My HAWAIIAN KITCHEN
Delectable memoirs of living on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai high above the famed Kona Coast on the beguiling Big Island of Hawaii.
Even posting this one makes my mouth water. And wonder of wonders it's equally as delicious with fresh or canned pineapple. Bonus!
Dear Journal - It rained all day. Poured. A steady rat-a-tat-tat on the metal roof. Heavy gray mists clung to the hillside. The Kona Coast far below was shrouded in stormy darkness. The ocean looked downright menacing. Gloomy. Old movies might help. I broke the chilly somberness snuggling into the couch with Harrison Ford in Witness and Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr. in Home for the Holidays. That was good, but didn't quite do it. I need comfort food. Of course. Everything about this blustery, shivery day on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai screamed comfort food. Macaroni and cheese. Nope. A hearty, homey beef stew. Nope. Wait a minute......... M O M ' S P I N E A P P L E C H I C K E N. Absolutely! So that's what I made. Divinely scrumptious and of course having something mom made from when I was a little girl filled up my heart and my tummy. Mission accomplie.
Serves 6.
5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves cut into bite-size pieces, about 1-inch cube-ish 3-4 tablespoons dark shoyu (soy sauce) Combine the above and let laze in the fridge for 2-8 hours. ½ medium onion, chopped fine 1/3 cup vinegar 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice 1/3 cup brown sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons shoyu 2 green onions, chopped 1 ½ cups fresh pineapple, cut into small bite-size chunks or 1 tin (14 ounces) pineapple tidbits (use the juice from the can as part of the pineapple juice) Combine all ingredients except pineapple chunks, in a small saucepan, whisk to combine and slowly bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps from forming. Turn heat to medium and stir until thickened and clear. Can be made ahead and reheated. Pour over hot battered chicken. Batter: 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour Put flour and salt into a medium bowl. Pour in most of the liquid and whisk gently. Check the consistency - you want it to be the thickness of heavy cream. If it's too thick, whisk in the rest of the liquid. (and as Jamie Oliver has been known to say, "Don't worry too much about having little lumps in the batter, as they'll just become nice crunchy bits when you start frying.") Dip chicken chunks into batter. Deep fry in hot oil (365F) in batches, do not overcrowd, until golden and cooked through, about 4-7 minutes. Keep first batches warm in oven (250F) while frying the rest of the chicken, if necessary. Pour pineapple sauce over chicken and serve.
1/2 teaspoon sea, kosher or table salt
About 1 1/3 cups cold gingerale, beer or water