What better to do in the middle of a midwest winter than to have a lunchtime luau? Put on your muʻu muʻu, aloha shirts, and slippers and play some Keola Beamer on the record player. It's time to get our aloha spirit on!
My mother grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii. Most of my maternal family still live there. I've been there several times over the course of my life, and each time I've been, I've experienced something new. Hawaii can offer you great hikes with waterfall rewards or panaromic ocean views. You can snorkel, surf, visit the only palace on US soil, go on foodie adventures and take in so many cultural experiences...including the luau. There are a variety of luau experiences, from what I've read in travel guides. I've only been to one that I can remember. About fifteen years ago I went with the family to the one hosted by the Hale Koa. (To be noted, the Hale Koa serves people who are retired or are currently serving in the US military. I was able to go because my parents were present, and my dad is a retired veteran of the US Navy.)
Guests were invited to learn about the imu pit where the kalua pork was cooking, poi was served, there was lomi salmon, a range of vegetables, and the meal ended with haupia, a coconut dessert which I love. Haupia is often called a "pudding" but to me is more similar to a custard or flan. Haupia cake, that's even better, in my opinion. Layers of cake and haupia combined into one melt-in-your-mouth drool worthy dessert. Ono. (Hawaiian word for delicious.)
snapshot of Hale Koa Luau imu pit
Check out this link to learn more about haupia:
https://onolicioushawaii.com/haupia/
And check out the full Hale Koa luau menu here:
https://www.halekoa.com/experiences/events/luau
Due to Covid 19, they are not currently hosting the luau experience. Also to be noted, they have options for vegetarians, which is what I got, I'm sure. It's been so long ago, I really only remember some of the entertainment and the haupia.
According to the travel guides, the foods listed in the Hale Koa menu are the kinds you should seek out when considering which luau to attend. Otherwise, you might end up with a buffet of foods you could get anywhere, some pineapple, and a hula show.
I don't know the origins of these two Betty Crocker recipes. Were foods like this served at luaus in the 70s? I could kinda see that. I can see hotels trying to cater to a midwest palate while trying to make foods a little more "exotic" (insert pineapple here.)
I imagine a conversation about menu planning that went like this:
What foods are economically savvy? What do people in Ohio like to eat? What do people in Ohio associate with Hawaii?
And the answers were meatballs and pineapple and thus was born the Waikiki Meatball. Whatever the origin, I'm going to cut to the chase and tell you the meatless meatballs were onolicious. The kabobs were pretty good, too.
I started with the kabobs since they had to marinate for a while and cutting all the components would take time. I did not carefully read the instructions so I ended up discarding some of the pineapple juice. As I was draining the pineapple, I stopped while I had about half the juice left because I wondered if pineapple juice might enhance the marinade. So, I checked the recipe card to see if the flavors would be complementary. This was when I read that I was actually supposed to reserve the juice for the dipping sauce. Alas! At least I still had some left! I added some lemon juice which I hoped would make up for the missing pineapple juice. It turned out just fine. Whew! Tofu was substituted for the ham/turkey the recipe calls for. I used extra firm tofu rather than firm or silken as it holds up best when using as a meat substitute. The marinade was delicious and I would highly recommend it whether you want to marinate tofu, chicken, or ham. All in all, a success.
Then I started in on the Waikiki Meatballs. This recipe called for a lot of ingredients present in the kabobs. Since I was serving them together, I chose to make the meatballs as a standalone. The green pepper and pineapple would be present in the kabob. The pineapple sauce from the kabobs could be used for the meatballs as a dipping sauce, too. If I were serving the Waikiki Meatballs without the kabobs, I would make it as the card suggests. Otherwise, it's just meatballs, not Waikiki Meatballs. I used protein crumbles instead of meat. This is the one I used:
https://www.bocaburger.com/products/00759283601045
I lightly thawed the crumbles in a skillet with avocado oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, then followed the recipe as outlined. Sort of. I would guess that when a 1970s recipe calls for crackers, they mean saltines or Ritz, but I was fresh out, so I used 1/3 cup of crumbled Wasa crackers and 1/3 cup of Panko. I also added a little bit of flour in hopes that it would help the mixture hold together. At first, the crumbles weren't holding the spherical shape. The flour seemed to do the trick. I used butter where it calls for shortening, and there was no small amount of butter used, either. Beef has fat which crumbles don't have. Thus, the crumbles were soaking up the butter and no new fat was being rendered (I think that's what I mean. Like when fat comes out of a food and you continue to cook in that liquid fat. Chime in in the comments if you know more accurately.) So, add more butter. I did add some avocado oil, too, as my arteries were hardening just taking in all that butter with my eyes.
These meatless meatballs were delicious. I'm going to make them again in their full Waikiki glory. I'm going to make them again as-is as a meatball appetizer with frilled toothpicks in each one. I'm going to make them again to use in a meatball sub. The possibilites are many.
my kabobs and meatless meatballs
So, while these recipes may or may not be the traditional Hawaiian experience, they were successful in their own right.
And if you ever find yourself in Hawaii, go to a luau at least once. Allow yourself to enjoy being in a group of complete strangers, eating food you'll likely not have anywhere else on the mainland. Enjoy that simple pleasure of sipping on a cold beverage, be it a frou-frou cocktail or an iced tea with a giant wedge of pineapple, while the tradewinds gently tussle your hair. Don't be above it. It's 2020 aka Pandemic Year and we aren't supposed to be dining with the masses in any kind of gathering, be it Thanksgiving, an indoor restaurant or anything else. Remember that when deciding whether or not to hit the luau. Remember what a privlege it is to be able to sit with so many strangers in one place, all, like you, having come for a taste of paradise.
Polynesian Kabobs: marinade: 5 red spoons! overall: 4 red spoons, good, but kind of a lot of work skewering everything.
Waikiki Meatballs: 5 red spoons! So delish! Much versatility!
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