Eating REAL Hawaiian

I recently spent 3 weeks in Hawaii with my family.  It was an ideal opportunity to work remotely and get some R & R.  Whenever I go on vacations, I really enjoy immersing myself in the local culture, experiencing all the foods the way the locals do and eating REAL Hawaiian.

Eventhough Hawaii is another US state, the culture is very different.  The Hawaiian islands are beautiful and the tropical weather lends itself to fish, tropical fruit and a very carefree lifestyle.  

Poke

One of my favorite things to eat when in Hawaii is Ahi Poke.  The locals usually go to the grocery store and order poke like the mainlanders would order deli meat.  I went into a Foodland in Oahu where they had over 30 varieties of poke.  I didn't even get to sample every one of them while in Oahu for a week.  

Coconut water.

Although Hawaii wouldn't be Hawaii without coconut trees, these trees are a hazard and liability for property owners.  I happen to love fresh coconut water, before it even became a "thing."  I also love young coconut when the white meat is still tender and gelatinous.  When I visited India, the coconut hawkers could tell the different stages of the coconut just by sight.  You could get a freshly cut coconut for 75c (US). You could ask for a really young coconut which has more water which is not as sweet with gelatinous "meat" or an older coconut which had less water, but sweeter and firmer "meat".  

During my time here in Hawaii, I wanted coconut water.  I purchased a freshly cut coconut from a roadside stand for $5.00, drank the water and asked the vendor to cut the meat out for me.  

During a kayaking trip, I found a bunch of coconuts in a river.  It was at a State Park and the maintenance crew recently came through the park and cut all the coconuts down.  I decided that it was time to extricate my own coconut water.  Given the limited tools in our rented condo, I was only able to get the water without the meat.  So, if you ever in Hawaii and find young (green) coconuts along the side of the road, try getting out the water.  It's delicous and very healthy!  If you find coconuts that have started to yellow but still feel very heavy, this means that the meat has started to form and there will be less coconut water.  But, the coconut water will be sweeter!

Later in the week, we went to CJM stables in Kauai as a starting point to a hike to cave.  We not only discovered the sink hole, but also found a tortoise sanctuary, more coconuts and a very interesting tree with fruit I'd never seen before.  We brought our prizes back to the stables and Jimmy, the stable owner gave us a lesson on how to open a coconut without a machete and a new recipe with our new found fruit!

Breadfruit.

Jimmy from CJM stables in Kauai (highly recommend for beach and beautiful scenery Kauai trail ride) told us that the interesting fruit we found was "Ulu" or breadfruit.  Polynesians eat it as a starch.  We brought it back to our condo and prepared it the way Jimmy had suggested.  It was fabulous.  If you're ever in Hawaii, look for this tree and find breadfruit, take it back to your condo and prepare it!  You'll be surprised how delicious it is.  It has the consistency of a potato,  a little fibrous like an artichoke heart and a little sweet like a yam.

Raw breadfruit has a tough skin.  They can be either yellow or green in color.  When found on the ground, white resin may be found on the skin.  This is perfectly fine.

In order to remove the breadfruit skin, it is easier to boil the breadfruit first for at least 30 minutes.  Use a paring knife, remove the skin, exposing a starchy inside.

Now that you are able to peel the skin and expose the fruit, you can cut your breadfruit in preparation for frying.

Sliced breadfruit looks like sliced pineapple rings.  There is an inner core that has the taste and texture of an artichoke heart.

Saute the breadfruit in olive oil until crisp and golden.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper or any custom seasonings.  Enjoy this delicious potato alternative!