Hawaii Food and Recipe Blog

I first heard of chicken long rice from my mother. When she got stranded in Hawaii during the 60’s airline strike with low funds it was the food of choice - cheap, filling and readily available. Although I haven’t developed as big a taste for it as my mom, this Chinese food is yummy and a staple at any luau. You can find it at many world food stores, but it goes by the name of “cellophane noodles”. To serve chicken long rice you will need:

• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken cut into small, equal sized pieces

For the marinade:

• 5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (it’s cheap, and no, dry ginger spice isn’t the same!)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ teaspoons sugar
• dash of pepper

Stir-fry Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6-8 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 2-4 chopped green onions
• 10 oz. long rice (cellophane noodles)
• 8 oz chicken broth

Combine the 2 tablespoons soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, sugar and pepper to create a marinade. Add the chicken and refrigerate at least 1 hour. While the chicken is marinating,unwrap the long rice and soak it in cold water for a half hour. Then cut it into equal lengths - some recipes call for cutting the noodles in fourths, some for eighths. Decide on how much you want to “slurp” when you eat and cut the noodles accordingly

OK now it’s time to get “wokkin”. Place a large skillet or wok over high heat. When it’s hot, add vegetable oil and the pieces of marinated chicken. Stir-fry until chicken no longer is pink, turning often. Reduce heat and add mushrooms, green onions, long rice, chicken broth and the remainder of the soy sauce. Simmer until hot, stirring often - about 3 minutes. DON’T OVERCOOK, long rice soaks up the sauce fast and turns into a nasty, gummy mess if you simmer it too long.

That’s it - serve and enjoy!

When I say “Hawaiian food” I bet you start thinking of a luau. Big roast pig, sticky poi, and people eating in the sand. But the truth is that island food is so much more than that. Polynesian food is a melting pot of so many influences - Filipino, Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Puerto Rican, Samoan, Thai, Vietnamese and so much more. And don’t forget the spam!

So on this blog I want to talk about all the various types of food I saw on my trips to Hawaii - and ways to make your next meal feel like a tiny little trip to the tropics. Don’t worry, it’s easy to do and most of the ingredients aren’t that exotic!

To start with, why not try something easy and delicious - Huli Huli chicken, which is the Hawaiian version of the classic Barbecued Chicken you probably eat every summer. You will need:

Ingredients:

• 4-5 lbs chicken pieces. Leave the skin on!
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons sherry
• 1 piece ginger root, crushed
• 1 clove garlic, crushed

Directions:

Wash and dry the chicken pieces.

Whisk all other ingredients in bowl and brush on to your chicken.

Grill the chicken over barbecue skin side up, turning and basting with sauce until it is done (about 40 minutes).  Broiling is also fine (skin side up, 10 minutes per side), but you won’t get that authentic “smoky” taste! If cooking your chicken indoors I find a drop or two of liquid smoke in the sauce can be a help to get some of that outdoor taste back into the chicken.
Side dishes - macaroni salad, some taro bread, and a nice tall glass of guava or pineapple juice!