May 29 | Hawaii

I almost chose Australia today, but I couldn’t get the meal together in the way I wanted to. While looking at a map and trying to determine where to travel to instead, I spotted Hawaii. Hawaii has been on the list for some time, but the timing was never right. Since May is Asian American – Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I felt this was a great way to learn about Native Hawaiian culture and cuisine and it’s many influences. Join us for the experience!

Color Scheme: Green and Orange

Tablescape

---

Menu

First Course: Ahi Shoyu Poke

Finding the sashimi-grade tuna to make poke was quite a task! I excited when I stumbled upon it at Wegmans. This recipe is very simple and calls for marinating the tuna in soy sauce, sesame oil, green onion, yellow onions, sesame seeds, sea salt, ginger and crushed macadamia nuts for two hours. I let mine marinate for about four hours due to prepping for the rest of the meal. I think this contributed to it being darker than I anticipated, but nonetheless, it was delicious.

Second Course: Honey-Macadamia Nut Mahi Mahi with Pineapple Salsa, Poi, Hawaiian Sweet Potatoes and Rice

Though I’m not the biggest fan of mahi mahi, I chose this recipe because it came up multiples times while researching Hawaii. It was good, but I wish I would’ve cooked it in a skillet instead of on the grill. I kept losing the best part, the crust! The pineapple had really good flavor and balanced out the mahi mahi for me.

Making poi was an adventure! Through this process, I learned taro goes bad pretty quickly. I also learned that I didn’t have a good replacement for the large pestle. I tried to grind the taro into poi, but I ended up adding it to my Ninja Blender to get the right consistency. I didn’t know what to expect at first, but it tasted like a slightly sweet potato paste. I enjoyed it. A fun fact about poi is it’s typically eaten with two fingers. Watch the linked video to learn more!

Now for the highlight of the show, the Hawaiian sweet potato. I was excited to find them at Grand Asia Market in Cary. These sweet potatoes are not only beautiful, but they’re delicious! They’re very sweet and need nothing added to them. I roasted them in my Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 Air Fryer, and they were EVERYTHING!

Third Course: Hawaiian Shave Ice and Haupia

• 

• 

Hawaiian shave (not shaved) ice ftw! While researching shave ice, I learned it can actually be traced back to Japan. Japanese immigrants brought kakigori to Hawaii. A key difference between shave ice and snow cones is shave ice is shaved while snow cone ice is crushed. Of course, I had to make due with what I have, so I used my Ninja Blender for the ice. I didn’t know where to start to find the syrup, so I made pineapple syrup and strawberry syrup from scratch. I topped mine with a little condensed milk. and it instantly took me back to childhood!

The haupia is a unique dessert that tastes like a cross between jello and pudding. I like its subtle coconut flavor and simple sweetness. Though I typically don’t like foods of that texture, I did enjoy haupia.

Beverages: Blue Hawaii and Kona Spiked Island Seltzer

• 

We started dinner with a Blue Hawaii (not to be confused with a Blue Hawaiian). This drink consists of vodka, rum, pineapple juice, blue curacao and sweet and sour. I’m not a big fan of store-bought sweet and sour, so I made my own. This drink is sweet but refreshing and good. It definitely gives off island vibes. We also had Kona Spiked Island Seltzers, a brand based in Hawaii.

Final Reflection:

Overall, I enjoyed Hawaii. It’s a special culture that offers a unique and delicious food. I definitely look forward to visiting and enjoying this cuisine firsthand!