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4th of July 09 Hibachi Time!
Happy Fourth of July! This funky-psychedelic pic comes courtesy of photography/graphic design guy Jeff Benik - all vintage firecracker labels individually stitched onto one page and multi-layered with print and other interesting elements. One day I'll learn how to do all those tricks...
Let the good times roll! I love parties with all the comforts of a modern society, but I tell you, somehow, sometimes, I guess when the dreamy-romantic side of me comes out, and not necessarily the rose petals on the bed, flowers and chocolate's type of Valentine's luuuuv romance, but the good 'ol romance of life, as in the khaki-clad adventurer puffing on fine cigars and sipping expensive cognacs while exploring lost tribes along the Amazon, Indus, and Ganges rivers, eager to partake of and feel every breathe of life, every emotion, every nook and cranny the human experience has to offer. Some get lost in the movies, me, I get lost in a good book, as if I were right there alongside Teddy Roosevelt leading the Rough Rider's, William Wilberforce freeing the slaves, or Alexander Solzhenitsyn, writing so powerfully he'd literally lock himself up for months at a time, barely seeing anyone at all, including his own wife, becoming so enraptured by the sheer force of ideas and thoughts that his singular, obsessive-compulsive compassion in life was in creating beauty, unlocking secrets, and coherently illuminating the higher virtues of life through the power of the allmighty pen - hey, forget the sword! Romantic? Yeah, I'd say...
But maybe for lil' 'ol me, it's perhaps better that I leave my dreaming to just that - a good book, vicariously experienced, maybe while sipping a Kona Brew, and maybe even while lounging outside a mega-sized pool at the Grand Hilton, Ritz Carlton, or Fairmont, softie that I am. Is it all just a dream, this yearning of romantic fulfillment? Of living in a remote village in Bangladesh, Papua, or Uganda; of carrying on without the convoluting hustle and bustle of city life; of remaining sincere and untouched by the commercialization of modern society? You know, of places where leisure time is spent belly-flopping into the nearest pond, catching the biggest mud crab, or competing in a soccer match between school-mates. Of places that are just simpler, ya know?
Nowadays, it's just that it's so easy to grab a few bento's and head-out to the park to enjoy festive occasions like this Fourth of July, perhaps after a full day's work, or maybe even after a full day's worth of ESPN, potato chips, and the sofa. Ready-made. Processed. Instant. Not gonna happen in a simpler place or time. When we had celebrations in Bungoma, Kenya, it was a week or more worth of preparation, and weddings or other important events stretched for several days! It seems the whole town came out, and everyone pitched-in to help - well, maybe not everyone, as the women did the lion's share of the work!
But the bottom line was, life was experienced in the simple company of others around you, and all accomplished through the genuine signatures and honest imprints of working together for the benefit of the collective soul; the gratifying comforts of young and old enjoying eachothers' company to support and celebrate the whole - the old adage proving itself true, that it does takes an entire village to raise one healthy child. In this kind of surrounding, with the immense time and labor of love involved, the food and decor always seems to taste and feel that much better, leaving you with a deep sense of fullfillment and gratification, even a romance of life type of experience, yes?
But I guess even in our little mini-celebrations, held weekly at our house on Saturday nights when I'm off, and yes, even in this modern day and age, we can all still feel the same kind of thing, all shared through the healthy, unbreakable bonds of family and friendship. Anytime we can all get together, when good feelings and good times are shared and reciprocated, this is living and experiencing life to the hilt, anyways, yes? That's what it's all about! So when I do fall prey to over-romanticizing, I guess I just have to pull my head out of the clouds, the starry skies, and the great blue yonder; maybe slap myself in the face a few times; and plant my feet firmly in the now...
And that now would be the same one-car garage I've lived in all my life, with folks I've also known my entire life. The house has always been a gathering place for the neighborhood, even as neighbors moved away and friends and family now drive in from all over the island. Things are pretty darn casual around here, and we don't even collaborate as to what everyone should bring. Nevertheless, it always seems to work out perfectly, somehow, perhaps mostly because mom is always cooking up a storm, seeing to it that no matter what anyone brings, there's always an endless supply of food, with multiple dishes like her famous crab/macaroni salad, kinpira gobo, shrimp tempura, stuffed cabbage, sweet/sour pork, and nishime, to name a few, like here in this batch (about the grinds on this particular hibachi time - most pics are from this 4th of July, 09, but there are several from other nights, as well):
Mom's shrimp katsu is also a winner, wifey also pitching in to help cook and put the dish together. Shrimp tempura always works, but for hibachi times, I think katsu is often the better choice, as the firm, tasty-fried panko breading holds up better to the powerful tastes coming from all manner of bbq meats and other various, full-flavored dishes. What you see here is an entire 4 lb. box of white shrimp tails - we prefer black tiger, but unfortunately, that was all they had on special at Marukai. The trouble with these guys is that they often have a lot of black suji, or the string of brown guts inside, and sometimes, like on this batch, there were two of them, one on each side! What a hassle. Thanks mom! Without her, I can't even imagine what our hibachi's would be like!
Bruddah Nels' is another go-to guy, and is known for giant, one-pound-each King Crab legs! This time, he brought something else, just as impressive, if not more so - seven whole lobster tails! But in addition, he also even brought along a collection of different pupu dishes, all from Tamura's in Kaimuki, shown in the next series of shots. I know one thing for sure, with the great friends we have over, you'll never have a potluck with no main dishes and five containers of mac salad and rice each!
Garlic Miso:
Pipikaula:
Smoked Tako:
King Crab salad w/masago:
My brothers is famous for trying new recipes, and on this happy fourth of July, he didn't disappoint, with these humble-looking hamburger patties. He was looking for a good way to get some carrots into the kids' mouth's, and this one sure did work. Doesn't look like it, but there's a whole lotta carrot in here, even though the end result doesn't carry any carrot taste at all, just the great flavors of hamburger and a slight teriyaki touch. They also may not look the most scrumptious, but lemme tell ya, they were really, really good - everyone was pleasantly surprised! Oh, and the irregular shapes? Well, my little nephew Evan-buddy helped shape them all - cute, ey?
You know that ribeye steak is always on the grill whenever the hibachi goes up at my place, especially since bruddah Trace goes crazy for grilled ribeye (actually, just about everyone does!), and always brings some over. I told him how to get the best stuff - always Prime, always with lots of delicate, interspersed marbling (not larger chunks of fat, as much as possible!), and always the one's with the largest rim area (if you wanna see what the rim area is, check out the Upscale Steak Houses section of the American pages). He's definitely hooked on beef! Doesn't get any better than this, not even at Ruth's Chris!
Some people have certain tendencies when they bring things over, and Bruddah Gary loves his sashimi! He gets these deep-red, very beautiful slices from a wholesaler, the name of which escapes me at this point in time, who only brings in the best! For this kind of premium quality, however, the price per pound is also at a premium, as well. It's not the toro-kind of quality, where you look for the almost white, super-fatty belly areas of the tuna, but the deep-red-kind, which make the prettiest trays of sashimi, and are favored for maguro-don, where pieces are dipped in a soy/dashi sauce and placed over white rice (mmm-yoso!). Two different flavors and styles, but both stickler's for quality, taste, freshness, and over-all presence.
A while back, we used to pack-up the hibachi and hit the beach every Saturday morning, and for simple ease and great prices, I'd grab a few trays of chicken from Foodland, sitting ready-packed in a red, powdered marinade of spices and sugar. Always available, it's actually not bad at all, and definitely a departure from the normal teriyaki found everywhere. Here you see a few of them, along with fresh corn and Portuguese sausage:
Last week, after our visit to the KCC Farmer's Market, we picked-up few live abalone's from the Big Island Abalone tent. We wanted to try a few raw, as sashimi, but noone really knew how to clean them, so we just threw 'em all on the grill, after which time it'd be easier to handle. And easy, it was, as all it took was a single slice along the bottom, and from there, the guts were easily separated and discarded. We were left with a large, plump piece of pure white meat, which was oh, so tender, oh, so clean, and oh, so delicious! The taste was kinda like a cross between lobster, crab, and shellfish, with a texture reminding me of the most velvety-smooth fishcake you ever had in your life, only much firmer, to the point of being just a tad crispy.
One of the big reasons we didn't wanna mess with cleaning the live creatures was that they were pretty darn feisty, and they'd wiggle, squirm, and contort until we just felt too sorry for them! Put 'em out of their misery quickly, we wanted to, and that, we did - by fire. Next time, however, I know just what the insides look like, so they'll no doubt still be wiggling even after being sliced into ten pieces! This one would have pulled himself right out of his shell if he could have, after I mistakenly placed him near one of the hot plate burners! I try not to think about it...
But getting back to those lobster tails that Bruddah Nels' brought along, I simply grabbed three of them, made single incisions along the length of the bottom-side's, slipped some melted butter in, and let them grill. Still somewhat frozen, they were a bit hard to work with, as the outsides were over-cooking while the insides were still transluscent.
For the remaining four tails, I took a different approach to compensate. I grilled them for a short while, them pulled 'em off while still raw in the center's. I then pulled all the meat out, chopped 'em up, and let them finish cooking in small trays full of buttah-is-bettah! Don't get all grossed-out by all that buttah, but I know Nels', and that's exactly how he likes it! And everyone else, too, if they'd only admit it!
Most hibachi nights, the grill is busy all night long, but on this particularly enjoyable 4th of July, there were several main dishes cooked through different means. My brother was actually smoking some pork and brisket all day at his place. The brisket was aaa-ite, but the smoked pork was super-killer, with a sweet, delicious teriyaki taste that was truly spectacular!
Just like the best steaks, there's little else you need for an unbelievable whole-baked chicken besides natural ground salt and fresh-cracked pepper. The fats, the skin, the meat, the salts, all mixing together, magically transformed by heat into some of the most honest-to-goodness meals on the planet! Anywhere you go in this world of ours, a simple baked chicken will always rule!
Not that it needed it, but I did add to this simple greatness, in the form of a thin gravy. I grabbed some of the oily drippings from the chicken, then combined it with flour to make a roux, slowly browning the thickening mix. I then added a little water and a little cream of mushroom, just barely enough to give it some cream and mellow it just a bit, but not enough to where you had anything remotely described as that ever-familiar, processed, canned taste that's found everywhere. You couldn't tell one bit.
And finally, after spending about 6 hours in the oven, out came what started-out as a large pork butt, suddenly becoming what turned into a beautiful, tasty kalua pig! I spooned some of the excess fat and oil out (but not too much!), then shredded the fall-apart-tender meat with just the aid of two forks. Once again, the power of natural salt to any meat, and you just can't go wrong!
And here's the tri-compartment hot-plate filled with the last three dishes. I got it from my sister and her hubby last Christmas, and I must say, it's probably one of the best gift's I've ever received! One of the most useful, that's for sure!
I heard the biggest '09 fireworks show on the island was the one at Maunalua Bay, in Hawaii Kai. Not sure if that's true, but it ran for a good half-hour, at least. That's a whole lot of dollar's vanishing into the night air. I thought our festival balls were bad, but these things must be astronomical! It's a good thing somebody does it, though! Ten minutes before 8pm, when the show was supposed to start, we were all up on the roof waiting for the bang-bang. The action was about a mile-and-a-half away, and nothing like being right there at the bay, but hey, seeing them from afar did carry its own appeal, especially for the fact that we didn't have to deal with all the crowds!
I'll leave you with a couple shots of the beautiful view we had overlooking Maunalua Bay, both from our roof-top, before I go. We all had a great and wonderful time, and as always, look forward to the next gathering, whether it be celebrating Christmas, New Year's, birthday's, or just the weekend! The only bad thing about it was that the General - Big Al, was home sick, out with chills and a bad fever. Sucks, brah! Hopefully, it'll pass quickly. Can't keep the big guy down for long!
And by the way, though I do love and look forward to these happy times right here in our garage, and though I do love a great book, preferably one read pool-side, at the Ritz Carlton, I also gotta say - I'll never cease pursuing the romance of life, not just in the simple things, like this evening, but also in the more dramatic things, as the older I get, the more the Amazon, Indus, and Ganges all sound more and more appealing. And not only appealing, but attainable, as well! In a few years, you'll never know where wifey and I will be, and once in a while - even mom, too! Life is good, ey?
Happy 4th of July everyone, and...
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Comments:
Alan (7/8/08) - I am a foodie too in Phoenix, AZ. Actually, I am an expat Hawaii boy who left Hawaii due to my job about 28 years ago. The things I miss most are the local foods and the potlucks, especially those at the beach or the park or in someone’s garage.
I just read and looked at the pictures of your July 4th potluck, and I was extremely jealous! When I lived in Honolulu back then, I had a boat and my partner and my son and I would go out and catch aku, ahi, mahimahi, ono, etc. etc. We would also go to the Penguin Banks and bottom fish for ehu, onaga, uku, and opakapaka. Of course that was like 30-40 years ago and we used to catch plenty fish. Now I heard not so much and the Penguin Banks are closed to fishermen.
I try to make local foods here, and the one advantage that I have over you guys is that food is cheap here. Like I buy boneless rib steaks, sold whole in the vacuum bag for like $2.69 per pound. I use that to make my pulehu steaks or my teri-beef dishes. I buy pork shoulder for like $.99 a pound. I just bought 18 pounds and this Saturday, I going make oven kalua pig with Hawaiian salt, teenie bit garlic, a little bit shoyu, and plenty liquid smoke.
The char siu here really sucks, I don’t know why. So we make our own using the Noh mix and then brushing on the honey and little bit Hawaiian salt. But the roast pork is OK and so is the roast duck.
So I really like your blog and your postings. Good thing with the internet, I can find almost any kind of recipe or article on the foods I like. Even tonight, I going make rafute, the Okinawan shoyu pork with peanuts.
Alan (7/8/08) - I am a foodie too in Phoenix, AZ. Actually, I am an expat Hawaii boy who left Hawaii due to my job about 28 years ago. The things I miss most are the local foods and the potlucks, especially those at the beach or the park or in someone’s garage.
I just read and looked at the pictures of your July 4th potluck, and I was extremely jealous! When I lived in Honolulu back then, I had a boat and my partner and my son and I would go out and catch aku, ahi, mahimahi, ono, etc. etc. We would also go to the Penguin Banks and bottom fish for ehu, onaga, uku, and opakapaka. Of course that was like 30-40 years ago and we used to catch plenty fish. Now I heard not so much and the Penguin Banks are closed to fishermen.
I try to make local foods here, and the one advantage that I have over you guys is that food is cheap here. Like I buy boneless rib steaks, sold whole in the vacuum bag for like $2.69 per pound. I use that to make my pulehu steaks or my teri-beef dishes. I buy pork shoulder for like $.99 a pound. I just bought 18 pounds and this Saturday, I going make oven kalua pig with Hawaiian salt, teenie bit garlic, a little bit shoyu, and plenty liquid smoke.
The char siu here really sucks, I don’t know why. So we make our own using the Noh mix and then brushing on the honey and little bit Hawaiian salt. But the roast pork is OK and so is the roast duck.
So I really like your blog and your postings. Good thing with the internet, I can find almost any kind of recipe or article on the foods I like. Even tonight, I going make rafute, the Okinawan shoyu pork with peanuts.
Aku (7/8/08) - Hey, Alan, I'm glad you like the site! It's always good to get comments like that! I feel for you, man - I know what it's like living away from the islands for a time, although not for 28 years - that'd just be too much for me to handle!!! But it sounds like you've lived some really good times - Penguin Banks 30-40 years ago? Must've came back loaded!!! One day, I'll get a big boat and travel the world, fishing, surfing, eating, exploring - or die trying, at least! Hey, keep in touch, and thanks again for spreading da Aloha, even from Arizona! Keep cooking up the good stuff, no matter where you are, cuz you can take the boy from the islands, but you no can take da islands from da boy!!! Shout's to my good buddy Dan the Man Baldwin in nextdoor Mesa!
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