Carrot Ginger Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped peeled ginger
• 1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• Kosher salt

Directions

Put the carrot and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid, then drain the carrot.

Puree the carrot and reserved cooking liquid in a blender until smooth. Add the ginger, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and teaspoon salt; pulse until smooth.

Per serving (2 tablespoons): Calories 17; Fat 1 g (Saturated 0 g); Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 86 mg; Carbohydrate 2 g; Fiber 0 g; Protein 0 g

Thai Peanut Sauce

 via www.shesimmers.com

INGREDIENTS

• One 13.5-ounce can of coconut milk
• 2 ounces (approximately 1/4 cup) of Thai red OR massaman curry
• 3/4 cup unsweetened (natural) creamy peanut butter –(Do not use regular peanut butter.)
• 1/2 tablespoon Hawaiian salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar (Do not use white wine, red wine, balsamic, or anything else — not even rice vinegar)
• 1/2 cup water

1. Put everything into a medium heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a very gentle boil over medium heat, whisking constantly.
2. Let the mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes over low heat; be careful not to let the mixture scorch at the bottom of the pot.
3. Take the pot off the heat, let the sauce cool down to room temperature (or slightly warmer), and serve the sauce with satay or fried tofu.

Note: This peanut sauce keeps in a glass container in the refrigerator for weeks. Refrigerated sauce will thicken up considerably. All you have to do is thin it out with a little bit of water to desired consistency, reheat, and serve. The sauce also freezes beautifully.

Guava Ketchup

3 qt. quava pulp*

5 medium onions, sliced thin

¼ c. water

2 large garlic cloves

1 T. salt

2 T cloves

4 bell peppers, finely chopped

4 c. sugar

1 chili pepper

1 ½ c. vinegar

4 t allspice

3 t cinnamon

2 t nutmeg

Combine all the ingredients and cook for 30 – 40 minutes.

Put in blender and blend till it’s a little lumpy. Makes 24 cups.

*For pulp: quarter guavas; bring to a boil and cook until soft, about 10 minutes to the consistency where they can be pushed through a sieve, or food mill. See below for Pulp.

Source: Hehe Mai, Ai Cookbook Seabury Hall Parents Assn, Maui, 1977

Guava Jam

Guava recipes collected by Debbie Choo of Kohala’s Finest LLC

Ingredients

2 c guava pulp

2 c sugar

1.5 tsp. lemon juice

1.In a large, deep (Note you want a DEEP pot as this will rise quickly and may go over the top of the pot) , heavy-bottomed pot, combine guava and lemon. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
2. Add sugar in a steady stream, stirring constantly. Bring to full boil, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium-high and boil rapidly, stirring often and reducing heat further as mixture thickens, for 7-10 minutes or until thickened. Test for setting point. **See below
3. Remove from heat and skim off any foam
4. Ladle into sterilized jars to within 1/4 inch of the rim; wipe rims. Apply prepared lids.
5. Process jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Transfer jars to a towel-lined surface and let rest at room temperature for 24 hours.

*Test for the Setting Point

Testing whether a jam, jelly or marmalade made without added pectin will set once it cools can be tricky. There are several ways to test. You can use one or a combination of the temperature method with the other two. Always remove the pot from the stove to stop the cooking while you test.

1. Wrinkle (or plate) method. Place about 2 tsp of jam, jelly or marmalade on a chilled small plate and place it in the freezer for a minute or two, until cooled to room temperature. A skin will form on top. If you gently push it with your finger or a fork, it will wrinkle if the mixture is done. Keep two or three plates chilled and ready to use.
2. Sheeting method. Using a clean, dry, small metal spoon, remove some of the mixture from the pot. Tilt the spoon so the mixture runs over the side onto a dish. Early in the process, the drops will be runny; as the mixture is ready, the drops will join into one and sheet off the spoon in what looks like one layer.
3. Temperature method. Use a candy or digital thermometer. First test the boiling point of water, which will vary with altitude and the atmospheric conditions that day. Then take the temperature of the jam, jelly or marmalade. Make sure to place the thermometer in the center of the pot, not touching the bottom or the sides. The setting point is usually 8 Degree F above the boiling point of water as determined by your thermometer – there may be a 1 degree margin of error in its accuracy. At sea level, the setting temperature would be 220 degree F. As water evaporates from your mixture, it will increase in temperature. It may not seem to change too quickly at first but will increase more quickly as the jam gets closer to the setting point.