Iliahi Foundation Web Site

"Aunty Kianalani and Uncle Keoni's Kau Kau Korner"

Our favorite Hawaiian Recipes:

From Aunty Kianalani's Kitchen:

Basic Teriyaki Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cup shoyu
• 1/2-1 cup sugar (brown or white)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1" piece fresh ginger, sliced (or grated while frozen)
• 1 Tblsp. sesame oil
• *1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• *2 Tblsp. chopped green onion
• *1/4 cup whiskey, beer, or wine

* = optional

Typical Hawaiian style, adjust ALL ingredients depending on personal preference. For example: if you like it sweeter, add more sugar. Korean sauce would be with less sugar and more sesame. And Japanese (teriyaki) would be sweeter with no sesame or pepper.

Liquor, especially bourbon, adds a full flavor to the cooked meat, especially beef. Depending on the strength of flavor and delicacy of type of meat or fish, soak for at least 30 minutes at room temp. before cooking. For thick steaks, etc. and depending on amount of flavor you want, you can soak several hours at room temp. (turning occasionally), or overnight in refrigerator.

Hawaiian Teriyaki Beef and Chicken:

Cut the beef and/or chicken into chunks. Soak them a few minutes in Teriyaki sauce before baking them at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Add chunk pineapple near the end. Thicken and cook the Teriyaki sauce with corn starch and water. Pour the thickened Teriyaki sauce onto the cooked beef or chicken before serving. This is the fast way.

Better way is to dip the Teriyaki soaked meat cubes in flour or corn starch and then brown them first in oil, then pour the Teriyaki sauce over and bake just a few minutes so as not to overcook and also to cook the sauce. Then thicken if needed. Messy and more fattening and tedious, but delicious.

 

Chinese style Shoyu-Chicken:

• 1 4 lb. Chicken
• 3/4 cup shoyu
• 1 Tblsp brown sugar
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 2 Tblsp chopped ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 star anise
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 2 Tblsp sherry (or whiskey or wine)
• 2" piece cinnamon stick (broken in pieces)*
• 1 tsp sesame oil*
• 1" piece dried orange or tangerine peel*
• 2 Tblsp cornstarch
• 4 Tblsp water
• * = optional

Set aside cornstarch and water mixture. In a pot with lid, boil all ingredients for 2 minutes before adding whole chicken. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes and then turn over. Simmer for another 20-30 minutes until cooked through, depending on size of chicken. Remove chicken and cut in pieces. Thicken some of remaining sauce with the cornstarch/water mixture. Serve chicken with hot steamed rice topped with thickened sauce. Garnish with more chopped green onion or Chinese parsley (cilantro).

Aunty K's secret: If you make twice as much sauce it cooks better and then you have enough to pour all over chicken to serve. Can use chicken pieces in place of whole chicken. If you no have staranise go get some at Asian market. So easy and onolicious!

ONO SWEET POTATOES

• 1 can (Trappie's size) sweet potatoes*
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• brown sugar -
• thin layer crushed corn flakes
• crushed macadamia nuts
• butter - melted

Mash sweet potatoes and bananas together into a coarse or smooth mash, depending on personal preference. Top with sugar, corn flakes, nuts, and melted butter. Bake in lightly greased 8"x8" casserole at 350 for 45min. HINTS: Double recipe fills a 9"x13" pan. The combination of sweet potatoes and bananas is different and lovely. *Use fresh sweet potatoes if desired.

PUNAHOU PORTUGESE BEAN SOUP

• 1/2 lb. dry kidney beans
• 1 lb. ham hocks
• 2 lge. potatoes, cubed
• 3 lge. carrots, diced
• 1 med. onion, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 can (16 oz.) whole tomatoes
• 1 lb. Portugese sausage (hot or mild), cubed
• 1 med. head cabbage, cubed
• 1 cup uncooked macaroni (optonal)
• Red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and pepper

Soak beans overnight in 3 quarts cold water. Rinse and then cook in fresh water until tender. In separate pot, boil ham hocks in 2 quarts water 'til tender. Cut meat from bones. Reserve stock and meat and set aside. When beans are tender, add ham hock stock and meat, sausage and all of the vegetables except the cabbage. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for one hour, stirring frequently. If too thick, add a little water. Add the cabbage last and if desired, 1 cup uncooked macaroni. Simmer for a few minutes 'til cabbage and macaroni are done. Makes 10 large broke-da-mout' servings.

PUNAHOU MALASADAS

• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 2 tsp. Sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 12 eggs
• 12 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2 cups evaporated milk, undiluted
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp. Salt

Dissolve yeast and the 2 teaspoons sugar in the warm water. Beat eggs until thick. Measure flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add yeast, eggs and remaining ingredients. Beat thoroughly to obtain a very soft, wet, smooth dough. Cover and let rise 'til doubled. With a circular motion, following the outer edge of the bowl, turn dough with your hand and let it rise gain 'til doubled. Heat a pot of deep fat to 375 degrees. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into the deep fat and fry 'til brown and they pop up to the top. Drain and roll in granulated sugar or sugar-cinnamon mixture. Yield: 14 dozen.

 

HONOLULU ART ACADEMY GARDEN CAFE SHORTBREAD

• 3/4 lb. Butter
• 1/4 lb. Margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 4 oz. frozen, unsweetened coconut

These are too easy, light, rich and elegant. Cream butter and margarine 'til fluffy. Add flour and coconut. Mix gently. Form 3 long rolls and roll in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 8 hours or freeze for 2 hours. Slice 1/4" thick. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at300 degrees for 25-30 minutes and be careful not to let them brown. Cook on rack and when cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar. HINT: Roll and freeze the dough weeks ahead and cook as needed OR freeze the cookies to always have available when desired.

From Uncle Keoni's Kitchen:

Basic "Two Scoop" Rice:

• Use any kind white rice. Hinode was always the best at one time, but now get many kinds at the super. All good.
• Dump the rice into the pot. 1/3 cup rice per person. Run clear water over the rice, swirl with fork, and drain out the water. This removes excess glucose and talc from the rice. (Note: allow for rice expansion typically 5:1)
• Now refill the pot with water to a level one knuckle length of your index finger deep over the top of the rice. You ask "What if your knuckle be extra long or extra short, what going happen?" Uncle Keoni says "No problem. Cooking rice is an art, not a science".
• Sprinkle in one pinch of Hawaiian Mokapu rock salt for each cup rice. You ask "What if you no get Hawaiian Mokapu rock salt?" Again Uncle Keoni says "No problem!" Jus sprinkle in whatever kind salt you get.
• Now for the tricky part. Cover the rice pot and place the pot on the stove (gas more easy to control the heat but electricity is OK). Watch him until it boil and then turn down the heat. You will cook for about 25 minutes total at a medium heat. Keep an eye on the rice pot. Main thing you do not want too much heat to cause the rice to stick to the bottom and burn and ruin the taste of the rice so you gotta start all over. It is OK to sneak one peek after five minutes to stir the mixture and make sure no rice sticking to the bottom. Check it again at 10 minutes and 15 minutes, making sure not to let out too much steam. If coming along OK, turn down the heat somewhat at 15 minutes and let it go another 10 minutes.
• Take it off the heat and let the steam and moisture reabsorb into the rice for 5 minutes.
• Now you are done. Hopefully you have the Teriyaki Chicken or Beef from Aunty Kianalani's recipe above all ready to go. Take "two scoop rice" on your plate, pile on plenty of Aunty Kianalani's Hawaiian Teriyaki Beef or Chicken next the rice. Now take one big helping of Uncle Keoni's Basic Hawaiian Salad with Uncle Keoni's special Hawaiian Ginger/Oil Salad Dressing. If you get extra left over in the refridg , try some of Uncle Keoni's Hawaiian Mango Chutney to tickle your taster buds.
• You almost done. Now get one ice cold soft drink, ice tea, a glass of Hawaiian Guava juice, or an ice cold "Brewski" . Put one of Rev. David Dennis Kamakahi's Hawaiian Slack Key CD's on the player ( Pua'ena or Ohana). Now go sit down in the shade and relax. And Bruddahs and Sistahs, you are in for one real big Aunty Kianalani and Uncle Keoni taste treat. Enjoy!

Hawaiian Mango Chutney: (Laura Bowers recipe)

• coming

Basic Hawaiian Salad:

• coming

Hawaiian Ginger/Oil Salad Dressing:

• coming

 

Cooking Hawaiian Luau Food

Aunty Kianalani and Uncle Keoni's hints on preparing ono "Kau Kau for the Luau":

Basic Luau Menu:

• Royal Hawaiian Kalua Pig ... Imu cooked - You know the drill. Dig one big puka the ground, throw in the wood and coconut husks, lay the big black rocks throughout the wood, light the fire and let all the wood burn to ashes. Cover the Pua'a with gunny sacks and lay him on the rocks on top one layer of Ti Leaves, and cover up with more Ti leaves and dirt. Wait 10 hours, dig him up, and you got the key "ingredament" for your Luau.
• Fresh Island Chicken - This not the mainland kine chicken raised in the big pens and stuffed with corn and whose feet never touch the ground and the meat soft white but with no taste and loaded with the fat in the chicken skin. We talking here the "Hawaiian Range Chicken", you know the ones raised on the ground who make a living running around the back yard eating the cockroach, lizard, and any thing they can run down. More bony, stringy and tough than mainland chicken, but much more da kine good local flavors.
• Waimea Poi - Actually poi from anywhere is OK. Waimea poi sounds more romantic than jus saying "poi" but quite frankly poi is poi, so buy da poi anywhere, and call it any thing you like, even name it after yourself like say Kianalani Poi, or Keoni Poi or, you get the idea.
• Pacific Ocean Lomi Salmon - In the old days when the Hukilau nets yielded local fishes, it was always a surprise what kind fish you have in the Lomi. But today salmon from the store is the easiest. And make sure you buy salmon from the Pacific Ocean. You never going want to hear about "Atlantic Ocean Lomi Salmon" or "Norwegian Lomi Salmon" at a Hawaiian luau, only "Pacific Ocean Lomi Salmon". We Hawaiians are loyal. Add the Mokapu Rock Salt and soak 'em good raw, chopped tomatoes and onions, mix it up good and serve. And main thing, no tell the mainland guys they eating "sashimi" raw fish. No worry getting sick, the Mokapu Salt going kill anything bad inside the Lomi anyway.
• Mokapu Rock Salt - Drive to Mokapu and buy the local salt. If you no know where Mokapu, or no get time walk, drive or fly there, just ask for rock salt at the local super.
• Molokai Candy Sweet Potato... Imu cooked - Once again, Molokai Candy Sweet Potato sounds more romantic, but if you no have time go Molokai and buy da local sweet potato, again trus your local grocer. Main thing is that you wrap them in Ti leaves and throw them in the Imu and cook them with the Kalua Pua'a.
• Island Grown Onions - Imu cooked - Here for sure you only want Maui onions. Anything else would be a sacrilege. Wrap them in Ti leaves and throw them in the Imu and cook along with the sweet potato's to give them that full smoky flavor.
• Home Made Cake - Any kine soft cake that is white and flaky and light. With all the other great foods you eating, this is a pleasant surprise and goes good with the pineapple. A very light icing is OK, pineapple or lemon flavor, but main thing no use butter because you know the calories and cholesterol no good for your arteries.
• Hawaiian Sugar Loaf Pineapple - Here one must insist on only "field ripened" pineapple, not the ones they pick green and let ripen off the stalk. The dead ripe sugar loaf pineapple is yellow only outside, heavy due to the maximum amount of water inside, smells ono, dark soft yellow meat inside, and the juice runs out everywhere when you cut him.
• Haupia - Mix coconut milk and sugar, add corn starch to thicken, and main thing keep in the refrig. until served.
• Ice Cold Soft Beverages - The haoles from the Mainland going want to drink Mai Tai's and stuff like that at the hotel Luaus for tourists. For us local folks with all the family and children and grandparents and aunts and uncles and good friends around, the main thing is to enjoy all of them when you are enjoying the great Hawaiian Luau Food, so soft drinks, fruit punch and soda (and of course ice cold beer for who want it) all go great with the Luau Kau Kau). Enjoy!

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Please send Aunty Kianalani and Uncle Keoni your favorite Hawaiian, Asian, Western and other international cuisine Recipes to share with the rest of us.

Please Email them to: iliahi_foundation@hotmail.com so we can post them here. Mahalo