Hawaiian Luncheon

[jennykhughes]

I need recipe ideas for a Hawaiian luncheon at a local office. There are 75 ladies for lunch who don't want pork. (!!!) As far as I know, there are no other food restrictions. I am open to anything but time is of the essence here. All ideas are welcomed and appreciated in advance.

Hawaiian theme with no pork, I'm still shaking my head at that one.

[Austin_]

no pork! -gasp- Well, to be honest, Hawaiian food is pretty similar to Japanese food. Here are some dishes you could use- forgive me if these aren't any good- A Hawaiian chicken salad- with pinapple, grilled cubed chicken, chopped celery, walnuts, salt and pepper, grapes, and orange juice concentrate. http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1739,...230192,00.html You could do a serving platter of Hawaiin fruits- pineapple, mango, guava, you name it. Teriyaki Beef + Rice bowl would be an exception. Banana bread would be good. And of course, Hawaiian punch. I see macaroni salad in plenty of hawaiian places. It sort of depends, do you want a fancy luncheon or a casual luncheon?

[ironchefin'06]

I agree with Austin in the similarities to Japanese and Asian cuisines. A sweet and sour dish might work, but to tempura chicken for 75 people would be quite a chore and definately would not hold up well. Instead marinate some chicken breasts in pomegrante juice (readily available at your local supermarket), soy, ginger and lime. Grill breasts and reserve marinade for a glaze. Add some honey, rice wine vinegar and some grenadine to amp up the color. Reduce or thicken with corn starch. Glaze chicken and top with a fresh tropical fruit salsa (mango, papaya, pineapple, lychee fruit(optional), bell peppers, guava nectar, lime and a bit of fresh mint) Serve with a toasted macadamia nut and scallion rice pilaf. For dessert you could make a coconut milk flan or panna cotta. Fry some plantains for garnish and serve with a banana rum creme anglaise. Hope this helps and good luck!

[Suzanne]

No pork, huh? Well, that lets out Spam musubi. (think sushi made with a slab of Spam instead of fish)

There's a branch of L & L Hawaiian Barbecue near me (yes, in NYC!) and they offer the traditional Hawaiian Plate Lunch. The one I can remember right now is the Loco Moco: two scoops of white rice, one scoop of macaroni salad, and a well-done hamburger patty topped with two fried eggs and brown gravy. Uh . . . maybe this is a little too "ethnic" for your group?

[ChefTorrie]

At the restaurant we have a great Hawaiian Tilapia... let me know if you want the recipe.. Quick and Easy to make also

[AprilB]

Hmmm...

Well you could try:
http://www.hawaiicity.com/recipes/index.html

Actually Luaus are traditionally associated with the pork thing, but Hawaii is known for it's diversity as well, mostly seafood.

I've got a couple of recipes.

Lomi Lomi Salmon

1/2 lb. smoked salmon or lox
4 fresh tomatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large bell pepper, diced
3 scallions, chopped
1 medium Maui or mild onion, chopped
1 tsp. lemon juice
Shred salmon. Combine all ingredients and chill.

Macadamia crusted Mahi Mahi

Pupu platters with all kinds of fresh veggies and fruits (heavy on the tropical), lomi-lomi salmon, cherries, butterfly shrimp, hawaiian crab cakes, baked squash and bananas, kim chees and slaws (not mayo based)...that kind of thing.

I'd say fruit skewers for presentation and ease of serving in some instances.

They specifically don't want pork, but could you use a little pork fat for flavor? Or is there a religious or food allergy thing going on?

I don't know, but I'd actually try this one using veal with a thin fat layer and add a little pork fat (not smoked) on top before wrapping:

OVEN KALUA PORK

4-5 lb "pork" butt 3 tablespoons Hawaiian salt or kosher salt 2 tablespoons liquid smoke, 2-3 banana leaves.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make several slashes along the surface of the "pork" butt. Rub with salt, then liquid smoke. Prepare banana leaves by removing the rib. Lay out a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, and place 4 banana leaves on top. Place "pork" on leaves and wrap them around the "pork". Cover with remaining leaves in the opposite direction until "pork" is completely wrapped. Wrap the foil tightly around the "pork" to make a watertight seal.
Place package in a large roasting pan. Fill with two inches of water and cover pan tightly with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Lower temperature to 325 degrees F and cook for 3-3 1/2 hours or until tender. Unwrap "pork" from package and shred before serving.

I made a pineapple upside down cake incorporating coconut cake and macadamia nuts for the topping.

A thick coconut pudding is traditional.

Too bad about the Spam thing!

Hey, anybody actually taste poi?

April

[AprilB]

This one's better:

http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/asia/hawaiian/

April

[oldschool1982]

Originally Posted by AprilB

Hmmm...

Hey, anybody actually taste poi?
April

Yes. It's definitely and aquired taste too.
I wish I could be of more assistance but Pacific rim cuisine is not an area with "depth of knowledege" for me. I have played around with Macadamia crusts in the past for both chicken and fish. These can be topped with fruit salsas or light fruit/coconut sauces. With out pork it's kinda tough. There used to be an old standby dish at the Cork"n"Cleaver called Hawaiian Chicken and a pineapple chicken salad that was actually served in a pineapple shell. They actually were both surprisingly good for their simplicity.

Hawaiian Chicken was a Marinade of White wine, pineapple juice, and soy sauce. You can doctor it up from there. The chicken was a boneless but not skinless breast. Grilled with skin on and then removed prior to service. A garnish of grilled fresh pineapple and some rice would be nice sides.

Again wish I could be more help.

Later.

[jennykhughes]

I appreciate all of the great input from you guys. I'll let you know how it turns out.

[jennykhughes]

Great ideas. I'm gonna try them tonight.

[diane]

Traditional Island fare is really quite heavy, not suitable for american women. I think the best idea is to use pineapple and other ' exotic' fruits in abundance, roll out the salads, and remember chicken is very popular. If you can find some Barramundi so much the better. And serve the very best breads you can find.

[AprilB]

...don't forget Hawaiian sweet bread. (as in rolls, not glandular meat... )

April

[Nick.Shu]

The old plate lunch huh?. Chicken teriyaki, slaws and salads plenty, big scoop o rice and maybe a fish replacement - breaded mahi mahi or what not. Something asian inspired meat - korean beef bulgogi is a good example.

[Nocturnal]

Lomi Lomi is the best. Chopped up onions, tomatoes and salmon mixed together nice. You can make Chicken Long Rice. I'm not sure how to make it though.

[shroomgirl]

It's really hot here.....depending on the budget, which dictates where my menus starts as well as the facility......

Fruit....loads of tropical fruit sliced, if you can find passion fruit cut them in half and serve along side. Consorzio has a mango dressing that's excellent.
Great with cold grilled fish or chicken.

Almond rice with snow peas and green onions

Slaw with alittle wasabi and fried wonton slivers on top

Coconut ice cream with kona coffee syrup and macadamia nut cookies