"Kaukau" is a pidgin slang word meaning "food" or "to eat." The Hawaiian term for food is `ai. The two theories on the origin of the word "kaukau" are the Hawaiian word for table, pâkaukau, and the Chinese word for food, chow chow. In Hawaii we say "We go kaukau!", I would say, "I hungry I like kaukau!" or "Let's kaukau!" The Cuisine of Hawaii is a fusion of foods brought by immigrants to the Hawaiian Islands, particularly of Portuguese, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Polynesian etc.
So the left over wontons that my sister made were the next days appetizers by deep frying them in hot oil and making a simple basic Chinese sweet sour sauce for dipping.
Looks good sis! Keep it up!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup white or rice vinegar
4 TBsp brown sugar
1-2 TBsp ketchup
1 TBsp soy sauce
1 TBsp cornstarch mixed with 1 cup water
Procedure:
Mix the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce together and bring to a boil in a small pot. Mix together the cornstarch and water, add to the other ingredients and stir to thicken.
You can also add 1 green pepper, cut into chunks, and pineapple chunks as desired after adding the cornstarch. For a thicker sauce, increase the cornstarch to 4 teaspoons while keeping the water constant.
Adjust for sweetness or tartness by adding more or less sugar or vinegar etc.
1 gal. water
3 tbsp chicken broth mix powder or 1 can chicken stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 or 3 green onion
p.s. You may add additional garnishes like Chinese sweet roast pork (char siu) or any other type of meats. Shredded chicken, sliced ham, or even spam if you're from Hawaii! lol ;)
2 tablespoons bagoong (Filipino fish sauce) or harm ha (Chinese fine shrimp paste)
1/2 cup water
2 cups long beans, in 2- to 3-inch pieces
1/4 lb sweet peppers
2 long bittermelons cut in 3-inch pieces
1 pound whole okra pods
2.5-ounce bag chicaron (fried pork rinds) or fresh sitsaron or lechon kawali.
Instructions:
Soak eggplant in water and Hawaiian salt for 30 minutes then drain.
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add dried shrimp to hot, dry pot. Add dash of water to lock in flavor. Layer tomatoes, onion, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon bagoong over shrimp. Add water. Reduce heat and simmer until tomatoes are soft, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add long beans and stir gently. Cover and cook until beans are half-done, about 3 minutes.
Layer bittermelon, eggplant and okra in pot. Break pork rinds into bite-sized pieces; sprinkle over top. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of bagoong and a little more water, if needed.
DO NOT STIR! True Ilocanos never stir the pinakbet in the pot. Because it would smash the already tender veggies.
Cover and simmer until vegetables settle, about 10 minutes. "Intalta" -- turn the ingredients by lifting, tossing, and shaking the pot. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Serves 8.
Watch the videos below!
Pinakbet or pakbet is a popular Ilokano dish, from the northern regions
of the Philippines, although it has become popular throughout the
archipelago. The word is the contracted form of the Ilokano word
pinakebbet, meaning "shrunk" or "shriveled".[1] The original Ilokano
pinakbet uses bagoong, of fermented monamon or other fish, while further
south, bagoong alamang is used. The basic vegetables used in this dish
include native bitter melon, eggplant, tomato, okra, string beans, chili
peppers, parda, winged beans, and others. Root crops and some beans
like camote, patani, kadios are also optionally added. The young pod of
marunggay is also added. It is usually spiced with ginger, onions, or
garlic. A Tagalog version usually includes calabaza. Most of these
vegetables are easily accessible, and are grown in backyards and gardens
of most Ilokano households. As its name suggests, it is usually cooked
until almost dry and shriveled; the flavors of the vegetables are
accentuated with shrimp paste. In some cases, lechon, chicharon, or
other meats (most commonly pork) are added. It is considered a very
healthy dish, and convenient in relation to the harsh and rugged, yet
fruitful Ilocos region of the Philippines.
The vegetable dish
pinakbet is more than a regional cuisine. It is an enduring symbol of
the Ilokano palate and a lucid display of the Ilokanos' history of
contestations and struggles with the physical and social environment.
The recipe weaves intimations of the cultural productions of the
Ilokanos' transaction to their arid and less productive land. (Caday,
2009)
Pinakbet is similar to the Provençal (French) vegetable stew ratatouille except for its sauce.
Manapua means mea ono pua’a (“mea ono” for cake or pastry, and “pua’a for pork). Chinese immigrants arrived in Hawaii during the 19th century to work on the sugar and later pineapple plantations along with other ethnic group. With that they brought their customs, culture, and their cuisine.
Street food vending in the street was a common trade in the marketplace towns of China and still is. In Hawaii, food peddlers sold a variety of delectable items especially their famous char siu bao. The peddlers would stack their foodstuffs in large aluminum cans and sling the cans by cords at each end of a pole. Hoisting the poles on their shoulders, they roamed the neighborhoods with their savory-filled buns. They were called the "Manapua Man". Every little kid would come running with coins like the ice cream trucks of modern day to buy their fill. Char siu bao immediately became a favorite among the locals, and was given the name manapua, or mea ono pua’a (“mea ono” for cake or pastry, and “pua’a for pork).
The manapua man today can be found in a cargo vans run by independant business owners parked at beaches, small neighborhoods, near the business districts and other places around the island. For many, eating a manapua can be nostalgic, bringing childhood memories of making a trip to the manapua man’s truck.
Over the years, the manapua’s size and filling changed. The late Bat Moi Kam Mau, former owner of Char Hung Sut in Chinatown, was well known for her local-style manapua. She created the “big Hawaiian-size” manapuas that the island people love to eat. The once small manapua, was now super-sized by the locals. Not craving sweet pork? No problem. Today you can find manapua with different savory fillings such as vegetables, curry, sweet bean, chicken, lup cheong (chinese sweet sausage), sweet potato, laulau, kalua pork, and many more. Baked and steamed, there is a wide variety of manapua that you can choose from. If you go to the dim sum restaurants abroad you will see little char siu bao in little bamboo steamers along with the usual dim sum selections. But only in Hawaii the char siu bao or manapua is huge. Manapua is so popular in Hawaii that it is sold at 7-11 convenience stores islandwide.
Best Places To Get Some
Manapua can be found in chinese dim sum restaurants but Hawaii locals buy them in bulk to take to gatherings or on trips to the mainland, picnics, or even to sports events.
The best places to buy them are at Char Hung Sut, Libby's Manapua Shop, Royal Kitchen, Chun Wah Kam, Aiea Manapua and Snacks, and Island Manapua Factory. All have their delicious versions of manapuas and have their fans. For me if I want big bready and lean filling I'd go to Char Hung Sut or Libby's. If I want baked manapua I'd go to Royal Kitchen since it's their specialty. Chun Wah Kam and Island Manapua compete with their many varieties and othe dim sum specialties such as pork hash (siomai) and chow mein (fried noodles) etc. To me the best manapua for the bun to meat filling ratio is Island Manapua Factory hands down. Theirs are light and fluffy with lots of meat filling. Make sure your get them hot and steaming! To local hawaii people seeing a pink or white colored box is a tell tale sign that someone has brought manapua to the office or home and you know it's going to be ono!!
So let's eat some manapua it's kaukau time!! :D
Hawaiian Beef Stew
"Chinese cooks at Hawaiian ranches made stew on an open fire, tossing the less-than-tender beef into a pot of water to simmer all day long, then adding vegetables shortly before the cowboys (paniolos) came in."
Ingredients:
2 pounds stewing beef (recommends chuck roast, oxtail, short ribs or a combination of)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 large onions
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce (or 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste)
6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 large carrots, cut to the 1-2 inch pieces 2-4 stalks celery, cut into 1-2 inch pieces (optional) I add to mine.
6-8 cloves garlic
2 inch fresh ginger sliced in half and crushed. 1-2 bay leaves ripped in half
Hawaiian salt (coarse sea salt) to taste fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Thickener:
4 tablespoons flour or cornstarch
pinch of sugar or stevia sweetener
1 tablespoon soy sauce (light soy sauce)
1 cup water
Preparation:
Finely mince the garlic and half of one of the onions. Heat the cooking oil in a large pot. Add the garlic, ginger, bay leaves, and onions and brown. Add the beef and salt and saute until beef is thoroughly browned. Add tomato sauce and enough water to cover the beef. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer covered, until meat is tender - a half an hour longer (longer for short ribs).
Meanwhile, cut the remaining onions into wedges (six to an onion). Add the potatoes to the pot and again bring to a boil. Replace the lid and simmer another half hour. Add carrots and cook 15 minutes; add the onions; simmer another 15 minutes. Mix the thickener ingredients (flour, sugar, soy sauce and water) in a small bowl. Make sure to get all the lumps out. Bring the stew back up to a boil. Add thickener, stirring constantly until well combined and thickened. Simmer another 10 minutes.
Serve on plates over steaming hot white rice with a side of macaroni salad for a authentic Hawaiian style plate lunch!
Make sure you got a big pot before anything else! The beef stew will be better the next day as the flavor gets richer. Skim off the fat at the top before reheating portions.
Secret tip: add a tsp of white or apple cider vinegar to the stew so it lasts longer especially if you bring it to the beach and you don't want it to spoil from reheating. The acidity keeps it under control.
1pkg. somen noodles - I used four bundles 1/2 head of lettuce shredded ham or char siu pork, cut "matchsticks" 2 eggs + 1-2 tsp sugar, cooked into thin sheets, cut "matchsticks" 1 pkg of kamaboko, cut "matchsticks" 3 stalks green onions, chopped 1 Japanese cucumber (optional) cut into matchsticks
Somen Salad Dressing:
6 tbsp sugar 6tbsp cider vinegar 2tsp salt (or to taste) 1 tsp pepper (or to taste) 2 tsp sesame oil 1/2 cup oil 1 tsp shoyu (soy sauce) lemon wedges to taste
Cooking method:
Cook somen per package instructions. Chop, cut, shred ingredients and set aside. Prepare eggs and fry on nonstick frying pan and fold into sheet and cut thin.
Add all ingredients for dressing and whisk up in mixing bowl.
Add all ingredients in a bowl and drizzle dressing over ingredients for a colorful refreshing cold noodle salad on a hot summer day!!
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3-4 medium) Salt and black pepper 1 tablespoon canola oil 1/2 cup water 1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 8-10 cups) 8 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped or sliced thin 1/2 red onion, sliced thin 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1 cup spiced pecans, store-bought or following the simple recipe below
1 recipe Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette, see below for recipe
Method:
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil is shimmering and hot. Add the chicken and cook until it is nicely browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip the chicken over, add the water, and cover the skillet. Cook the chicken, letting it poach, until it is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it cool slightly before carving.
Toss the lettuce, cheese, apple, pecans, onion and dried cranberries together. Divide the salad among the serving plates. Slice the chicken on a diagonal and arrange over the salad. Serve with the vinaigrette. I prefer to let everyone douse their own salad with dressing, but you could toss the salad with 1/2 cup or so of the vinaigrette before assembling it on the plates and serve the extra dressing on the side.
Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the spices and then the pecans. Toast the nuts, stirring often, until the color deepens slightly and they are lightly toasted, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a bowl and toss with the sugar. Let them cool completely before tossing with the salad.
Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette:
*Makes about 1 1/2 cups dressing
1/4 cup cranberry juice or water 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup red wine or raspberry vinegar 1 shallot, peeled and quartered 1 small garlic clove, peeled 2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried) 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Combine the cranberry juice (or water) and cranberries in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for one minute until hot. Process the hot cranberry mixture, vinegar, shallot, garlic, thyme, mustard, salt and pepper in a blender until the shallot and garlic are finely chopped. With the blender running, add the oil and continue to blend until the dressing is smooth and well-combined. Thin the dressing, if needed, with additional cranberry juice.
