isn't too runny.  Once the rice is done, stir in the sugar, salt, and vinegar.  Spread each nori sheet on a flat surface and place a goodly helping of the rice (the recipe is intended to make six of these things, so adjudicate accordingly) and spoon a dollop of the filling on top of it.  Put an additional small bit of rice on top of this so as to cover it, then wet your fingers heartily in a bowl of water and fold the corners of the nori square up over the rice after wetting the seaweed enough so it softens and won't break.  Once the onagiri is fully formed, dab the bottom and sides with a wet paper towel to dry it.

At this point, you can simply set these things in the refrigerator and eat them whenever you feel the urge.  Reheating them to room temperature in a microwave before consuming them is recommended, if you're storing them for later.  If you're transporting them to work, to a picnic, etc., I also recommend wrapping each one tightly with cling wrap and tying the cling wrap up at the top with a twist tie (or taping it with Scotch tape).  This will prevent it from leaking.  

Banana Pancakes with Almonds and Pineapple Glaze [V] [GF]

For all devotees of Gravity's Rainbow who are looking for further items to incorporate into a ceremonial banana breakfast, or for those who happen to have spare bits of pineapple lying around, here's a little something I concocted this weekend (motivated by a desire to put excess pineapple-pie filling to good use) which I feel turned out rather well.  The pancake batter consists essentially of pureed apple banana and rice flour, and the entire cooking process took perhaps 25 minutes from beginning to end.

A word on the apple banana (a.k.a. "bananito"): this is a variety of the fruit common on Oahu (it originally hails from South and Southeast Asia), and as far as I know, it's not something widely available on the mainland.  Apple bananas have a slightly more nuance flavor than the standard, all-pervasive Chiquita-purveyed variety (officially known as the William banana), with mild apple and strawberry overtones.  Substituting William bananas when no apple bananas are available shouldn't hurt things appreciably, though it should be noted that a apple bananas are somewhat diminutive compared to their mainland brethren (the size ratio is roughly 50-65%), so adjust the proportions below accordingly.    

The batter:

• ¾ cup rice flour
• 4 apple bananas
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ cup vanilla soy milk
• 1 tsp melted vegan butter substitute
• ¼ cup raisins
  

The toppings:

• 1 cup chopped pineapple
• 2 tsp. raw cane sugar
• 1 tsp. corn starch
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup sliced almonds

To make the topping, combine all of the ingredients except for the corn starch and almonds in a small saucepan and heat for 10 minutes or so on low to medium heat, until the pineapple is soft.  Add the corn starch and continue to heat for 5-10 more minutes, stirring the mixture occasionally, until it has suitably thickened.

While the pineapple is cooking,  grease a skillet with oil or vegan butter substitute (I use Earth Balance here) and warm that skillet on a burner set to medium heat.  Puree the apple bananas together with the soy milk in a blender.  Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and then pour in the butter and the banana puree and stir until it attains a uniform consistency.  Stir in the raisins.  Ladle the batter onto the skillet and cook as you would any other sort of pancake.  After you have a stack of flapjacks, make stacks four pancakes high (the amounts listed above yield roughly four such stacks), spreading a layer of pineapple topping and a sprinkle of sliced almonds between each two laminae, and then again on the top of the uppermost one, as shown in the photo.  

Pineapple Pie [V] [GF]

This pie was originally created as a gift for me to bring to a Thanksgiving dinner, and not only did it turn out to be quite tasty (a unanimous verdict from all who sampled it at the gathering), but it also presented no unusual surprises, tapioca-related fiascoes, or other obstreperous behavior of the sort many of my recent culinary experiments have displayed of late.  To wit, it is not a tortitious torte.  Its beauty is in its simplicity, really.  The original recipe appears below, although those on the mainland attempting to replicate this one on the mainland might want to up the sugar content in the filling — not to gloat, but the pineapples are definitely sweeter here on the archipelago.

Filling:

• ½ ripe pineapple, chopped
• 4 Tbsp. raw cane sugar
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp corn starch

Crust:

• 1½ cup rice flour
• 6 Tbsp. vegan butter substitute, cooled
• 4 Tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 425°.  To make the pie crust, combine the water, salt, and rice flour in a mixing bowl and cut the butter substitute into the mixture.  Pat all but ¼ cup of the mixture into the bottom of a greased pie tin and bake the crust for 10-15 minutes or until brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Place the chopped pineapple, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and simmer over low to medium heat for 5-10 minutes.  Stir the corn starch into the mixture slowly, so that it doesn't clump, and continue to heat for another 5-10 minutes while stirring.  Once the mixture becomes somewhat viscous, pour it into the pie tin and sprinkle the remainder of the crust mixture on top of it.  Place the pie back in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes on 425°.  Serve either hot or cold.