Chef Roberto Los Banos of Bali by the Sea at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, adds pork to a taro mixture to make Kalua Pork Taro Hash Cakes. Recipe, below.
This little piggy
went upscaleCreative chefs bring kalua pig
into the world of haute cuisine
For early Hawaiians, the celebration of life's key events centered on feasts of food. Births, marriages, deaths, the completion of a house or canoe and other events were times for sacred ceremonies followed by a feast to honor and thank the aumakua, or guardian spirit. Central to the aha aina -- large feast -- was the pig, cooked in an imu and often offered in large numbers to please the aumakua.
Kalua pig is one of Hawaii's most traditional foods, central to the luau. And in today's world of haute cuisine and Pacifc Rim east-west fusion, the humble but esteemed pork dish has become a key ingredient in many a celebrity chef's repertoire.
"The fact that the meat is steam-cooked in the ground and all the juices stay in the pig is why it's so good," said Beverly Gannon of Haliimaile General Store and Joe's Bar and Grill on Maui. "It's the most moist, tender, juicy pork you'll ever eat."
To make kalua pig in the traditional imu, a pit is dug on the ground, then lined with hot stones, ti and banana leaves. The flesh is salted and the cavity filled with hot stones. The pig is placed in the imu and covered with more ti and banana leaves, then left for several hours to slowly cook.
"Nothing beats kalua pig right out of the imu," said Roberto Los Banos, chef de cuisine of Bali by the Sea at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel. "It's the best."
Most chefs make kalua pork in the oven: Take a pork butt, place it in a roasting pan with salt, a sprinkling of liquid smoke and some water, cover it tightly with foil and roast for a few hours. "I like the long method," said Los Banos. "Cook it slowly for five to eight hours in a 200-degree oven."
Imu or oven, the well-cooked pork, stringy and soft in texture, smoky and salty in flavor, has become a favorite of island chefs. Comparable to the pulled pork of the South or carnitas of Mexico, kalua pig lends its unique character to dishes that usually call for bacon, corned beef, sausage or any protein, for that matter.
For island-born chef Alan Wong, using kalua pig is as natural as using soy sauce. "I grew up eating kalua pig," says Wong. "It was the easiest way to eat poi: Kalua pig and lomi went into the poi. It's very regional, very Hawaii."
Warm kalua pig tops a Caesar salad at Wong's Pineapple Room, alongside kalua pig pizzas and kalua pig BLT (bacon, lettuce, tomato) sandwiches. At Alan Wong's Restaurant on King Street, a popular dish is Da Bag, a foil-encased bowl of clams, spinach, shiitake mushrooms and kalua pig, steamed to perfection.
"I love it; it's versatile," said the Kauai-born Los Banos. "I like straight kalua pig on rice with macaroni salad on the side."
Such plate lunch-style kalua pig is not on the Bali by the Sea menu, but Los Banos makes a mean kalua pig hash topped with mango salsa as a special. "When I go to Japan, I do kalua pig laulaus: kalua pig and spinach wrapped in ti leaves. They love it."
Executive chef Randal Ishizu at the J.W. Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa has a Hawaii version of oysters Rockefeller: baked kalua pig, spinach and oyster topped with a lomi-tomato hollandaise. Also in the repertoire of this Waipahu native are kalua pig Benedict and kalua pig and goat cheese quiche.
Russell Siu, chef/owner of 3660 on the Rise, encases kalua pig, onions and cabbage in spring roll wrappers and serves the deep-fried roll with lomi-tomato dipping sauce or plum-chili sauce. Sometimes he wraps kalua pig and lomi salmon in a cabbage leaf, steams it and serves it with poi on the side.
Doug Lum, executive chef of Mariposa Restaurant at Neiman Marcus, has been known to prepare omelets filled with kalua pig and smoked aged gouda cheese, topped with fresh tomato sauce.
Texas-born Gannon uses kalua pig as a filling for enchiladas and quesadillas.
"It's the best pork I can eat. Once I start eating it, I have a hard time stopping," said Gannon. "One of my most favorite things in the world is kalua pork on a Hawaiian sweet bread bun and a glass of milk. It's my cure for a hangover. I'd always have a couple of these on New Year's Day and go back to bed!"
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.Kalua Pig
"Alan Wong's New Wave Luau" (Ten Speed Press, 1999)6 ti leaves or 2 banana leaves
6 pounds pork but, cut into 2-inch thick pieces
2-1/2 tablespoons Hawaiian or kosher salt
2-1/2 tablespoons liquid smokeLay a 9-by-11-inch piece of foil on a flat surface. Place 3 ti leaves or 1 banana leaf on foil and the pork on top of that. Sprinkle with salt and liquid smoke. Place remaining ti leaves or banana leaf on top of pork. Cover with additional foil and seal tightly. Place package in a large roasting pan, fill with 2 inches water, and cover pan with foil to seal in steam.
Cook for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until tender. When cool, shred using 2 forks. Refrigerate up to 5 days (or freeze) until needed. Makes 8 cups.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per cup: 800 calories, 60 g total fat, 18 g saturated fat, 290 mg cholesterol, greater than 2,000 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate, 58 g protein.BACK TO TOP |
Warm kalua pig in microwave or oven; keep warm.Kalua Pork Taro Hash Cakes
Chef Roberto Los Banos3 cups kalua pork
5 cups peeled and cubed taro
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
1/4 cup diced Maui onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Flour
3-4 beaten eggs
Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
Vegetable oil for fryingIn a saucepot, cook cubed taro with water until fork tender. Drain and place taro in a food mill and pass through fine sieve attachment into a mixing bowl. Add kalua pork, green onion and Maui onion. Mix with a hand mixer or standing mixer, using a paddle attachment. Incorporate ingredients well, then mix at high speed for a minute to achieve lighter texture. Check seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. (If mixture is dry, add juices from kalua pig; if too moist, add dry instant potato flakes.)
Cool mixture and form into cakes by hand, using about 1/3 cup for each. Dredge each cake in flour, dip in beaten eggs and coat in panko.
Heat oil to 350 degrees in a deep fryer or saucepan with at least 4 inches of oil. Deep fry cakes until golden brown and crisp. Serve hot. Makes about 20 cakes.
Notes: In lieu of a food mill, use a potato ricer. Or, for a chunkier texture, use a potato masher. To prepare a smaller or larger quantity, keep the ratio of kalua pork to taro almost equal. Cakes may be served with fresh mango salsa or top with fried or poached eggs.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per hash cake, not including salt to taste: 200 calories, 10 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 425 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 11 g protein.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake pie crust until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees.Kalua Pig and Goat Cheese Quiche
Chef Randall Ishizu9-inch pie crust
1 pound spinach
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup diced sun-dried tomato
Salt and white pepper to taste
8 ounces kalua pig
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
7 eggs
1 quart heavy cream
Dash of freshly grated nutmegWash spinach well and remove stems. Bring water to a boil and add spinach. Blanch or cook until wilted. Remove spinach to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain and squeeze out water. Chop and set aside.
Heat a small sauté pan and add butter. Add onion and sauté until translucent and soft. Remove from heat. Add spinach and tomato; toss. Place mixture in pie crust; season lightly with salt and pepper. Top with the kalua pig and crumbled goat cheese.
Whisk together eggs, cream and nutmeg. Pour mixture into pie crust. Bake until mixture is set, 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving, not including salt to taste: 675 calories, 61 g total fat, 32 g saturated fat, 380 mg cholesterol, 550 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, 17 g protein.
Nutritional analyses by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.
Instant ideas
Quick ways to incorporate kalua pig into your favorite dishes:>> Add to risotto
>> Use on top of pizza or nachos.
>> Make a filling for sandwiches, enchiladas, tacos or quesadillas.
>> Stuff into spring rolls, wontons or potstickers.
>> Serve atop saimin.
>> Add to quiches, omelets, frittatas.
>> Cook with Chinese cabbages such as bok choy and choy sum, or with braising greens, Okinawan spinach or squash.
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