Quick and Tasty Tofu

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

My friend Mary doesn’t like tofu. And I can understand why. I didn’t like it much as a kid, either. It’s pretty bland and tasteless. If umami expresses the savory quality in foods, tofu is the exact opposite, representing almost the absence of taste.

But hey, I’m not knocking tofu because I’ve really learned to like it. I like the silky type, mashed up with soy sauce and mixed with hot rice and a healthy sprinkling of sliced green onion. I like diced tofu in salad bars. And I like Sun-Dried Tomato and Walnuts Tossed with Penne, which, by the way, completely disguises the tofu “taste.”

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Burgers? Make Mine Teriyaki

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

We eat a fair amount of burgers in our house. With a gas grill just outside our kitchen door, grilling burgers is a convenient answer to a quick weeknight dinner.

Sometimes we make them plain, seasoned with salt and pepper, but other times we go for teriyaki. If you’ve ever been to Hawaii, you know how addictive teri burgers can be. Ground meat is seasoned with teriyaki sauce before grilling. The flavor of sweet-salty teriyaki sauce makes burgers succulent and the aromas as the burgers cook are simply scrumptious. With lettuce and tomato and mayonnaise for the dressing, it’s a winning combination.

While I think of a plain burger with ketchup for lunch, the teriyaki flavor seems more like dinner. In fact, you can serve these burgers with rice and a veggie if you’re not into sandwiches for dinner.

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Our Love of Sweet and Salty

By Marilyn Hunter

Our boys adore chicken teriyaki. It’s that sweet and salty combination that can’t be beat. In fact, Ben and Nick love it so much they conned our neighborhood sushi chef, Tashi, to wrap it with rice and sesame seeds in toasted nori for a roll that’s not on the menu. We go to Tashi’s at least once a week, so chef starts rolling when he sees the boys walking through the door.

Teri means glaze and yaki means grill…it’s a glaze made from soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. It’s a brilliant balance of slightly sweet and salty flavors. It goes just as well on fish and beef as it does on chicken. The sauce is easy to make, but save yourself some time and buy a high-quality bottled version.

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Barbecue, Hawaiian Style

By Sandy Hu

Hot day at the beach…seawater and sunscreen. The aromas of teriyaki sizzling sets mouths watering.

“Barbecue” in Hawaii means teriyaki, that wonderful, soy sauce and sugar combination that makes beef, chicken or pork succulent and delicious. Teriyaki is the signature flavor of the Islands, ubiquitous at lunch wagons, fast food eateries, white tablecloth restaurants and neighborhood block parties.

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