Plate Lunch Power
Aloha Mixed Plate in Lahaina shares with spirit of Pacific ohana
Chef Kaluna Kaauwai adds his twist to traditional recipes
story and photographs by Chris Amundson
At Aloha Mixed Plate, the open-hearted spirit of ohana reaches across the Pacific, welcoming Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Filipino cuisine onto its plates.
Aloha Mixed Plate Chef Kaluna Kaauwai grew up near Maalaea, a busy harbor since Captain George Vancouver landed in 1793 with his boatload of cattle. Immigrant laborers from all around the Pacific later worked on Maui sugar and pineapple plantations.
Kaauwai remembers two plantation houses where the Maui Ocean Center, built in 1998, on three acres by Coral World International, now stands. One of the two houses belonged to his family.
In his childhood homes big backyard, the family would cook kālua puaa, roast pig, in an imu, an underground oven, enough to feed 50.
His mother made mac salad, with imitation crab, olives, green peas, carrots, mayonnaise, carrots, salt and pepper, “super basic and delicious. Simple is always better,” Kaauwai said.
Kaauwai recalls his islands history of sharing. Plantation workers shared their food from their cultures with each other: from Japanese tradition, shoyu chicken; from Polynesian, lomi lomi salmon; from Chinese, chow fun; and locally, poi.
Dining on these dishes, guests can look out at the waters and imagine the journeys that brought such varied cultures to the harbor. As a child, Kaauwai lived near enough to the harbor, a two-minute walk, that he could fish and dive every day.
The flavor on the immigrants plates was simple, and so is Kaauwais food.
Kaauwai favors simple Filipino-style salad cooking ingredients: heavy on the ginger, and heavy on the garlic. Cooking lalo, a Haitian soup, is a little more difficult. “Its easy to get wrong,” he said. “You overcook the jute leaves, the leaves fall apart. Undercook it and you get an itchy mouth.”
At Aloha Mixed Plate, Kaauwai puts his own touch on traditional recipes, such as adding oyster sauce to some dishes for a little bit of sweetness. Kaauwais favorite protein is kalbi short ribs. But hes not opposed to sometimes offering a fancier dish, such as stuffed mahi mahi with blue crab and shrimp. Its a good idea to keep watch on his menu for specials.
Kaauwai earned an associate degree in culinary arts at the University of Hawaii Maui College Culinary Arts Program. He got his big break as an 18-year-old by working with one of his teachers, Kim Chu, at the now-closed Blue Marlin Harborfront Grill in Wailuku. Chu mixed things up.
“We butchered a lot of fish, and mix in some Italian food. He didnt necessarily have a written recipe,” Kaauwai said. “He invited me to watch him. My dad was like that; my dad never had anything written down. It was always cooking to taste.”
Kaauwais approach to cooking is rooted in trusting his instincts, a lesson learned from years spent with his father and mentors in the kitchen. The colorful flavors of Maui and its people provide plenty of inspiration for the chefs creative takes on familiar fare.
“Everybody has their own little twist on a dish,” Kaauwai said. “I could have a different recipe from the guy down the street. I dont think any one local is really ever the same.”
Crab-Stuffed Mahi Mahi
1/2 lb blue crab meat
3 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 sweet onion, diced small
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 egg
1 Tbsp red bell pepper, diced small
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
6 Tbsp panko (Japanese
breadcrumbs)
1½ lbs mahi mahi
In a medium size bowl, mix all ingredients (excluding mahi mahi) until well combined. If mixture is still wet, add panko to adjust. Mixture should be able to form a ball in your hand without falling apart.
Portion mahi mahi into 3-4 oz pieces and butterfly to create a pocket for the stuffing. Season with salt and pepper and add stuffing. Grease a baking pan and place stuffed mahi mahi in the oven at 350° for 20 minutes.
After cooking, place mahi mahi on a plate with a scoop of rice. Top with pineapple salsa.
Serves 4
Pineapple Salsa
1 lb fresh pineapple, sliced
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced small
1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced small
2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1 jalapeño, diced small
2 limes, juiced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Grill the pineapple slices until slightly charred. Let cool then dice small. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill until ready to use.
Loco Moco
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp beef base
1 lb ground beef
1 cup diced sweet onion
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup oyster sauce
8 eggs
1 green onion, sliced
In a large bowl, mix Worcestershire sauce and beef base until the beef base is dissolved. Stir in the ground beef, onion, pepper, breadcrumbs, garlic and oyster sauce until well combined. Form the mixture into patties of desired size. Cook in a pan over medium-high heat until a slight char crust forms on the patties.
To assemble, place a hamburger patty over rice in a bowl. Cover generously with brown gravy and add two eggs cooked any style, along with a side of mac salad. Garnish with green onions.
For the gravy
8 cups water
2 Tbsp beef base
1 Tbsp chicken base
1 cup unsalted butter
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
In a large pot, add water, beef base and chicken base. Stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil. In a separate pan, melt butter then add flour, stirring until the mixture becomes a slightly brown paste. Remove from heat.
When the base stock comes to a boil, add the butter-flour mixture slowly while stirring continuously. Gravy should be thick.
Chef Kaluna’s Mac Salad
1 lb macaroni elbows
3 boiled eggs, chopped
2 Tbsp celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup carrots, finely chopped
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
In a large pot, add enough water to cover pasta by at least 2 inches. When water boils, add macaroni elbows. Cook 12 to 15 minutes al dente. Strain pasta and cool.
In a large mixing bowl, combine pasta and all other ingredients. Mix well. Refrigerate. If the noodles absorb too much of the mixture, add a few extra tablespoons of mayonnaise.
Serves 4
Korean Wings
For the sauce
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup aloha shoyu
1/4 cup Kikkoman shoyu
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp white sesame seeds,
toasted
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp Korean chili flakes optional
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until sugar dissolves. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
For the chicken wings
2 lbs chicken wings (or chicken
thighs)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well. Toss chicken in dry mixture and shake off excess flour. Deep fry chicken 350° until golden brown until internal temperature of chicken is 165°.
Toss chicken in the Korean wing sauce. Garnish with green onion and white toasted sesame seeds. Korean chili flakes optional.
Serves 4
