BACK TO THE ISLANDS

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I love all things Hawaiian.  It all started when I was a little girl and loved watching Connie Stevens on “Hawaiian Eye”.  It carried over into loving Steve McGarrret battle the crime scene of Honolulu in “Hawaii Five-0”.   And then I fell in love with it all over again when my sister Linda and I read a book called “Sister Chicks Do the Hula”.  But I guess I should be loyal and say that I love Hawaii because my husband Steve was born there. (in Pearl City).  It truly is a land of many cultures, because I could offer no other explanation on how my Greek husband ended up there, but he did!

Let me warn you, there is absolutely nothing healthy about this dish, but it is what it is. Basically, in Hawaii a plate lunch is a simple plate of food with rice, macaroni salad and some protein, like kalua pork Huli Huli. And it’s really ono (that’s Hawaiian Pidginfor delicious)!

Hawaiian cuisine is synonymous with something known as the “plate lunch.”  A Hawaiian plate lunch is the simple combination of rice, creamy macaroni salad (known better just as “mac salad” in Hawaii) and a choice of Hawaiian meat.  It’s normally packed into a compartmental foam container, so it’s easy to transport on the go (they’re actually made to consume at the beach). Disposable chopsticks are the choice utensil, but you’ll also find plastic forks and spoons.  Make yourself one of these and dream of relaxing at a beautiful and inspiring beach,  listening to the waves and swimming with dolphins..

Today I’m sharing our favorite choice of meat for the plate lunch.  Just about anywhere you go on any of the Islands you will find Huli Huli Chicken at the plate lunch stands in the parking lots or at any church fundraiser. And of course at all the beach parks! This is the Hawaiian BBQ chicken recipe and one of the all time favorite Hawaiian recipes.

Traditional Huli Huli Chicken is grilled over Kiawe wood, which is very similar to mesquite. Huli Huli means "turn turn" and when you see the big vendors they have dozens of chickens turning over their big open grills. Some of these are now gas, some charcoal and Kiawe.  Make this Huli Huli Chicken and you’re in for a Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Feast!

In Hawaii, where macaroni salad is a staple when it comes to plate lunches, it’s been a long known secret that you intentionally overcook the pasta – to make it “fat”. It helps it to really soak up the sauce, and keep the pasta moist and delicious. It makes a large batch that is perfect to take to a cookout. Or, for a simple dinner at home with some grilled barbequed chicken. Leftovers were great too!   The macaroni salad has a cult following; it's different from our mainland macaroni salad in that the dressing, mayonnaise-based like ours, is thinned with milk, and the pasta is cooked until VERY soft, which helps the macaroni absorb the dressing.  Highly addicting and FULL of flavor, this macaroni would easily be at home here in the Deep South amidst some pork ribs or pulled pork sandwiches!

Sticky rice is a real Island comfort dish.  It’s not difficult, but it does require time, patience, and concentration.   Sort of like making Risotto.   

And now, on to the Recipes!!!

Huli-Huli Chicken

2 quarts water

2 cups soy sauce (this is used instead of salt!)

1 TBS vegetable oil

2 TBS minced garlic from the jar…or mash them yourself..whatever!

2 TBS fresh ginger, grated

8-12 pieces of chicken. Breast, legs, thighs

Combine the water & soy sauce in large pot.  Heat oil and sauté the ginger & garlic for about 30 seconds, until fragrant and add to pot. Stir and then add chicken parts, cover and refrigerate from 1-6 hrs.

GLAZE:

3 (6 oz) cans of pineapple juice

1/4  c packed brown sugar

1/4  c soy sauce

1/4  c ketchup

1/4  c rice vinegar

1 TBS minced garlic (from the jar)

2 TBS fresh ginger, grated

2 tsp red pepper flakes                                                                                                2 cups of mesquite chips (no prob if you don’t have them!!) Soak them in water for 30 mins and then wrap in aluminum foil and make slits on top to allow smoke to come through.

Combine ALL ingredients “except” the wood chips (LOL!) in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thick and syrupy about 20-25 mins.  Stir occasionally. You can do this up to 3 days ahead, which I did and it was yummy!!!

GRILLING: OIL YOUR GRATES and then preheat your grill to about 375 degrees.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel.  Arrange chix skin side up and grill UNCOVERED until chix is brown on bottom, then turn over and do the same.  You will have flames shoot up, so don’t leave and go mingle with people.  This is a “stay & watch” cooking experience.  You are going to continue to turn and turn, making sure you don NOT burn the chix!! This whole process should take about 40-50 mins. (a meat thermometer would be helpful with a reading of 170-175, ideal)

Next, turn all your burners off, save one on one side of grill, to keep heat and put all the chicken on the other and then add the glaze, and be generous. Let it sit about 5-10 mins and then put on platter.  Put the extra glaze in a bowl and serve it with the chicken!!  MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF NAPKINS AND WET WIPES!!!

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

1 lb elbow macaroni

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 cups milk, divided

2 cups Hellmans mayonnaise, divided

         ~~ DO NOT make this with Miracle Whip!       

1 Tbsp brown sugar

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, peeled & grated

1 celery stalk, minced

Salt & pepper

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 Tbsp salt and the macaroni; cook until VERY soft, about 15 minutes. Drain and return to pot; add the cider vinegar and toss until absorbed. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Once the cooked pasta has cooled for 10 minutes, whisk in the dressing. Let cool completely.

Add the remaining 1/2 cup milk and 1 cup of mayonnaise, along with the scallions, carrot and celery. Stir to combine, then season to taste with salt & pepper. Chill for at least one hour before serving.

HAWAIIAN STICKY RICE

12 oz (about 1.5 C.) diced (about 1/4" square) Chinese sausage (lop cherng)
9-10 medium dried shitake mushrooms
1/2 C. dried shrimp (hah mai)
3 C. short-grain sweet rice
3 to 4 Tbs. soy sauce
salt (to taste, about 1 tsp)
white pepper (to taste, about 1 tsp)
2 to 3 tsp. granulated sugar
3 to 4 Tbs. sesame oil
3 to 4 stalks green onion, minced

Soak mushrooms in a large bowl, with enough warm water to cover, until mushrooms have expanded and are soft and water is brown color (minimum 1 hour)

Soak dried shrimp in a medium bowl, with enough warm water to cover, until shrimp have expanded and are pliable, and water is light orange color (minimum 45 min.)

Wash, rinse, and soak sweet rice with enough water to cover, at least 2 hours.

Remove mushrooms (reserve the liquid!) from the bowl and if necessary, squeeze excess liquid from mushrooms back into the bowl.

Chop mushrooms (discard stems) so that they are the same size as the chopped lop cherng (sausage).  Small cubes 1/4 inch in size are good.

Remove shrimp (reserve the liquid) from the bowl and chop, if necessary, so that they are about the same size as the mushroom and lop cherng.

Drain water from the sweet rice.

Heat a large wok to medium high, and stir fry the lop cherng until the fat is released and lop cherng is darker in color (about 5 min).  Add the mushroom and stir fry an additional 5 min.  Add the dried shrimp and stir fry an additional 5 min. Remove the lopcherng, mushroom, shrimp mixture from the wok and set aside in a bowl.

Without cleaning the wok, add about 2 Tbs. canola oil and heat the wok to medium high.

Add half of the sweet rice and stir fry (not too vigorously--you can use the spatula to spread the rice across the surface of the wok and allow it to cook about 1-2 min before turning.  If rice starts to get too brown, turn down the heat).  Stir fry until the rice is translucent-looking, about 5-10 minutes.

Add a little reserved mushroom and shrimp soaking liquid (about 1/3 Cup) to the rice, and allow to absorb and cook.  Keep alternating adding a little liquid and cooking the rice, stir-frying occasionally so that rice doesn't stick/burn, until the rice is fairly soft.  You will use about 1 to 1 1/2 C. of liquid and this should take about 15 minutes.  Do NOT pour the sediment at the bottom of the reserved liquids into the rice.

Add half of the lopcherng/mushroom/shrimp mixture to the rice and stir fry, as if you were making fried rice.

Begin to add seasoning:  soy sauce (1 Tb at a time), salt, white pepper, and sugar.  Add a little of each seasoning at a time, stir fry, and then taste and add more if necessary. 

Stir-fry until rice is translucent and a good texture (not too hard/chewy--if the grains of rice still look "whitish," then add more mushroom/shrimp liquid and cook, stirring occasionally).  The dish should have an appealing sheen to it.

Splash with sesame oil (about 1 Tbs or more to taste) and stir fry to mix into the rice.

Sprinkle with half of the chopped green onion and mix to incorporate. 

Remove cooked rice from the wok and repeat steps #11-17 with the remaining half of the rice and ingredients.  It is easier to cook half a batch at a time in the wok because the rice gets fairly heavy/sticky as it cooks.