Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.

By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Brickwood Galuteria, center, host of "Hawaii's Kitchen,"
referees a pork-chop cooking battle between Daniel Delbrel,
left, of the Moana Hotel and Fred D'Angelo of
Palomino Euro Bistro.

Chefs go mano-a-mano
on ‘Hawaii's Kitchen’

Whoever first treated cooking as a sports competition made a serious impact on popular culture. No longer are we satisfied to have chefs simply feed us. We want to see them battle it out, face-to-face, pot-to-pan, spoon-to-spatula. It sells.

And so "Hawaii's Kitchen," the cooking show hosted by Brickwood Galuteria, turns to culinary competition for the all-important February sweeps - when viewership numbers really count.

Each Sunday a different pair of chefs will square off in the studio kitchen, creating dishes based on a shared main ingredient. Celebrity judges will taste the dishes and pick a winner each week.

The debut episode this weekend features Daniel Delbrel of the Moana hotel, Fred D'Angelo of Palomino Euro Bistro and pork chops. To follow: French chefs George Mavrothalassitis and Jean Marie Josselin (Feb. 11); Euro-Asian fusionists Chai Chaowasaree and Glenn Chu (Feb. 18); sushi artists D.K. Kodama and Troy Teruya (Feb. 25).

"Hawaii's Kitchen" airs at 5:30 p.m. Sundays on KHON/Fox. Recipes from the show are printed in the Star-Bulletin on Wednesdays.

---

HAWAII'S KITCHEN

Sugoi Bento standards

Recipes prepared by chef Ross Okuhara of Sugoi Bento on "Hawaii's Kitchen" this week. The show aired at 5:30 p.m. Sunday on KHON Fox 2.

Mochiko Chicken

1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup mochiko (rice flour)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup shoyu
3 eggs
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

Mix ingredients and marinate chicken at least 3 hours before cooking. Fry chicken in hot oil, turning to brown evenly.

Ahi Loco Moco

6 ounces ahi filet
1 egg, cooked as you prefer
Brown gravy

Batter:
1 cup flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 egg yolk
1-1/2 cups ice water

Teri sauce:
1/2 cup shoyu
1/2 cup sugar
3 slices of ginger

Combine batter ingredients. Coat ahi with batter. Fry in hot oil 2 to 3 minutes.

Combine teri sauce ingredients.

Brush ahi with sauce. Top with egg and gravy.

Nutritional information unavailable.

---

Morsels

Southwestern accent

Hawaii is in the southwest, if you look at the globe a particular way, which makes it an appropriate stop for the chef they call the Father of Southwestern Cuisine.

Dean Fearing, executive chef of the Mansion at Turtle Creek in Dallas, kicks off the 2001 Food & Wine Masters Spotlight at the Kea Lani Hotel on Maui next month.

The gourmet gatherings pair star chefs from across the nation with Hawaii chefs for two days of signature dinners and cooking demonstrations.

Fearing won the top U.S. culinary prize, the James Beard Foundation Award, as Best Chef in the Southwest for his cuisine, inspired by the backyard barbecues of his childhood, but reflecting an international mix of techniques and flavors.

His menus make use of home-grown peppers, dried chilies, jicama, cilantro, tomatillos, Texas wild game, birds and venison. Among his signature dishes: Tortilla Soup and Warm Lobster Taco with Yellow Tomato Salsa.

He was also named Bon Appetit's Year 2000 chef of Merit and his restaurant has earned the coveted Mobil Five-Star Award.

Fearing will be joined at Kea Lani by D.K. Kodama and Sean Kinoshita, both of Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar.

Dates are Feb. 16 and 17. Cooking classes, which include lunch and wine, are $45 each day. A five-course dinner, with wine pairings, is $98 each night. Rooms at Kea Lani start at $305 for one-bedroom suites. Call (800) 798-4552.

Foodland online

Foodland Super Market launches its Internet grocery service, Foodland to Go, today.

To shop online, customers visit www.foodland.com and click their way through their shopping lists. Items are packed for them to pick up at the Foodland Beretania Street store, where they pay by credit card. There is no delivery.

Repeat customers may store personalized lists at the site. Service charge is $4.95 per order. Pickup times are weekdays, 3 to 9 p.m.; weekends 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Orders may be placed at any time.

Home show chefs

Seeing as homes typically have kitchens, the BIA Home Building and Remodeling Show typically features a lineup of how-to-cook segments and chef challenges:

Future Chefs Mystery Basket Cook-Off: Student chefs from the community colleges compete to create dishes using a surprise basket of ingredients. Chef David Paul Johnson emcees, 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

BBQ Cook-Off: Chef Sam Choy judges 10 barbecue recipes, 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

Also scheduled are cooking demonstrations featuring restaurant chefs with dishes off their menus and include samplings:

Tomorrow: Bill Bruhl, Ryan's Grill, 7:30 p.m.; Troy Teruya, Catch of the Day, 8 p.m.

Friday: Don Maruyama, Parc Cafe, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday: Aurelio Garcia, Brew Moon, 10:30 a.m.; Scott Nelson, Cafe Monsarrat, 5 p.m.; David Paul Johnson, 5:30 p.m.

Sunday: Teruya, 2:30 p.m.

Home show hours are 5 to 9:30 p.m. tomorrow and Friday, 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $4 per day or $6 for all four days. Call 847-4666, ext. 206 or visit the Web site, www.bia-hawaii.com.

Culinary classes

Vintage Program in Wine Appreciation and Service: Alan Jahns teaches an introduction to the wines of the world, offered through the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's noncredit outreach program. Six classes run 7 to 9 p.m. Thursdays from Feb. 8 at JMD Educational Center in Aiea. The fee, $135, includes wine and supplies. Call 956-7221 or visit the Web site, www.outreach.hawaii.edu.

Tokyo techniques: Chefs Shigeto Yagi and Takayuki Matsumoto, of Tokyo, Tokyo, a new restaurant in the Kahala Mandarin Oriental hotel, will prepare Bara Sushi Rice and shrimp fishcake noon Saturday in the fourth-floor kitchen of Liberty House Ala Moana. Tickets, at $10, guarantee a seat and sampling; or stand for free. Call 921-2345.

Poifection: Learn about taro and poi-making, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Pearl City Urban Garden Center. Ralph Lee of the Cooperative Extension Service conducts a class on types of taro at 9:30 a.m. Poi-making with modern equipment will be demonstrated after the class, followed by the tasting of poi and cooked taro.

Wine tastings

Wine-tasting sessions at Sam Choy's Diamond Head continue at 5 p.m. Fridays through February:

Garlic and Wines from Baccala Estate: Featuring the estate's Chardonnay, Merlot and Zinfandel "Old Vine," with garlic-infused soup, nairagi and shortribs; Friday.

Sweetheart Wines: Valentine's Day suggestions such as Pepi "Two Heart" Sauvignon Blanc, Madonna Johannisberg Riesling "Kabinett," with shellfish bisque, tequila-cured salmon; Feb. 9.

Herbal Creations with International Syrahs/Shiraz: Samplings from Voyager Estate, Buckeley's and Coppola, among others, with appetizers prepared with fragrant herbs; Feb. 16.

Romantic Pairings: With sommelier Kathy Kam from American Wines and Spirits, Feb. 23.

Tastings are $20. Call 732-8645.

Click for online
calendars and events.