Introduction
After showing people the food that I grew up eating in Hawaii, they react with either confusion, amazement, disgust, or some combination of the three. I don’t mind the disgust though, because it gives me an opportunity to make good food and try to prove them wrong.
Food from Hawaii is fairly different than what the rest of the country has to offer. My family in particular makes dishes that have a combination of Japanese, American and Hawaiian influences. Everyone has a different idea of what comfort food is, and through this blog I’ll be sharing mine. Five of my favorites to be specific — the Spam Musubi, Chicken Tonkatsu, Salmon Chazuke, Poké and an assortment of grilled things to finish.
These were also chosen because they should be easy enough for anyone to make. I’m a college student who’s still learning how to make things that aren’t sandwiches. The word sautée makes my eyes glaze over, but I’m determined to get better at cooking. If I can make these, you could too.
First let’s talk about Spam — the canned food that annoying emails got named after. Brought to the islands as a supplement during Word War II, it managed to find its way into local food and became a core ingredient in the first recipe I’ll be sharing. It’s gained a bad reputation here on the mainland for both coming from a can and being disgustingly slimy when raw. However when sliced, browned to a crisp then put between rice and seaweed, it becomes something else entirely. It’s usually treated more as a snack or picnic food and as a result, you can find decent ones at any 7–11 on the islands. However, the recipe that I’ll be sharing is intended to be a step above snack food.
Chicken Tonkatsu is an oddly named breaded chicken dish. It’s a healthier version of chicken katsu, where the it’s cooked in an oven instead of being deep-fried. As for the name, “Tonkatsu” translates to “breaded and deep fried pork,” technically making it “breaded chicken-pork,” even though there isn’t any pork. This thoroughly confused my friend who’s actually from Japan. Some things have gotten lost in translation, but it still tastes great.
Next will be Salmon Chazuke, a soup-like dish with salmon, rice and tea. It’s like a heartier chicken noodle soup that’s equally as amazing when you’re sick. Unlike some of the other things I’ll be making, this dish is the traditional version from Japan that’s still enjoyed there to this date.
Poké (pronounced like Pokémon), is a Hawaiian dish that uses fresh, cubed fish and an assortment of seasonings. It’s been gaining popularity here on the west coast, with a couple of places offering it in Seattle and a new restaurant even opening here in Fairhaven. The recipe that I’ll be sharing uses Ahi tuna and a hot garlic miso sauce, a combination that I’m hoping you won’t be able to find at a restaurant here yet.
The grilled foods section will focus on yakitori — grilled chicken shish kabobs with Japanese seasonings and yaki-onigiri — grilled rice balls that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. While yaki-onigiri is the proper Japanese name, my family and I call them grilled musubi. These taste best when cooked with other people and eaten off the grill as soon as they’re ready.
I’ll be making and explaining one of these step-by-step each week while trying to give some historical context for them too. If you happen to be from the islands or already familiar with Japanese cuisine, then the slight differences in these family recipes should keep things interesting for you too.
