Category Archives: food

big island, Dining, food

Where to Eat After Volcano Watching on Hawaii Island

4 Comments

You’re watching Kilauea volcano erupt in Kalapana near the new vent, Pu’u O’o. The sunset was glorious, and the evening lava show is spectacular. You’ve taken all the pictures you can, and you’ve oo’ed and aw’ed until your parched. Now your stomach starts to growl, and you realize it’s well after 8 PM. Where to go for dinner?

At 45-minutes away, Hilo is too far to make it in time for dinner (unless you’re willing to eat at Ken’s house of Pancakes again). The sidewalk there rolls up promptly at 9 PM. So Hilo is out. What else is there?

Pahoa is the answer. At 15 minutes away, you can make it in time for the last seating at any one of three good options.

  1. Ning’s Thai Cuisine
     –Ning’s is fresh and inexpensive. They use local produce in many of their dishes, including their summer rolls, which were packed with fresh basil and mint. No bar or alcohol service, but you can BYO. If you don’t have anything to drink in the car, there is a 7-11 down the street that offers a basic selection of beer and wine coolers. Ning’s is not fancy, but it’s deliciously inexpensive. We had a 3-course dinner for four after volcano watching and got out for about $50, including tip. On a Saturday night, they stayed open until 10 pm.
  2. Kaleo’s Bar & Grill
     –Kaleo’s is a relative newcomer in Pahoa town. They offer Pacific Rim and island fare as well as what you would expect from a bar and grill. Their list of appetizers includes blackened ahi sashmi and deep-fried mozzarella. Entree prices range from about $15-$35. They offer a full bar and wine menu, but they close promptly at 9 pm.
  3. Luquin’s Mexican Restaurant
     –Luquin’s has been around Pahoa for years, and it remains the best place in town for a cold beer, chips and salsa, which sounds divine after a few parched hours on hot lava blacktop. Their food is not what I would describe as authentic Mexican, but it’s good enough. Anyway, you can’t go too wrong with cheese, sauce, meat and tortillas. Dinner for four with two rounds of drinks and tip was $100. They serve food until 10 pm, but stay open later for drinks.

Service Details:

Ning’s Thai Cuisine

15-2955 Pahoa Rd
Pahoa, HI 96778
(808) 965-7611

Kaleo’s Bar & Grill

15-2969 Pahoa Village Rd
Pahoa, HI 96778
(808) 965-5634

Luquin’s Mexican Restaurant

Pahoa Rd (Across from Ning’s)
Pahoa, HI 96778
(808) 965-9990
Culture, food, Recipes

Hawaiian “Alaea” Red Sea Salt

2 Comments

Hawaiian Sea Salt
Other Names: Alaea, Alae, Hawaiian Red Salt

Hawaiian red sea salt

Alaea aea salt is a traditional Hawaiian table salt used to season and preserve. A natural mineral called “alaea” (volcanic baked red clay) is added to enrich the salt with iron oxide. This natural additive is what gives the salt its distinctive pink color. The clay imparts a subtle flavor that is mellower than regular sea salt. The clay also adds fineness to the grain.

Uses: It is the traditional and authentic seasoning for native Hawaiian dishes such as Kalua Pig, Poke and Hawaiian Jerky. Also good on steaks, pork loin and grilled vegetables. Hawaiian sea salt can be used in place of regular white salt.

Gathering: Making Hawaiian sea salt is simple, provided you know where to find (or buy) alaea. In the islands, alaea can be gathered from most rocky beaches, like Kuiaha Bay along Maui’s North Shore. Clumps of the red clay run off to the beach and become lodged in the rocks, where the clay washes in the surf and bakes in the sun. I recently gathered a few chunks of alaea from Kuiaha Bay and carried them home in an old, dried out coconut. The clay stains everything it touches red, just like the Red Dirt Shirts, which are a local icon of creative alaea use.

Preparation: Back in my kitchen, I broke the clay into smaller pieces about the size of strawberries and ground into a fine powder using a coffee grinder. A little goes a long way. I mixed the ground alaea with a pound of sea salt, making a gorgeous red salt. I love the mellow, sweet flavor and use it everywhere I would plain salt.

Recipe: Hawaiian red sea salt is so good that it also inspires dishes. My favorite recipe for alaea salt is a simple one, grilled asparagus. Here’s what I do:

  • Start with a large bunch of rinsed and trimmed fresh asparagus
  • Lay them into a large baking dish (9×12 works well)
  • Drizzle olive oil, balsamic vinegar and generously sprinkle Hawaiian sea salt
  • Toss and coat all the asparagus
  • Fire up the BBQ and grill until tender
  • Enjoy them hot
Environment, food, Lifestyle

How To Make a Solar Powered Oven

10 Comments

How can someone construct a solar powered oven locally? This really good question came from a reader of this blog in response to the post Solar Powered Cooking Oven. There are several good resources on building your own solar oven, and I’m going to summarize them here.

Start with a Black Box

Any kind of non-toxic, non-shiny waterproof box will work. A box with suitcase-size dimensions will allow you to use a medium-sized baking pan that is about 9 by 12 inches.

Next you will need to paint it black with a food-grade, heat-resistant paint. In a poor country, I’m not sure where you can readily find this kind of paint, but most hardware stores in developed countries sell oven paint. Paint the inside of the box thoroughly, air dry and give it a second coat. Air dry until the pain is cured and all of the gases are clear.

Add a Glass Lid

The glass lid does a few things: keeps the heat in, traps moisture and keeps critters out. Attach the glass to the box with a hinge on one side so that you can easily lift the lid. On the opposite side, attach rubber feet so that the glass will seal when closed. Finally add one or two small screw hinges or clamps that firmly hold the lid closed.

Reflectors

The reflectors gather the sunlight and focus it into your black box. You can use any sturdy outdoor material (i.e., plastic, wood, metal) as long as it’s waterproof. Cut four pieces, one the length of each side of the box and attach them to the top of the box. Cover them with a shiny, reflecting material. Aluminum foil or paint will work. Just make sure than reflecting surface is smooth and shiny.

Accessories

A few optional items will make the oven easier to use: a thermometer inside the oven, carrying handle, a swivel tray inside the box and an adjustable leg to raise and lower the oven to match the angle of the sun. If you can’t find these, the oven will work without them.

However, you need a non-reflective pan for cooking. It can be glass, cast iron or even teflon just as long as it’s not shiny. A shiny pan will reflect the heat away from your food, which defeats the purpose.

Alternatives

Another reader in India mentioned that she uses a parabolic cooking dish like the one shown above to capture sunlight and slow-cook food. You cannot fry or bake on high heat, but the design is much simpler. It is literally a curved dish with the depression in the center. So if you can’t find the materials locally to make your own solar oven, try a parabolic cooking dish.  You might even try recycling an old satellite dish, cover it with reflective material and voila!

Good luck and let me know how yours turns out!