One of the more fun things about going to Cost Plus is finding obscure and/or off the wall food items. We spent a lot of time at Cost Plus when we lived out west and I really miss the convenience of having a store in the neighborhood.
We did a fun shopping trip when we were in Oregon and after getting home and receiving a few emails – and online coupons – I decided to do a bit of online shopping.
One of the first things I saw was Huli Huli Sauce. For the uninitiated, Huli Huli sauce is a Hawai’ian staple. It’s a teriyaki-type sauce with a Hawai’ian flair. It’s been around forever and Huli Huli Chicken stands are everywhere on Oahu. And they’re relatively inexpensive.
I think the first time I had Huli Huli Chicken was when 2 of my sisters lived in Hawai’i back in the mid-70s. Another sister and I flew over to visit them for a couple of weeks and we didn’t have a lot of money – it was definitely pre-credit card days. I know we flew over on a DC-10 and I have a vague recollection of taking mushrooms right before we took off. Kids today will never know the joys of walking right into an airport and getting on a plane without standing in long lines, taking off shoes, submitting everything for x-ray, and having their nether-regions photographed. It was so civilized. And drinks were only a buck and there was a huge smoking section. Smoking and drinking were important when you took mushrooms on an airplane to Hawai’i. Ah… sweet youth…
But I digress…
The word huli means “turn” in Hawai’ian, which is what the cook does with the chicken on the charcoal grill that is traditionally used.
Being the non-traditionalist that I am, I mixed the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple rings, along with some sambal oelek for added heat and marinated chicken breasts in it for about an hour. I drained the chicken and grilled it on my non-charcoal gas grill.
I boiled the marinade and then thickened it with a bit of cornstarch. It’s not really recommended to use marinades for sauces because there’s always the possibility of catching something, but I boiled it for a long time before thickening it. I like walking on the wild side.
The chicken came out really moist. I served it over a really good Lundberg rice blend. I really like Lundberg rices – whole grain, environmentally conscious, and just flat-out good. Grilled pineapple rings finished the plate. It was spicy-good.
I think a Huli Huli stir-fry may be in our future…
I’ll pass on the mushrooms…
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What is sambal oelek?
Is it easy to find and how hot is hot???
Hi Patty!
It’s chili paste. You can find it in many grocery stores in the Asian section. http://www.huyfong.com/no_frames/oelek.htm A little goes a long way for the weak of heart… 🙂
LOVE THIS BLOG! However, instead of the chili paste, perhaps a chopped up jalapeno would do… My innards get a little testy w/overly hot stuff.
U guys R great! MaryO, San Pedro, CA
Sure, Mary – anything to give it a bit of heat. I *always* have sambal oelek in the house, so that is my go-to. And I know just how spicy it is, so it’s easier to control than a fresh pepper that may – or may not – knock the socks off!