Monday, January 30, 2012

Hawaiian Style Teriyaki Beef and vegetables with Rice (In a Jar...52 Method Continues)

It's Monday. This is the day I share food storage recipes and ideas here on the blog. I'm all about convenience meals. If you're new to my crazy blog, just know that the goodies you see in the cooking with food storage section are truly an extension of my wholesome upbringing.  With a mom who's first degree is Home Economics education and a father who is a Master Gardener, this is how I've always rolled. I am a chef (almost 17 years now). I am a mom. I've been a mom almost 13 years. When I cook with food storage I realize that there are many who have no idea where to start. The beauty of the freeze dried fruits, vegetables and meats that I use is that they are made without added chemicals to preserve them. It's just broccoli (or whatever veggie)...no chemicals. Freeze drying will actually retain about 97% of the nutritional value of food so there's not a lot of nutritional loss by using it either. The menu I use for my 52 jar method has gone crazy! People are so excited about getting their meals together, not only for daily dinners, but long term meals as well. Today I'm adding my latest recipe. My son asked me, "Mom can you make this one for forever?!" My husband licked his plate. Licked. He's very classy that way. {I'm rolling my eyes right now...do you see it?} Look at this. Does it look like it comes from a jar? 

I mean really. A Jar like this?!

Chef Tess Hawaiian-Style Teriyaki Beef and Vegetables 
with Rice

1 cup Freeze Dried Beef Chunks
1 cup Freeze Dried Broccoli
3/4 cup Freeze Dried Bell PepperFreeze Dried Bell Peppers
1/4 cup Freeze Dried onion or Dehydrated Green Onion
1 package (1 1/2 oz)  NOH of Hawaii Teri-burger meatloaf  seasoning mix  get packets here OR 1/4 cup seasoning from the bulk bag
2T Ultra Gel (modified corn starch) Note: 2T regular corn starch will work, but you must boil the sauce.
1 cup Long Grain Rice

To make as a meal in a jar:
In a quart wide mouth jar: Layer beef, broccoli, bell pepper and onion.

NOTE: The repacking of Freeze Dried Meat must be done within 24-48 hours of opening the can and must be done in a dry environment. Once repacked you must use an oxygen absorber to make sure there is a vacuum oxygen free environment. 

The NOH seasoning I found at our local Asian market and I tried several different company's blends before I settled on the NOH. In all honesty, it was just stinkin' hard to find a blend that had soy sauce powder as the main ingredient. So far this is the winner. We loved the flavor. I have so many Polynesian friend from Hawaii and other islands and they just rock the teriyaki. If you can find soy sauce powder online in a small container under 50 lbs...I'd love to hear about it. 

Plus...it fits my "just add water rule".
I also used the modified food starch called Ultra Gel because I like it. You don't have to use it, you can use 2T of regular corn starch. Just be sure you cook the sauce to a boil and let it thicken. 
Shake the seasoning and the starch into the meat and veggies. 
Put 1 cup of rice in a baggie on top of the veggie mixture. 
Oxygen absorber must be placed on top of the bag inside the jar if you want this for long term storage. Even shorter term with the beef it must be present for food safety. You don't need to water bath or pressure can the jars. This is a method of canning called "Dry Pack". The oxygen absorber chemically bonds with oxygen and "eats" it, making the space in the jar a vacuum. This is remarkable for extending shelf life. This meal will be shelf stable 7-10 years.
To prepare meal: 
Combine rice with 2 cups boiling water in a medium sauce pan with a tight fitting lid. When rice and water come to a boil, reduce heat to very low and simmer 20 minutes. 
For sauce: Combine the meat and veggie mixture at the bottom of the jar with 3 1/2 cups  very hot water in a pan on the stove.  Allow to sit 10 minutes to absorb water. Turn on heat and cook 5-7 minutes more until sauce is slightly thickened. The rice and sauce will be finished cooking at about the same time if you cook them both at the same time. 

There you go.  Have fun with this one!

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

I am no longer the corporate chef for Honeyville but we still love them dearly. My family is greatly blessed and relies heavily on the extra money brought in by sales tracked back to this site. This is also the company that packages and sells my spice line as well as my food storage cookbooks. Thank you so very much for your support. Xoxo!

11 comments:

Herbalpagan said...

What size O2 absorber do you use for a quart jar Tess?
Great sounding recipe(again)!

Chef Tess said...

I use the 300 cc. Great question!

B said...

I just wish you could come to my house and teach me all your tricks!

Anonymous said...

spicebarn.com ,Ma'am.

Chef Tess said...

Oh I'll have to look at spicebarn.com. I had another reader tell me about this site: http://www.firehousepantrystore.com/lbsoysaucepowder.html

They already shipped to me and I ordered this morning. So...we'll see how good it is. Expect a full review folks. I'm super excited about this!

Anonymous said...

Chef Tess, the instructions for the freeze dried meat says, "Once opened, freeze dried meat should be used within 1 month if refrigerated, 1 week if not.

How does this affect the re-packing? Will it spoil if not used in a timely manner?

Chef Tess said...

The repacking must be done within 24-48 hours of opening the can and must be done in a dry environment. Excellent question and one that I will post at the top of the post.

Anonymous said...

I place of using an O2 absorber, can you use a food saver to "suck" the air out?

Chef Tess said...

You can use the bottle attachment for the food saver, but you must use a filter to keep the smaller powder from getting stuck in the tube. It helps to put an inverted muffin/cupcake liner in the jar if you use the foodsaver.

Maggi Shafer said...

How many people does this feed, or serving.

Wendy said...

I was wondering if you can "vacuum seal" pack instead of using oxygen packets? I have a vacuum seal attachment for my jars and wanted to know if I could use this instead. Please let me know. Looking forward to using your 52 meal jar method. Thanks!