I was lucky enough to visit the island of Maui and the Big Island in beautiful Hawaii for my honeymoon last November. To be honest, the vacation spot wasn't high up on my list of must-sees, but after a two week stay I was hooked. I'm the travel until you drop, walk through urban cities type of gal, but after over a year of planning my dream wedding, Hawaii's laid back attitude and varied natural and cultural features were very appealing.
Far beyond tiki masks, hula dancers, and pineapple, the islands of Hawaii have so much to offer, including beautiful beaches, ancient petrogylphs, Mars-like mountains, bamboo forests, and radiant waterfalls. And of course there's the fresh, locally-sourced cuisine. Let's just say both me and my husband have been yearning to go back since the moment we arrived back home.
Given that our post-honeymoon budget didn't include an impromptu trip back to the islands, I decided to bring the islands to us! How better than a party to share our experiences and our favourite, authentic dishes? Consequently, this summer became the setting for testing out a variety of Hawaiian entrees and desserts that were appropriate for outdoor eating. My husband and I tried, and ate at least one Hawaiian recipe every two weeks for several months. What can I say? I like to plan ahead... :)
Don't let my enthusiasm at pre-planning dissuade you from planning a Hawaiian party of your own. It's up to you how much effort you want to put into it. Hopefully I can provide some insight and make your party planning easier. I tried my best only to test out recipes that seemed authentic and reflect our food experiences from our recent trip, and I read up on Hawaiian cuisine and culture from various sources.
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| Beachside at the Fairmont Orchid Resort, Big Island |
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| Sliding Sands Trail in Haleakala National Park, Maui |
Hawaiian Cuisine
While in Hawaii, I was quite surprised at the diverse ethnicities represented in local dishes. In my research for the party I read up on the origins of Hawaiian cuisine, and learned that a range of ethnicities- including Polynesian, Korean, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and British- have a stake in the local Hawaiian food eaten today. Settlers arriving in Hawaii brought different foods and cooking techniques with them that have created a fabulous fusion of flavours, textures and ingredients in today's cuisine.One of the popular local dishes we tried while in Hawaii was the plate lunch. I later learned that the plate lunch is a common meal eaten by locals that consists generally of protein, rice, macaroni or potato salad and often some sort of vegetable like salad or pickled veggies. On our trip, we sought out a well-reviewed beach-side food stand and tried a plate lunch of huli-huli chicken, macaroni (mac) salad, green salad, and rice. Delish! I later learned that huli-huli literally means 'turn turn' chicken, and is a local barbecue chicken. Driving along the highway on the Big Island and Maui it was very common to see off-road barbecue stands grilling dozens of chickens at a time.
During our trip we also attended a luau which consisted of a buffet containing some local Hawaiian delicacies and featured a spectacular luau dance show. We chose traditional pillow-style seating at a low table, which was located right near the dance stage and gave us amazing views of the performance. During the buffet we tried several new Hawaiian foods including Haupia, a traditional Hawaiian coconut pudding, often cut into small squares. Banana bread was also served, another dessert that we found common to off road stalls, particularly on the road to Hana on the island of Maui.
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| Watching the sun set from our room on the Big Island |
Our Menu
Our experiences were used as inspiration to plan our Hawaiian Party. Although we had it during the summer, I encourage you to try Hawaiian recipes at any time of the year! Here are some highlights from our menu:Appetizers (Pupus)
Our stars of the show were featured in the entrees and sides, so we kept the appetizers simple:- Maui Sweet Onion Chips
- Fresh vegetables
Entrees and Sides (Aina Ahiahi)
Taking reference from some of our favourite island foods we tried to recreate a barbecue-safe nod to the plate lunch:
- Huli-Huli Chicken Thighs
- Beef Teriyaki Skewers
- 'Mac' (Macaroni) Salad
- Green Salad with Guava Dressing
Dessert (Monamona)
The flavours used in our dessert menu reference some of our favourite flavours from the islands and some other tropical flavours:
- Haupia with Toasted Coconut
- Tropical Banana Bread (banana bread with pineapple and toasted coconut)
Beverages (Inu Inu)
Our drink menu included favourite Hawaiian drinks and incorporated fresh juices we enjoyed on our trip:
- Mai Tais (Alcoholic drink with various rums, triple sec, orange juice, and grenadine)
- Mango Guava Coolers (Mango nectar, guava nectar, lime juice, and sparkling water)
Ambiance and Decor
As always, I kept the decor simple and classy. We stayed clear of anything that didn't seem authentic, particularly avoiding the paper cut outs found at party supply stores. On our trip we saw beautiful orchids everywhere, and were lucky enough to also receive orchid leis at one of our hotels! For our guest tables, we found mini orchids and mini vintage Hawaiian posters to create the right mood. Of course, I also spent some time creating a great playlist with both traditional Hawaiian music and upbeat classics like the Beach Boys... To get our guests into the correct atmosphere, we greeted them all with an 'Aloha', a flower lei, and a beverage with an umbrella skewer garnished with a piece of fresh pineapple. I also created cute mini food menus and drink menus! The delight is in the details!
I hope this has brought a bit of Hawaii to you, and has inspired you to try your own Hawaiian dishes :)
Mahalo (Thank you) for reading!
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