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Asia meets the PacificBy NATHAN FONG

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HawaiianRegional Cuisine

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Hawaiian Regional Cuisine

taste& travel international July–September 2011 July–September 2011 taste& travel international

Honolulu, with its supreme white sand Waikiki Beach, has been a popular travel destination from the first days of steamship travel in the early 20th century to the current jet age. The exotic locale and Hawaiian people were immortalized

by glamorous posters and retro postcards of the ocean liners en route from the Orient to the American west coast, in the first real signature advertisements of the former Sandwich Islands. Sun-kissed, grass-skirted, long-haired Polynesian beauties and bronzed, muscled surfers lazed in their tropical paradise with the impressive extinct volcano, Diamond Head, in the background, a sure contrast to the conservatism back home on the mainland.

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Where on earth

Hawaii

Olive Oil6 Tbs

Butter6 Tbs, softened

Shallotsfinely chopped,

2 Tbs

Arborio Rice2 cups

Carrot Juice4 cups, warmed

Heirloom Carrotsthinly sliced, 1 cup

Asiago Cheeseshredded, ½ cup

Salt & Pepper to taste

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Carrot RisottoJames mcDonalD’s Pacific O Restaurant, located in Lahaina on Maui, serves stunning cuisine and emphasizes the freshness of the produce grown on the restaurant’s own farm. This wonderfully simple dish showcases the fresh ingredients grown in the islands.

1 Heat oil and 2 Tbs butter in a saucepan and set over medium heat.

2 Add shallots and rice and stir for about 1 minute until rice is well coated.

3 Slowly add the carrot juice a little at a time until absorbed by the rice over a period of approximately 10 minutes.

4 Stir in carrots and continue stirring until they are slightly softened but still retain a slight crunch.

5 Add cheese and the remaining butter and season to taste. Serve immediately. above Luptatur aligent voluptatur rest facing page

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It wasn’t until the tragedy of Pearl Harbour, however, and the release of Elvis Presley’s popular Blue Hawaii, that Honolulu became a fixture on the commercial tourism map.

Hawaii was an especially hot vacation spot in the 1970s and quickly became known as the exotic locale for the likes of TV’s Hawaii Five-O. And who could forget the time when The Brady Bunch took a family vacation in the tropical island paradise? TV and film buffs also saw stunning Hawaiian locales as the backdrop for Magnum PI, Lost, Baywatch, Jurassic Park, and most recently, the newly updated Hawaii Five-O.

Throughout all these glamorous vista shots, there was rarely any reference to the regional foods of the islands, besides the ubiquitous pineapples and coconuts. There was the occasional mention of traditional native staples such as the somewhat unpalatable poi, the fermented paste of mashed taro root (akin in texture to wallpaper paste), and to kalua pig, a whole pig, covered in banana leaves and cooked in an imu, the Hawaiian underground oven. The meat is basically steamed in the hot, covered oven until tender, then shredded, somewhat like Latino carnitas, but infused with heady smokiness.

My first visit to the Hawaiian Islands was with my family in the mid 70s, when the local cuisine consisted mainly of dishes made from ingredients and produce shipped from the mainland...frozen vegetables, under-ripened fruit and frozen meat. Food was basically badly prepared, either fried or overcooked.

It was during this trip that I became acquainted with such “Hawaiian” culinary delights as saimin (the island’s version of Japanese ramen), Spam masubi (a local sushi variant that has since become very popular with the visiting Japanese), the aforementioned kalua pork and its accompanying poi. Local dishes such as the plantation-origin, plate lunches of loco moco (two scoops of rice, topped with two hamburger patties, onion gravy and fried eggs, usually accompanied with scoops of macaroni salad), were popular. These plate-meals, which originated in the plantations, were large enough to set me thinking about a full cardiac check-up, even if all I did was read about them on a menu!

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Hawaiian regional Chefs have put

Hawaii on the international culinary map

and have inspired and mentored

a new generation of talented chefs…

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Kona Kampachi Carpaccio with Miso Aiolithe luxurious Halekulani Hotel, with its tranquil gardens and stunning backdrop of Diamond Head, is a Waikiki landmark. The hotel’s executive chef, Vikram Garg, has an exuberance for working with Hawaiian regional ingredients. This simple recipe showcases the local Big Island Kampachi (skipjack), but snapper or halibut make good substitutes. Use yellow or white saikyo miso for the aioli for a milder flavour.

1 Place the kampachi slices between two plastic bags and smash with the bottom of a pan to form a thin sheet.

2 Mix the miso and Japanese mayonnaise in a small bowl to create the miso aioli.

3 To serve, smear miso aioli on a plate and place the kampachi on top. Top with ogo, pickled daikon, radish, chives and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

4 Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over before serving.

Kampachi Fillet12 oz, sliced into 8 equal parts

Pickled Daikon 2 oz, diced

Ogo Seaweedor sea asparagus, ½ oz

Red Radish 1 oz, shaved or thinly sliced

Chives, 4 per fillet

Lemon Juice ½ a lemon

Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

to taste

Miso paste, 2 Tbs

Japanese mayonnaise, 4 Tbs

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But significant changes have taken place in island cuisine over the last couple of decades. Some 20 years ago a group of dedicated chefs formed a collective group called the Hawaiian Regional Chefs. They were focused on using local, regional and seasonal island ingredients in their restaurants and proving that they were self-sufficient and didn’t need to rely solely on products grown and harvested across the ocean.

In August 1991, twelve of Hawaii’s most talented chefs from throughout the Islands gathered on Maui and pioneered a new culinary concept: “Hawaiian Regional Cuisine.” The premise was to elevate the culinary experience in Hawaii by featuring the local foods of land and sea in dishes that expressed each chef’s own distinctive style of cooking. The results were exciting, creative presentations and delectable dining experiences. Hawaiian Regional Cuisine has come to incorporate many interpretations and definitions but remains fundamentally a contemporary style of cooking that showcases local ingredients

and borrows from all of the ethnic influences you’ll find in Hawaii, from the local indigenous Hawaiians to the plantation-era immigrants of Chinese, Filipino and Japanese descent and more recent Korean and Vietnamese arrivals. Both collaboratively and individually, the Hawaiian Regional Chefs have put Hawaii on the international culinary map and have inspired and mentored a new generation of talented chefs who share their philosophy and have followed their lead.

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Kataifi & Macadamia Nut-Crusted Fresh Kauai PrawnS with Big Island Baby Greens & Pineapple Vinaigrette

this is one of Chef Chai Chawasoree’s signature recipes from his award-winning restaurant, Chai’s Island Bistro at The Aloha Tower in Honolulu. It has won a number of awards, including Best Seafood Dish and the People’s Choice Award at the annual Taste of Honolulu event. Local island prawns are wrapped in shredded Greek phyllo and macadamia nuts, deep-fried until golden and served with a tart-sweet pineapple dressing.

Black Tiger Prawns8, jumbo-sized, fresh,

de-veined, peeled and rinsed

Lemon Juicejust a dash

Salt & Pepper to taste

Bamboo Sticks8

Flour3 Tbs, all-purpose

Cornstarch1 Tbs

Macadamia Nutsfinely chopped, 1Tbs

Egg1, medium-sized

Cold Water½ cup

Kataifi (shredded phyllo) or

any thin noodle, 1 box

Vegetable Oil 4 cups for deep frying

Fresh Pineapple 4 pieces, about ¾“

thick, for garnish

Baby Greens2 cups, for garnish

1 Marinate the prawns with lemon juice, salt and pepper. The acid from the lemon juice will the make shrimp meat crunchy.

2 Skewer the prawns with bamboo sticks, leaving an extra inch at the end; set aside.

3 In a bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, macadamia nuts, egg and cold water. Dip the skewered prawns in the batter and then wrap with the kataifi.

4 In a wok or deep fryer, preheat the oil to about 375°F, then fry the prawns for 3 minutes or until they are light brown.

5 Serve with pineapple vinaigrette. Garnish with pineapple and mixed salad.

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Pineapple Vinaigrette1 In a saucepan, combine all

ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2–3 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Pineapple Juice¼ cup

Sugar2 Tbs

White Vinegar2 Tbs

Ketchup2 Tbs

Pinch of Salta pinch

Tabascoa dash

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For the past two decades, such Hawaiian culinary luminaries as Alan Wong, Roy Yamaguchi, Sam Choy, Mark Ellman and French ex-pat George Mavrothalassitis have spread their gospel about the glory of regional Hawaiian cuisine. Thanks to their dedicated and focused efforts, individuals and communities are working together to build more locally-based, self-reliant food economies based on domestic agriculture. These include new “boutique” produce farms and aqua-culture (seaweed, salt water shrimp, lobster, abalone and fish) farms.

The new wave of Hawaiian cuisine continues to evolve in the hands of the second generation of talented chefs, many homegrown in the various islands. Honolulu Chef Glenn Chu’s popular, award-winning restaurant Indigo is situated on the border of Chinatown. Situated in several restored buildings that once housed Chinese tailor shops, the restaurant has multiple rooms, including a wonderful lanai overlooking a park and fountain. The atmospheric lighting at night makes the restaurant mysterious, leaving diners wondering if they’ll catch a glimpse of the fictitious Charlie Chan around the next corner. Chu is fifth-generation Hawaiian-Chinese and has grown up wandering the historic wet-markets of Chinatown, witnessing the changes that a

multitude of Asian influences have encouraged over the years. His food, strongly influenced by his Chinese ancestry, reflects a fusion style well adapted to the local palate. Chinese Gin Doi, a fried dumpling usually found at dim sum restaurants, is filled with duck and dried apricots. Won tons are stuffed with goat’s cheese, sundried tomatoes and sweet peppers. Garden spring rolls are stuffed with vegetables and couscous pilaf, accompanied with tangerine sauce.

Thai-born Chai Chawasoree, of Chai’s Island Bistro located at The Aloha Tower, wraps local Kauai prawns in shredded filo pastry (kataifi) and macadamia nuts, deep fries them until golden and serves them with a pineapple vinaigrette. Russell Sui, with his popular restaurant, 3660 On The Rise, and Wayne Hirabayashi at the helm of the award-winning Hoku’s in the stunning Kahala Hotel and Resort, both on Oahu, are two other notable chefs who continue to promote Hawaii’s great cuisine. Since 2000, Chef-owner James McDonald of Pacific O, located in the former whaling town of Lahaina on Maui, has served stunning regional cuisine with biodynamic and organic produce grown in nutrient-rich volcanic soil on his farm, just minutes away. An array of produce, including fennel, cabbage, turnips, lemongrass, heirloom

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1 Place all ingredients except for the whipped cream in a bowl and mix well.

2 Fold in whipped cream and keep in the refrigerator tightly covered. This will last up to two days.

this wonDerful spreaD is served with the bread selection at Hoku’s, the award-winning signature restaurant at the beautiful Kahala Hotel and Resort. Situated along the Gold Coast on the east side of Diamond Head, beyond the vibrancy of Waikiki Beach, the Kahala has been serving luminaries, celebrities, royalty, and guests seeking a quiet island experience for over 45 years. The restaurant is renowned for serving contemporary Island cuisine.

Mayonnaise, 1 cup

Soy sauce, 1 Tbs

Garlic 1 clove, finely chopped

Lemon Juice½ a lemon

Pickled Ginger2 Tbs, finely chopped

Sesame Seeds1 tsp, roasted

Cilantro1 tsp, coarsely chopped

Green Onions1 cup, finely chopped

Ahi Tuna4 oz sushi grade, ¼

-inch diced

Whipping Cream ½ cup, lightly whipped

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Ahi Poke Dip

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Hamachi Tunawith Grapefruit Brûléethis simple, yet elegant, appetizer is also served at Hoku’s, at the Kahala Hotel and Resort.

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Hamachi Tuna3 oz sashimi grade,

sliced into 6 portions

Chiso Leaf6 pieces

Pink Grapefruit 6 large segments

Avocado 6 generous slices

Tempura Batter½ cup

Hawaiian Sea Salt to taste

Lime Juiceto taste

Maui Sugar in the Raw

(Turbinado Sugar)6 tsp

1 Pat-dry grapefruit segments as much as possible so that they will brown nicely. Sprinkle with sugar.

2 Using a torch, burn sugar to caramelize; set aside.

3 Take avocado slices, one at a time, and dip into tempura batter, deep frying the pieces at 365˚F until crispy and golden. Remove and set on a paper towel-lined baking sheet.

4 To plate, place a piece of avocado tempura as the first layer. Then cover with a piece of caramelized grapefruit and top with the sliced hamachi. Season lightly with Hawaiian sea salt and lime juice.

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chef/owner Russell Sui, although not one of the original group of Hawaii Regional Chefs, is highly regarded as a talented island-born chef who showcases regional cuisine. His highly acclaimed neighbourhood restaurant has been popular with locals and tourists since its opening in 1992.

Shrimp20 (size 20/26),

peeled and deveined with tail on

Rice Flour½ cup

Garlicfinely chopped, 4 Tbs

Green Onionfinely chopped, 4 Tbs

Gin2 Tbs

Oil1 Tbs

Mayonnaise½ cup

Honey1 Tbs

Sriracha Chili Sauce

½ tsp

Sweet Chili Sauce1 Tbs

Salt & Pepperto taste

1 To make the aioli, mix mayonnaise, honey, Sriracha and sweet chili sauce in a bowl until smooth. For spicier aioli, add more Sriracha.

2 Season shrimp with salt and pepper and coat with rice flour, shaking off any excess. Deep fry in oil at 350˚F for about one minute and let drain.

3 In a sauté pan over medium high heat, add oil and garlic and sauté until garlic turns a golden brown. Add gin and reduce to 1 ½ tsp. Remove from heat, add scallions and coat the shrimp with the mixture. Serve over honey chili aioli.

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Crispy FriedGarlic and Scallion Shrimp with Honey Chili Aioli

carrots asparagus and tomatoes, is grown some 3000 feet above sea level on the slopes of an extinct volcano. McDonald earnestly tries to grow and use as much as he can for his kitchens and about 75% of his menu is organic. The Hawaiian Regional chefs’ restaurant menus average at least 50% organic ingredients and most are trying to increase that percentage.

I have visited Hawai’s almost every year since 1998 and have been impressed with the focus on the evolving Hawaiian cuisine. Long gone are the large plantations of sugarcane (remember the catchy C & H Sugar tune?) and pineapples (except for local consumption and tourism at the Dole plantation on Oahu) that once dominated the volcanic landscape. Instead, small farms are being developed and produce is being grown in response to demand from local chefs and islanders. Wonderful farmers’ markets such as Saturday’s KCC Farmer’s Market (located at the foot of Diamond Head at the Kapiolani Community College), and the more recent Thursday Waikiki farmer’s market further up the coast at Ewa Beach are just two examples among many that have sprouted up through the islands.

These markets, unlike most of the mainland farmers’ markets, are made up of various stalls reflecting the multi-ethnic diversity of the islands and their Asian influence. Here you’ll find make-shift kitchens deep-frying fresh Filipino lumpia, Korean style fried rice with kimchee and salmon, local taro infused with Japanese mochi, Vietnamese bakeries with their baguettes and almond croissants, Chinese rice noodles and fresh tofu. A wonderful cornucopia from an Asian melting pot!

Here are some island favourites from some of the top regional chefs, bringing some Hawaiian sun warmth to your tables…Aloha!

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Cocoa Bean Curry Sauce

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Seared Moiwith Cocoa Bean Curry Sauce this recipe from Glenn Chu showcases a myriad of South-East Asian ingredients, from lemongrass and Thai chili to the unripened chocolate pods (cacao) grown on the Big Island. Moi is a delicate, moist fish that was once only raised and served for the Ali’i, or Hawaiian royalty. In the past, special ponds were built around where Waikiki Beach now lies; but today, the fish is now farmed commercially. If moi is unavailable in your local fish market, substitute with arctic char or snapper.

Olive Oil1 Tbs

Shallotsminced, 1 Tbs

Lemon Grass minced (bottom 2-3

inches only), 1 tsp

Galangal or Fresh Ginger

minced, 1 tsp

Garlicminced, 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder2 tsp

Cocoa Nibsground, 1 tsp or substitute

unsweetened chocolate

Thai Chiliminced, ¼ tsp

Kosher Salt½ tsp

Sriracha Chili Sauce

1 Tbs

Water2 Tbs

Coconut Milk1 cup

Sugar1 Tbs

Wild Lime Leaves2

1 In a hot sauté pan, add the olive oil and sauté the shallots, lemon grass, galangal, garlic, turmeric, salt, and cocoa nibs until the shallots are translucent.

2 Add Thai chili, lime leaf, Sriracha chili sauce, coconut milk and water. Then cook on medium for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened. Cocoa Bean Curry Sauce can be stored, covered and refrigerated, up to 3 days.

1 Season both sides of fish with olive oil, salt and pepper.

2 Pan fry until tender and cooked.

3 Ladle sauce over fish. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Moi 2 filets, boned (or arctic char

or snapper fillets, 6 oz

each)

Olive Oil1 Tbs

Green Onionsliced, green

part only, 4 Tbs

Shiitake Mushrooms

sliced, 1 cup

Kosher Salt & Freshly

Ground Black Pepper

Moi P reparation

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…the Secret to Success is to gently blend…and not

to over bake…

1 Butter and lightly flour 8–10 4 oz teacups, ramekins or molds and place on a baking sheet.

2 In the top of a double boiler or in a large, heatproof bowl fitted snugly over a saucepan with 2 inches simmering water, melt butter and chocolate and stir until smooth. When melted, add black pepper and the essential oils will start to perfume the air.

3 Remove from heat and gently stir in eggs and spoon into prepared teacup molds. At this point the mixture can be refrigerated for several hours.

4 Preheat oven to 325˚F, remove cups from the refrigerator and bring back to room temperature. Bake the molds on the tray for about 15 minutes or until cakes puff up. The outsides of the cakes should be set, but the centres will still be quite soft.

5 Remove from oven and invert each mold on a plate and let set for 10 minutes. Unfold by carefully lifting one side of the mold.

6 Dust with cocoa powder and garnish with whipped cream and berries.

Unsalted Butter1 cup, cut into chunks

Dark Semisweet Chocolate Chips

20 oz

Black Peppercornscoarsely ground, 2 tsp

Eggs5, large, room

temperature, whipped until light and frothy

Cocoa Powder4 Tbs, for dusting

Strawberries & Whipped Cream

for garnish

mAkeS 8–10 SmAll CAkeS

Black PeppercorN Chocolate CakeSthis is one of those addictive, sinfully-rich, flourless chocolate cakes, made with only three main ingredients. It is one of Glenn Chu’s signature desserts and he says “the secret to success is to gently blend the beaten eggs with the melted chocolate and not to over bake.” The cake will still be soft and pudding-like when removed from the oven, but it will firm up when cooled. It keeps almost indefinitely frozen but give the cake time to warm up, as chocolate always tastes better warm or at room temperature.

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Chai’s island Bistro1 Aloha Tower Drive Honolulu, HI 96813-4815www.chaisislandbistro.com

3660 on the rise3660 Waialae Avenue Honolulu, Hawaii 96816www.3660.com

PaCifiC o restaurant505 Front St # 114 Lahaina, HI 96761-1188www.pacificomaui.com

hoku’sthe kahala hotel & resort 5000 Kahala AvenueHonolulu, HI 96816-5498www.kahalaresort.com/dining/hoku.cfm

halekulani hotel2199 Kalia Road Honolulu, HI 96815www.halekulani.com

sheraton Waikiki 2255 Kalakaua AveHonolulu, HI 96815 www.sheraton-waikiki.com

hali’imaile General store900 Haliimaile Road Makawao, HI 96768-9711www.bevgannonrestaurants.com/haliimaile

Visitit

One OF THe original group of Hawaiian Regional Chefs, Beverly Gannon opened the acclaimed Hali’imaile General Store restaurant in rural Makawao on Maui, in 1988. Her eponymous cookbook, written with Bonnie Friedman (Ten Speed Press, 2000) is as fresh today as when it was released over a decade ago. The durability of Gannon’s recipes are proof that the new wave of Hawaiian cuisine she and like-minded chefs initiated in the late 80s was not just a fad but the birth of the locavore movement that has since swept across mainland USA and much of the developed world. Gannon’s second cookbook Family-Style Meals at the Hali’imaile General Store, written with Joan namkoong (Ten Speed Press, 2009) is another great collection of recipes destined to become new Hawaiian classics.

Read it

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Vancouver born nathan fonG Fong segued from cooking and catering to a brilliant career as a food and props stylist for culinary print and film advertising, with a distinguished international client list. In addition to leading tours of the Vancouver markets and teaching cooking classes, nathan writes a regular column for the Vancouver Sun newspaper and a popular blog called Fong on Food. www.fongonfood.com


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