On My Plate

10th Annual San Francisco Aloha Festival

Hawaiian-style treats like shave ice can be found at the San Francisco Aloha Festival

This upcoming weekend is the San Francisco Aloha Festival, an annual event held at the Presidio parade grounds. Over 40,000 people attend the weekend long free festivities, filled with non-stop entertainment of Pacific Islander song and dance (from Hawai'i, Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, and more), a gazillion booths offering Hawaiian-style clothing, jewelry, plants, and other goodies, and most importantly, delicious food (or as Reid would call them 'ono kine grindz!)

I'm looking forward to the different kinds of plate lunches, featuring teriyaki chicken, korean-style kalbi ribs, hamburger steak, and more. There'll also be local delights such as Filipino cascaron, chow fun (especially local if served in a paper cone!), Spam musubi, ice cream and the quintessential shave ice. Last year, I remember waiting in line for more than 45 minutes at the shave ice booth. It was burning hot, and the call time for my hula group was fast approaching. But my hula sister and I were dying for shave ice, so we waited and waited, risking being late, and as soon as we got our cones heaped with perfectly shaven ice, sweetened with my favorite liliko'i and pineapple syrups, we ran all the way to the stage area, devouring our treat as we made our way through the crowd. Boy was it messy. Was it worth it? You bet. However, lesson learned: Get to the shave ice booth early, and allot at least an hour. To save time, eat your lunch while waiting in line. By the time you're finished chowing down, you'll be at the front of the booth and ready for refreshing dessert.

Colorful syrups add flavors such as liliko'i (passion fruit), guava, and pineapple. Yum!

I'm hoping the San Francisco chill and fog will make way for clear blue sunny skies this weekend. But I'll be there rain or shine! The hula kahiko group I dance with will be performing again, closing the Saturday line-up of entertainment. Don't miss out! The festival is free and full of tasty food and unique goodies you will probably not see anywhere else in the Bay Area.

10TH ANNUAL SAN FRANCISCO ALOHA FESTIVAL
When: Saturday-Sunday, August 7-8, 2004, 10:00am - 5:00pm (Halau 'O Keikiali'i performs only on Saturday at approx. 4pm. We will be performing a 30-minute set of enticing songs and dances honoring "Nä Ali`i"--Hawai'i's chiefs and royalty. Ever seen an ancient Hawaiian pro-creation dance? Don't miss out!)
Where: San Francisco Presidio Main Parade Grounds (next to the Visitors Center) - Lincoln Blvd. at Graham St.
Admission: Free
Parking: $5.00 per car
http://www.pica-org.org/AlohaFest/index.html

Our performance is a sneak preview of our upcoming stage production, funded by the Creative Work Fund:
Nä Ali`i: Songs and Dances Honoring Our Chiefs
When:  Saturday, August 28, 2004, 2pm & 7pm shows
Where:  Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA
For more info:  www.apop.net (click on Upcoming Events)

Lunch at Kuhio Grill, Hilo, Hawai'i

Famous 1-pound beef/pork laulau served with two scoops rice and mac salad

After an afternoon of paddling on beautiful Hilo One, we were hungry. Off we went to Kuhio Grill in the Prince Kuhio Plaza in search of hearty grinds. We heard they were famous for their 1-pound laulau--a hearty Hawaiian dish consisting of meat wrapped in lu'au (taro) leaves and steamed for hours until fork-tender and delicious.

We placed an order for their Hawaiian plate, consisting of their famous 1-pound beef/pork laulau served with typical lu'au sides of poi, lomi salmon, two scoops rice and haupia. After a few minutes, the waitress came back and said, Sorry, we're out of poi. We were horrified. After all, we merely ordered the dish just to get that side of delicious poi, thick enough to scoop with two fingers.

We opted instead for the laulau a la carte, with two scoops of rice and macaroni salad. Very filling. Their entire menu consisted of delicious local grinds, from fried chicken to saimin. They even had a large selection of loco moco, basically a hamburger patty over rice with brown gravy and topped with a fried egg. You could order your moco with different kinds of meat, from Spam to chicken, and even better is to get it over their famous fried rice. Don't miss their specials menu for one-of-a-kind eats like oxtail soup and oyster sauce chicken. Nearly everyone in our party ended up getting the oyster sauce chicken, basically chicken katsu topped with oyster-soy sauce and served with fried rice. Where on the mainland can you find delicious platters like this?

Oyster sauce chicken with Kuhio Grill's famous fried rice

Still hungry? Try their hearty Portuguese Bean Soup

Can't get to the Big Island? Try my version of laulau, definitely time consuming, but worth the wait.

Laulau
1 1/4 lb pork butt, cut into large chunks
2 tablespoons Hawaiian or kosher salt
1 lb salted butterfish or salmon, soaked in cold water for 3 hours and drained (see note)
1 lb lu'au or fresh spinach leaves
12 ti leaves (you may substitute corn husks or banana leaves)

Wash and drain lu'au and ti leaves, removing stem and fibrous part of vein. Rub salt over pork chunks and divide into six parts. Cut fish into small chunks and divide into 6 parts.

Place 6-8 lu'au at one end of ti leaf. Top with one part of pork and one part of fish, then cover with 6-8 more lu'au until meat and fish are completely wrapped. Roll ti leaf up tightly. Wrap another ti leaf in the opposite direction to form a flat bundle, and tie with string. Repeat with the other five parts of pork and fish until you have six laulaus. Steam 3-4 hours, making sure to add more water when needed.

Note: To make your own salted fish, rub 2 tbsp Hawaiian or kosher salt over 1 lb of fish fillets and let stand for 1 hour before using (no need to soak it in cold water afterwards).

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Yield: 6 servings  

Are you all thumbs in the kitchen? Hawaiian Drive-In in Daly City now carries pork laulau every day.

Kuhio Grill, 111E Puainako (Prince Kuhio Plaza), Hilo, Hawai'i T: (808) 959-2336

Hawaiian Drive-In, 50 San Pedro Road (near Mission St.), Daly City, CA T: (650) 997-0887

At the Hilo Farmer's Market

If you're staying on the Big Island, get the best in Hawai'i grinds at the Hilo Farmer's Market in downtown Hilo. In addition to the fresh locally-grown produce (think papaya, passion fruit, lychee, bananas, lettuce of all kinds, tomatoes, eggplant, and more), there is a wonderful selection of ready-to-eat foods. Bento boxes with rice and teriyaki meats or grilled fish and veggies will set you back about $4, and the wide array of musubi (from Spam to salmon, as pictured) will satisfy your cravings while you shop the stands of trinkets, clothing, lei, and other flea market-type finds.

Delicious bentos and Spam musubi

Can't get yourself to the Big Island? Try my Spam musubi recipe. I cook the Spam teriyaki-style to add sweetness and a different kick, but you can also simply fry the Spam until crispy before wrapping in nori.

Spam Musubi
5 cups cooked sushi rice, room temperature
5 sheets nori, cut in half lengthwise
1 (12 oz.) can Spam
6 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp mirin
4 tbsp sugar
Furikake, to taste

Cut Spam into 10 slices. Fry until slightly crispy. Remove and drain on plate lined with paper towels. In another pan, combine soy sauce, mirin and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low. Add Spam slices, coating them in the mixture. When mixture has thickened, remove Spam from pan.

Lay a sheet of nori lengthwise on a clean surface. Moisten lower half of musubi maker (see Note), and place on lower third of nori. Fill musubi maker with rice and press flat until the rice is 3/4-inch high. Sprinkle rice with furikake. Top with slice of Spam. Remove musubi maker and keep in a bowl of warm water to keep it clean and moist.

Starting at the end towards you, fold nori over Spam and rice stack, and keep rolling until completely wrapped in the nori. Slightly dampen the end of the nori to seal it. Repeat with the other nine Spam slices, making sure to rinse off musubi maker after each use to prevent it from getting too sticky.

Note: You can also use an empty Spam can that has been opened on both sides for the musubi mold, using your hands (or a piece of Spam) to press down on the rice.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Makes 10 musubi

Get the freshest fish ever and make your own sashimi

Treats From Kahakuloa

When you drive from Lahaina to Wailuku around Maui’s head, you can easily disappear from civilization. Most times, there is nothing around for miles—just luscious ocean views, rolling landscapes, cliff hugging roads. And if you didn’t pack sustenance for the long drive, you may find yourself starving.

You’re in luck. Midway through the drive, you’ll come across the village of Kahakuloa. Tucked in an enclave near towering Pu’u Ko’ae, Kahakuloa head, the cliff hugging road descends into the village, and soon the mountains and greenery will tower above you. Stop at the pink roadstand for the best shave ice on the island ($3 a cone with 1 flavor; 25 cents additional flavor). The ice is so soft it melts in your mouth—bad shave ice is too icy, and hard. The trick is in how the ice is shaved, and at this stand they use the large old-fashioned machine where you fasten a big ice block near a blade and turn the hand-crank. Syrup flavors include strawberry, banana, pineapple, passion fruit, vanilla and a few other classics. Even better, get your shave ice with a scoop of ice cream on the bottom.

The proprietor of the stand is Ululani, the wife of Richard Ho'opi'i of the Ho'opi'i Brothers, an award-winning Hawaiian music group. Talk story over shave ice and learn more about the village. If you’re lucky, you can listen to one of the Ho'opi'i Brothers' recordings, and delight in their beautiful falsetto voices.

Nearby is "Julia's Best Banana Bread," a tiny green stand right by the taro patches. Authors of the controversial Maui Revealed guidebook have touted this bread as the "best on the planet." I haven't had all the banana bread in the world but the loaf here is pretty good. Julia offers samples of her famous bread, freshly baked. The bread is very moist and flavorful—perfect for an island breakfast or road trip snack. She sometimes runs out of the bread ($5 for a small loaf), so get there early if you can. If banana bread isn't your thing, she also sells Coconut Candy ($5 a bag), a tasty treat. Coconut strips are dried and lightly sweetened—so ono, and the only places to really get this is at road side stands or farmers markets. Julia also sells delicious homemade Dried Mango ($3)—a bargain compared to other stands.

Enjoy your treats at one of the nearby lookouts. Take a deep breath and enjoy the pristine view, the ocean stretching for miles. Take your time before returning to civilization. The next bustling town, Wailuku, is less than 15 miles away—down more curving, winding, cliff-hugging roads. But in Kahakuloa, you’ll feel like you're in another time, another world.

Getting there: From Lahaina, take Highway 30 towards Kapalua and keep going. The road will become one-lane and cliff-hugging until you get to the other side. Roads are paved, but not for the faint at heart. Beware of fast-driving locals—as a courtesy, let them pass. While this may be the middle of nowhere, there are a handful of residents who make this area their home.

Nazo's Oxtail Soup

Forget pho. When there’s a chill in the Maui air and you’re craving a big bowl of soothing goodness, go to Nazo’s restaurant for their famous Oxtail Soup. Owned by the Pa’a family, the restaurant continues to dish up favorites to a local crowd. Sure they have the requisite plate lunch, diner fare (think Hamburger Steak, Liver and Onions, Pork Katsu), but it is their Oxtail Soup that outshines everything else.

For $9.50, you can get a big bowl of steaming beefy broth chock full with meaty oxtails, so tender they fall apart with the touch of a fork. Add bamboo shoots, onions, scallions and peanuts, and you’ll begin to wonder what you ever saw in pho or even saimin. The soup is served with two scoops of rice, a side of corn kernels, and a tiny dish of freshly-minced ginger. Definitely add the ginger to the soup for a fragrant addition.

The soup and sides are very filling, but if that’s not enough, they also serve it with a small green salad or a cup of miso soup. And if you’ve never had oxtails before, this is the place to try them—and no, it’s not really tails from an ox—think beef and you’ll be fine.

Tucked away in a rundown strip mall, you may have trouble finding the restaurant, especially if you’ve never explored Wailuku before. Just get on Lower Main Street and ask around—it’s worth the search.

I go there every trip home. My family makes it a special occasion, and with food this delicious, who wouldn’t. Their prices have gone up over the years, but in this era of chain stores and restaurants taking over Maui, it's good to support local.

Nazo’s Restaurant, 1063 Lower Main, suite C226, (808) 244-0529

Hawaiian Kalua Pig

The brined turkey was juicy and wonderful, but what really made the Thanksgiving feast memorable was the kalua pig. No, not Kahlua pig (there’s no coffee liqueur in this dish, and if one more person says that to me....) Kalua pig, as in ka lua (literally, the pit in Hawaiian—this refers to the method of cooking the pork in an underground earthen oven called an imu.) Since we are now city dwellers who don’t have a yard, a crockpot is one way to replicate this traditional dish. I used to think crockpot cooking was lazy cooking—the dump a can of soup and meat and you’ve got a meal kind of cooking. But after biting into this succulent dish, I’m forever changed.

Crockpot Kalua Pork
Recipe courtesy of E/S

4 to 5 pounds pork butt or shoulder
2 cups apple cider
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
2-3 tablespoons Hawaiian salt (regular sea salt will work)

The night before the big feast, rub pork with Hawaiian salt, liquid smoke and place in crockpot. Add apple cider. Turn crockpot on low and leave it to cook for 10-12 hours, flipping pork over halfway through. Take meat out of crockpot and shred with two forks. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 hours
Yield: Makes 6-8 servings

Don’t have a crockpot? Here’s my oven version, courtesy of the Food Network:

Oven Kalua Pork

4-5 lb pork butt
3 tablespoons Hawaiian salt or kosher salt
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
8 ti leaves (or 2-3 banana leaves)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make several slashes along the surface of the pork butt. Rub with salt, then liquid smoke. Prepare ti leaves by removing the rib. Lay out a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, and place 4 ti leaves on top. Place pork on leaves and wrap them around the pork. Cover with remaining leaves in the opposite direction until pork is completely wrapped. Wrap the foil tightly around the pork to make a watertight seal.

Place package in a large roasting pan. Fill with two inches of water and cover pan tightly with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Lower temperature to 325 degrees F and cook for 3-3 1/2 hours or until tender. Unwrap pork from package and shred before serving.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Yield: Makes 6-8 servings

For a local-style meal, serve with rice, macaroni salad, lomi salmon, sweet potatoes and poi.

Got leftovers? Serve on Hawaiian sweet bread for the best pork sandwich you ever had.

Don't eat pork? Works with chicken!