Shirokiya, Hawaii

half of an okonomiyaki

Hawaii has this amazing Japanese market called Shirokiya that looks like it came straight out of Japan. The workers call out to you in Japanese as you pass food stand after food stand serving up everything from tako yaki to grilled musubi.

Every time I go to Hawaii, I always make at least one stop here. This time around, I got the okonomiyaki and shoyu mochi. The okonomiyaki is a savory pancake that's grilled and served with a teriyaki type of sauce. Mine consisted of cabbage, shrimp, squid and a few other additions that I don't remember.

Here's an exerpt about okonomiyaki from wikipedia:

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き^?) is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba). Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region.

shoyu mochi wrapped in nori

3660 On the Rise, Hawaii

For Christmas, I was given a gift certificate to 3660 on the Rise in Hawaii. I'd been to 3660 many times before with family, but I always ordered the steak. It was time to try something new.

After eating the purple taro rolls ("In Hawaii, taro is a traditional staple, as in many tropical areas of the world, and is the base for making poi..." -wikipedia), we ordered the raw oysters, ahi katsu, clam and corn chowder, opaka with black bean sauce, and tempura cat fish. Brad loved his catfish (he's a Southern boy after all), but my favorites were the oysters and the ahi katsu (raw tuna wrapped in nori(?) and breaded just on the outside so that the tuna's still raw) . Just to give you an idea of how good the katsu was, we were using the bread rolls to sop up the sauce.

No dessert, we were so stuffed afterwards (and had leftovers for the next day!). One thing you gotta love about Hawaii fine dining; they don't skimp on the portions.

taro rolls

ahi katsu looks like a happy face

raw oysters

clam and corn chowder

opaka with black bean sauce

tempura catfish (they gave lots!)

Christmas Dinner in Hawaii

cranberry sauce and turkey

Christmas dinner is always a huge family affair in which everyone brings tons of food over, stuffs themselves, then takes home plates and plates of leftovers. It's also one of my favorite days of the year because I get to see all of my family in one place.

This Christmas, even though Brad's family couldn't come over, they were with us in spirit. To accompany the Christmas turkey, I made a cranberry sauce using the recipe that Brad's sister used for Thanksgiving. I also made his family's sweet potato casserole and a crab deviled eggs. It was nice bringing a touch of the South to Hawaii.

The dishes were a success. Everyone raved about the sweet potatoes and the cranberry sauce, and the deviled eggs disappeared in minutes. I got the recipe for the deviled eggs from epicurious. Here are the ingredients I used.. Click here for the full recipe.

Crab Deviled Eggs

• 8 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 8 ounces crabmeat

• Fresh tarragon sprigs (optional)

dad's macaroni salad and pork ribs

beef stew

crab deviled eggs

mochi and anpan

The inside of a baked manapua

You might be used to calling it cha siu bau, char siu bun, or bbq pork bun... In Hawaii, it's called manapua. Here's an exerpt from wikipedia:

This food usually consists of a white bun with a dark pink-colored diced pork filling. The red pork filling is called char siu, and the dark pink color comes from marinating the pork with a very small amount of salt peter prior to slow roasting. The bun is occasionally baked, but is more frequently steamed when it is made. Manapua has come to mean any meat-filled or bean-paste-filled bun made with the same dough as described above including locally created versions with hot dogs, curry chicken, kalua pig, and even ube (purple yam), which is a popular vegetarian version of the manapua. In Hawaii, freshly prepared or prepackaged frozen manapua may be found in dedicated bakeries, restaurants, and chain convenience stores.

The manapua I ate above is from Chun Wah Kam Noodle Factory in Hawaii. Despite their name, they kind of specialize in manapua... steamed, baked, sweet potato, bbq, you name it. I liked their baked char siu manapua. The bun is sweet like Hawaiian sweet bread. The filling is a good mix of pork fat and meat.

Amber's Wedding

And now for the wedding! Amber had a beautiful beach side wedding at the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki. It was during lunch time, and it was a very intimate affair. I trusted the professionals to take beautiful pictures of the bride and groom... Me, I focused on things that they probably didn't think of photographing... Like the dinner roll.

I was really excited that the Moana had a free range chicken on the menu, so that's what I ordered. It was moist and flavorful, and they gave a lot of it! I couldn't even finish the plate.

The wedding cake was a white cake with mango(?) filling, and the party favors were almonds and a cute heart shaped cookie. Before lunch while the bride and groom were posing for pictures, we snacked on fruit and veggies. It was the perfect food for such a special day.

Fruit appetizers

Veggie appetizers w/ three kinds of dip!

My plate

Favors

Salad

Wedding cake

Free range chicken

Salmon and pasta (the other entree choice)

wedding cake

my slice

My Uncle's (And Tyler Florence's) Ultimate Roast Chicken Recipe

For New Years day, my uncle made Tyler Florence's Ultimate Roast Chicken. He swears that the secret to this recipe is choosing a "local" chicken... I think you'd do just as well choosing a free range chicken, though, like the recipe calls for. The chicken came out beautifully and even though we served it with gravy, it didn't even need it.

• 1 (5 1/2 pound) free-range chicken
• 1/2 bunch each fresh oregano, thyme, and parsley
• 1/4 pound unsalted butter, softened
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 orange, halved
• 1/2 head garlic
• 1 medium white onion, halved, plus 1 onion
• 6 strips smoked bacon
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• Serving suggestion: roast potatoes , watercress and gravy.

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Rinse the chicken with cool water, inside and out. Pat it dry with paper towels. Divide the herbs, keeping 1/2 of them whole. Finely chop the other half. In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the chopped herbs, until combined. Rub the herbed butter under the skin, as well as all over the outside of the chicken. Season the bird all over with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the orange, garlic, 1 onion, and the remaining herbs. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine to help hold its shape. Place the chicken, breast-side up, in a roasting pan. Put the remaining onion into the pan, which will help color and flavor the sauce. Lay the strips of bacon across the breast of the chicken and roast for 25 minutes.

Remove the bacon and baste the chicken with the drippings and cook for another 25 minutes to brown the skin. The chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer reads 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (the legs of the chicken should wiggle easily from the sockets too.) Remove the chicken to a platter and let stand for 10 minutes, so the juices settle back into the meat before carving.

Meanwhile, remove the softened onion from the roasting pan. Tilt the pan so the drippings collect in 1 corner, skimming off as much fat as possible, and leaving the drippings. Place the roasting pan on top of the stove over medium heat and take a wooden spoon to scrape up the flavor from the bottom of the pan. Stir the flour into the drippings to make a roux-like paste. Pour in the chicken broth in stages; continue to stir to dissolve the flour evenly to prevent lumps. Stir in the sherry and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, carve the chicken tableside and squeeze the oranges from the cavity over the meat.

Honolulu Country Club

Brad's always playing jokes on friends at restaurants by telling waiters that it's someone's birthday, and having the Thai Elvis or chorus of waitstaff sing happy birthday to him/her. Well this time, it came back to him. My aunt proclaimed it Brad's birthday, and he got a sweet potato haupia* cheesecake brought out to him. We all sang "happy birthday" and Brad blew out the candle, slightly embarrassed. Hehe.

The food at this country club was really good! I ordered the smoked duck salad which was nice and light. They supposedly smoke it right there. Brad ordered the rack of lamb encrusted with macadamia nuts. The lamb was amazing. It came with mashed sweet potatoes. Delicious!

Rack of lamb with macadamia nut crust

smoked duck salad

fruit and sorbet

*haupia = "is a traditional coconut milk-based Hawaiian dessert often found at luaus and other local gatherings in Hawaiʻi. " according to Wikipedia

Amber's Wedding Shower

My friend Amber lives in Hawaii and had a wedding shower a couple of weeks ago. It was held at her parent's house, and she had delicious Italian food catered. After eating, we played a charades game in which Amber's (now) husband mimed the words on video. The best part was when he mimed Amber's favorite flower, the calla lily (my guess was "accordion" :P). We also played a bingo game while she opened presents. She got lots of kitchen gadgets that were on her registry, but sadly no mango pitter. Here are some pics from the event...

Amber cutting the cake

Happy New Year!

Happy 2010 everyone! I hope everyone is sufficiently stuffed and ready to tackle those new years resolutions. I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I have a ton of food pictures that I'm planning to unload in a few days, so stay tuned...