Luau And How The Hawaiian Party-Meal Looks Like A Sure Bet To Make A Comeback

With the recent return of martinis, swinging cocktail music and big, juicy steaks, can a luau revival really be far behind?

The luau was the darling of the ‘60s party set, at least in my neighborhood. Grown-ups would fill up our kiddie pools and tint the water with blue food coloring. They would don garish Hawaiian shirts and do the limbo against the glimmer of tiki torches.

The menu usually consisted of crushed pineapple poured over baked ham, green Jello with mini marshmallows and tropical drinks adorned with little paper umbrellas.

As a kid, I had never seen anything so wonderfully exotic.

It wasn’t until years later when I traveled to Hawaii that I learned luaus were nothing more than expensive tourist traps - an all-you-can-eat buffet for the video-toting, Bermuda shorts crowd.

Here’s the routine at most resorts: In the morning a huge bonfire is started in a special underground pit called an imu. The flames heat stones in the oven until they eventually become red-coal hot.

Some of the sizzling stones are placed inside a whole, specially seasoned pig - which weighs between 100 and 260 pounds. Shredded trunks from banana trees are then placed over the hot rocks to act as insulation. The pig is wrapped in chicken wire and placed in the oven.

It’s then covered in wet burlap and a tarp, and then it’s buried and left to cook slowly for up to 12 hours.

When the first luau guests start knocking back those powerful mai tais and pina coladas, there’s usually a big show made of extracting the pig from its smoldering grave.

Ken Esperas, a native of Hawaii who moved to Spokane in the ‘70s, has been cooking kalua pig for luaus in this area for years. He said roasting it on a bed of hot rocks underground is akin to cooking it in a convection oven.

“The heat rises and the grease drips down to feed the fire,” Esperas said. “The natural juices are sealed in.”

After it’s cooked, the meat is shredded and served on a buffet with a huge assortment of Hawaiian side dishes that might include lomi lomi salmon - salted raw fish mixed with white and green onions - chicken long rice and poke, another raw fish dish seasoned with chili pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Poi is one of the more famous luau staples, but few people realize that it’s merely mashed root from a taro plant.

“It’s definitely an acquired taste,” said Biji Kobara, who owns Scab Rock Garden, Spokane’s only Hawaiian restaurant. “It’s really not something you eat by itself, but it’s good mixed with something salty, like the kalua pig.”

At tourist luaus, once diners have eaten themselves silly, they’re treated to a floor show that can take on a Vegas-like quality. Hula dancers sway. Costumed singers chant ancient songs. Perfomers juggle flaming swords. Tipsy diners order one last mai tai.

Many resorts advertise their luaus as “the island’s most authentic.” But the kama’aina (the locals) know better.

“Luaus are usually reserved for something really special, like a wedding or a graduation or a first birthday,” Kobara said.

At local-style luaus, sweet tropical drinks are replaced by beer, Hawaiian music plays softly in the background and the vast spread is typically potluck.

“Even if you tell people not to bring something, they’re going to show up with a dish that they’re known for,” Kobara said.

Macaroni salad is a huge favorite. Most macaroni salads that show up on luau tables are the mayonnaise-based, deli-style salads rather than trendy pasta dishes with stuff like sun-dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. At Scab Rock, their special recipe includes chopped potatoes.

Serving sweet potatoes is another luau tradition.

While the two styles of luau differ in philosophy and food, they both have one thing in common. People usually eat way too much.

“It’s an all-day party, and you pick at the stuff in between visiting with people and listening to music,” Kobara said. “Some people get so full, they fall asleep.”

While throwing a luau might sound like a whole lot of work, Kobara said there are shortcuts.

For the kalua pig he serves at his restaurant, he simply slow cooks a pork roast in the oven with liquid smoke.

“A lot of customers have asked me what it takes to throw a luau,” Kobara said. “We basically have all the ingredients available.”

Just think of it as a potluck picnic with a tropical attitude.

The following dishes are typical luau fare, but feel free to experiment and add your own house favorites (beef teriyaki, grilled or baked fish, even spaghetti) to the lineup.

At local-style luaus, the dress code is ultracasual, but you could invite your guests to wear their favorite Hawaiian shirt. Greet them with a “E Komo Mai Kakou” (a warm aloha welcome) and a plate of pupus (Hawaiian appetizers).

All recipes are from The Junior League of Honolulu’s “A Taste of Aloha” unless otherwise noted.

Chicken With Long Rice

This can be served as a side dish or an entree.

5 pounds chicken thighs

12 cups water

1 (2-inch) piece of ginger, crushed

2 tablespoons rock salt

2 cloves of garlic, crushed (optional)

20 ounces long rice (sai-fun noodles, available at Asian grocery stores and at larger supermarkets)

1 bunch green onions, chopped

In a stockpot, cover chicken with water. Add ginger, half the salt and garlic. Simmer for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool the chicken and cut into bite-size pieces. Reserve the broth. Remove the ginger and discard.

Add the long rice to the broth and let stand for 30 minutes. Remove the long rice and cut into 4-inch pieces. Return it to the broth and add the green onions (reserving some of the green tops for the garnish), remaining salt and chicken. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with chopped green onion.

Yield: 20 side-dish servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 304 calories, 13.8 grams fat (41 percent fat calories), 16 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrate, 75 milligrams cholesterol, 646 milligrams sodium.

Oven Kalua Pork

You don’t have to dig a pit and roast a whole pig to throw a luau. This is an easy shortcut.

1 (3-4 pound) pork butt roast

1 tablespoon rock salt

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3/4 teaspoons garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger, grated

Few drops of liquid smoke

6 ti leaves (spinach leaves or fresh corn husks can be substituted)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the salt, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and liquid smoke and mix well. Rub the mixture over pork. Wrap in leaves and then wrap in foil.

Bake in covered pan for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for another 3-1/2 hours. Discard the leaves. Shred into pieces and serve with a bit of its own juice.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 976 calories, 73.3 grams fat (68 percent fat calories), 72 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrate, 271 milligrams cholesterol.

Lomi Lomi Salmon

This is the Hawaiian version of lox.

1 pound salmon fillet

1/2 cup rock salt

4 pounds tomatoes, finely chopped

2 medium sweet white onions, finely chopped

1 cup crushed ice

1 bunch green onions, finely chopped

Rub the salmon with rock salt and let stand overnight, covered and refrigerated. The next day, rinse completely and soak in water for 1 hour, changing the water two or three times.

Remove the skin and any bones and shred the meat with a spoon or your fingers into small pieces. Place salmon, onions and tomatoes into a bowl and refrigerate until well chilled. Top with a thin layer of crushed ice 1 hour before serving. Garnish with chopped green onions just before serving.

Yield: 20 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 60 calories, 1.1 grams fat (17 percent fat calories), 6 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrate, 12 milligrams cholesterol.

Hawaiian Sesame Shrimp

A great pre-luau pupu, this dish should be served hot.

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/2 cup green onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Toast sesame seeds until golden brown.

Heat oils in a heavy pan over high heat. Add shrimp, green onion, salt, pepper and brown sugar. Stir-fry for 1 to 3 minutes, until shrimp turn pink. Reduce heat to low and add soy sauce. Remove from heat and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 135 calories, 8.4 grams fat (56 percent fat calories), 12 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrate, 86 milligrams cholesterol, 323 milligrams sodium.

Coconut Milk Cake

No luau would be complete without some decadent desserts. This rich recipe, from a community cookbook called “Favorite Island Cookery,” is ultraeasy.

1 yellow cake mix

1 box instant vanilla pudding mix

1 (12-ounce) can coconut milk

1/2 cup salad oil

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend all ingredients except the coconut milk for 1 minute. Add coconut milk and mix for 3 minutes.

Pour batter into a greased, floured 9- by 13-inch cake pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes. If desired, frost with vanilla icing and top with shredded coconut.

Yield: 16 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 288 calories, 16.7 grams fat (52 percent fat calories), 3 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrate, 46 milligrams cholesterol, 322 milligrams sodium.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Staff illustration by Molly Quinn