Campbell High’s
heckuva hekka wins

Star-Bulletin

The ingredients were similar, but the end results were all distinctive, and when the Plantation Hekka Cook-Off at Hans L'Orange Baseball Park in Waipahu was over, Campbell High School was the unanimous winner.

The cook-off was part of Saturday's "Field of Dreams" celebration, marking the 75th anniversary of the park.

Hekka is a sukiyaki-type dish of plantation origin that consists of chicken and vegetables.

Students from Waipahu, Pearl City, Nanakuli and Campbell High School culinary classes and the Ke Kula Wae extension program at Leeward Community College competed for a trophy decorated with a hekka pot.

Here is the winning recipe, a revised version of a recipe created by Sam Choy. The original recipe appears in the "Cooking From the Heart with Sam Choy" cookbook.

Campbell's Choy's
Chicken Hekka

2-1/2 pounds chicken thighs or breasts, cut into strips
3 tablespoons macadamia nut oil
1/2 finger ginger, minced
2 cans bamboo shoots, sliced
1 bunch green onions, cut saimin-style
1 round onion, cut in half moon slices
3 medium carrots, julienned
1 package pre-sliced shiitake mushrooms
3 stalks celery, julienned
1/2 bundle watercress, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 block tofu, cut in 1-inch cubes
5 bundles of bean thread

Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup macadamia nut oil
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/4 tablespoon white pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

Sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth

Combine marinade ingredients and marinate chicken for 30 minutes.

Slice vegetables, mix and set aside. Blend sauce ingredients and set aside.

Brown chicken in marinade and 3 tablespoons of macadamia nut oil to which you have added the half finger of minced ginger.

Add all vegetables and cook for 1 minute. Add sauce and bean threads and simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Nutritional information unavailable.

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