What’s that? Telltale wisps of smoke rising into the tall blue Hawaiian sky caught our eye. Then the glorious aroma. A sweet smoky savory scent wafted into the open car windows. We passed by a clearing on the mauka (mountain side) edge of the highway. There were hand-printed signs tacked to the palm trees, but we passed too quickly, we couldn’t make out what they said. People were gathered, something was going on.
Urrrch! We turned back.
In the sandy roadside clearing, across from the ocean, Hawaiians young and old gathered, laughing, sharing and munching on what we now know as Huli Huli (turn turn) chicken.
The rubbah slippah (flip flop) clad revered cooks and keepers of the fire were smiling, watching carefully as succulent, dark golden brown chickens turned on rotisseries set over kiawe scented coals. The coals were nurtured to keep the heat just so. The rotisseries moved at exactly the right speed to keep the chickens basted in their own delicious spicy sweet juices and catch a bite of the salty ocean air. Irresistible.
Ordered hot off the spit, we could barely wait for it to cool enough not to burn our fingertips. Then to further our delight, that first heavenly chomp slipped right off the bone rewarding our anticipation and putting big shoyu (soy sauce) stained grins on our faces. In every succulent morsel a bit of paradise. The fragrance, tropical. The taste hinted of
Now, Huli Huli chicken recipes are not well guarded secrets that must be extracted from years of studying the Polynesian way of life, of paying homage to the wonders of the first people who settled these sun-drenched islands. Nor do they sport a complicated preparation with ingredients available only to a sacred few.
This is Hawaiian food. Ono (delicious). Straightforward. No pretense. Simply some of the best food to be had. Good food, prepared with tender loving care and a good measure of aloha. I can cook that.
My version is untraditional. But I have managed to capture the luscious tenderness and the sweet hot blast to the taste buds that would make any of my Hawaiian aunties grin. One nibble will have you imagining beautiful tropical islands way out in the middle of the Pacific, where the livin' is easy, the people gracious and the food incomparable.
If you are ever lucky enough to be driving along in paradise one day and you catch a mouth watering aroma wafting your way on the trade winds.........stop. The rest will be history. Aloha.
HULI HULI CHICKEN
Dear Journal – I love the days when it’s time to throw on some great Island tunes, massage lush flavors onto a whole chicken, toss it on the grill and turn, turn, turn it ‘til it’s cooked to delectable perfection. In Hawaiian ‘Huli Huli’ means ‘turn, turn’. My version is untraditional but the results are the same……lip-smacking, tender-moist Hawaiian style BBQ chicken that make taste buds wanna’ put up a sign that says ‘Paradise Found’.
3 - 3½ pound whole roasting chicken, rinsed inside and out and patted dry
3 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 fresh lime
¼ cup dark shoyu (soy sauce)
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons minced fresh gingerroot
1½ tablespoons ketchup
3 plump garlic cloves, minced
1- 2 teaspoons sambal oelek or Asian chile paste
1 teaspoon Asian style toasted sesame oil
Hawaiian sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 12-ounce can beer, ginger ale, Hawaiian fruit punch, or, you pick
2 green onions, chop, chop, chopped into 1-2 inch lengths
1 inch piece of fresh gingerroot quartered
2 plump garlic cloves, quartered
2 tablespoons dark shoyu (soy sauce)
In medium bowl mix together olive oil, lime juice, ¼ cup shoyu, brown sugar, minced gingerroot, ketchup, minced garlic, chile paste , sesame oil, salt and pepper. Massage chicken with spice mixture. Put remaining spice mixture in a small pot, open can of beer, ginger ale or fruit punch and pour a bit into the spice mixture so the can is only about ½ to 2/3 full. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and let simmer gently about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Put green onion, quartered gingerroot, quartered garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons of shoyu through the pull-tab opening in the can of beer, ginger ale or fruit punch.
Preheat gas barbecue to medium-high or start charcoal grill. Holding the spiced, massaged chicken upright, with the cavity down, plop and push the chicken onto the can. Set up barbecue for indirect heat – turn off gas burner on side where chicken will sit or push coals to other side. Carefully transfer chicken-on-the-can to the grill on the ‘off’ side of the barbecue, staying very close to the heated side and using the 2 chicken legs and the can as a tripod. Close barbecue lid.
For a truly Hawaiian meal serve with sticky rice and macaroni salad. Oh yes, and chopsticks of course. Serves 4.