If you are following Facebook and voting for Coastal Living’s America’s Happiest Seaside Towns, casting your ballot for Hilo, you are among the proud residents who call Hilo home. You can vote every 15 minutes, so if you are able
If you are following Facebook and voting for Coastal Living’s America’s Happiest Seaside Towns, casting your ballot for Hilo, you are among the proud residents who call Hilo home. You can vote every 15 minutes, so if you are able to keep voting, or at least several times a day.
The contest ends Jan. 25.
The January issue of Food &Wine Magazine is doing a great job of also promoting our island in its article “20 Reasons to Love Hawaii Now.”
Moon and Turtle’s smoky sashimi is one of the 20 reasons to love Hawaii.
“In all of my childhood memories, there is smoke in the background,” says chef Mark Pomaski, who grew up on the Big Island. “People here like to hunt and smoke meat. My father had a smokehouse in our backyard.”
At Pomaski’s restaurant, Moon &Turtle in Hilo, his hometown, one signature dish is smoky sashimi, inspired by his childhood as well as his time spent working at a number of sushi spots on the mainland, including Nobu 57 in New York City. He thinly slices fish, often ahi or ono and dresses it with Hawaiian chile water and soy sauce, then smokes it over kiawe and extra-virgin olive oil.
Chef Sheldon Simeon of Migrant on Maui has several recipes in the article, including those below. Sheldon’s hometown also is Hilo.
Chow Fun with Roast Pork and Kale-Tomato Salad
Serves: 4
12 ounces fresh wide rice noodles, such as chow mein, or 8 ounces dried noodles
3 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for tossing
3 ounces torn curly kale
2 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dashi powder
8 ounces warm Chinese-style roast pork, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
Brown-butter broth, for serving
In a saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the noodles until al dente, drain well. Toss with a little oil. In a saucepan of salted boiling water, blanch the kale until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and cool in a bowl of ice water. Drain again and toss with the tomatoes, onions, lime juice and fish sauce. Season with salt.
In a wok or very large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons canola oil until shimmering. Add the noodles and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and hot, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and toss with the soy sauce and dashi powder. Season with salt.
Transfer the noodles to shallow bowls and top with kale-tomato salad and roast pork. Serve right away with the brown-butter broth.
Brown-
Butter Broth
Makes: 1 cup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon Asian fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground annatto seeds
In a small skillet, cook the butter over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 3-5 minutes. In a small saucepan, combine the chicken stock, fish sauce and ground annatto seeds and bring just to a boil. Transfer to a blender. With the machine on, gradually drizzle in the brown butter until incorporated. Keep warm.
Shrimp-and-Pork Pan-
Fried Noodles
Serves: 4-6
Canola oil, for frying and tossing
9 garlic cloves, 6 thinly sliced and 3 minced
8 ounces Chines wheat noodles
2/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoon Asian fish sauce
2 teaspoon instant dashi powder
1 teaspoon ground annatto
12 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
4 ounces Chinese-style roast pork, chopped (1 cup)
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
4 ounces baby bok choy, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 3-inch pieces
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
Snipped chives, for garnish
Lime wedges and hot sauce, for serving
In a small skillet, heat a quarter-inch of canola oil. Add sliced garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels. Reserve the oil.
In a saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the noodles until al dente. Drain well and toss with 1 teaspoon canola oil.
In a bowl, whisk the stock, oyster sauce, fish sauce, dashi powder and annatto.
In a wok or very large skillet, heat quarter-cup of the garlic oil until shimmering. Add the shrimp, pork and minced garlic and stir-fry over high heat until the shrimp just starts to turn pink, about 3 minutes. Add the shiitakes and carrots and stir-fry until the mushrooms are softened and shrimp are white throughout, about 3 minutes. Add the noodles, bok choy, onion and the oyster sauce mixture and stir-fry until the noodles are hot and the sauce is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Transfer to plates. Garnish with the fried garlic and snipped chives and serve with lime wedges and hot sauce.
• • •
Another East Hawaii agricultural commodity and industry recognized by Food &Wine Magazine is our tea:
“Everyone knows that Kona produces spectacular coffee, but now the Big Island is also growing tea. With help from the Department of Agriculture and the University of Hawaii, farmers at plantations like Tea Hawaii &Company, Onomea Tea Company and Big Island Tea grow oolong, green, black and other varieties that get unique flavors from the island’s volcanic soils. For tours and tastings: teahawaii.com, onotea.com, bigislandtea.com.”
Changes throughout Hilo
• New owners John and Julie Elkjer of Sustainable Island Products at 829 Leilani St., across from the Sears Warehouse, have interesting new eco-friendly products such as the Wasara line from Japan. The rice bowl, soup bowl and rectangle plates are classy looking. They also carry a line of square plates in various sizes. Check them out as they are open to the public and sell most of the their products in packs of 50.
• Sweet Cane Café moved to 48 Kamana St. Everyone who goes there is very impressed with the new location. Call 934-0002 in case you need directions to get there.
• Soon to open: Liko Lehua Café is presently renovating the former Palms on Pauahi Street with new booths and a bar. Watch for an opening in mid-February.
• WikiFresh, located in the Hawaii Motors showroom, will be opening soon, hopefully in February.
Food bites
The Hawaii Community College cafeteria is now open. Buy your lunch there and support the culinary students. Call 934-2559 for menu options.
Email me at audreywilson
808@gmail.com.
