I'm having a party for my mother and law and I'm doing the hawaiian theme,
Does anyone have any suggestions of some food or apptizers
Also a long time ago I tasted something that llooked like a bamboo stick that was very sweet does anyone have any idea what that could have been?
Thanks

Hmm... pork (hawaiian do that whole roasting a pig thing... I believe)...

Check out these sites:

Local Kine Recipes v2.0

Hawaii Food Glossary - Luau Foods and Recipes

We had a tropical-themed party one year for New Year's; it was a lot of fun. If you have the space to do it, set up beach chairs and beach umbrellas in one room instead of regular chairs. If you have a tropical piece of artwork everyone can look at even better.

Have fun!

Could it have been sugar cane you tasted??

Ill come back to you on the fod ideas I need to think xx

Try making a pineapple based punch :] add a tad of vodka for that extra kickk ;]

Do a teriyaki chicken or pork for the main course but have pineapple juice and pineapples added to it - hence making pineapple teriyaki chicken. Appetizers - coconut shrimp? Buffalo wings glazed with pineapple sweet and sour sauce. Desserts - there are some great recipes for pineapple cake with coconut sprinkled on the outside icing.


Here are some recipes:


KAHALUU PUNCH

Ingredients: / Procedure:
Freeze some Hawaiian fruit punch until slushy. Add 1/2 gallon of pineapple sherbet to a bowl in which you pour 2 bottles ginger ale.
-----------------------------
Pineapple Calabash Punch
1 fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup brandy
3 cups pineapple juice
2 bottles (750 ml each) Chablis, chilled
1 bottle (750 ml) champagne, chilled
Remove rind and core from pineapple; cube fruit. Sprinkle pineapple with sugar and add brandy. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Pour pineapple juice into a ring mold and freeze. Add wine to pineapple brandy mixture about 30 minutes before serving. Add champagne and ice ring just before serving. Makes 20 (4 oz.) servings



Hawaiian Fish with Thai Banana Salsa
Yield: 6 Servings
2 lb. Hawaiian fish*
1/4 cup Coarsely chopped cilantro
Fresh cilantro sprigs
Salt
Salsa Ingredients:
1 Large firm-ripe banana
1 tsp. Oriental sesame oil
1/2 cup Chopped golden raisins
2 Tbsp. Chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. Grated lemon peel
1 tsp. Japanese chili spice
* - cut into 6 equal portions (see cooking basics)
Instructions for preparing fish:
Pat fish with chopped cilantro and sauté (see cooking basics). Set fish on 6 warm plates; spoon salsa alongside. Add cilantro sprigs and salt to taste.

Instructions for preparing Salsa:
1. Peel and halve lengthwise banana. In a nonstick 10-12" frying pan over high heat, brown banana well in sesame oil, about 8 minutes.
2. Chop banana. Mix with raisins, cilantro, lemon peel and Japanese chili spice.
------------------------------
Poi
Yield: 20 Servings
7 lb Poi
2 c Water
Poi should be fresh, 1 or 2 days old. Freeze dried or bottled
Poi may be substituted, although the flavor is more bland.

Squeeze poi from bag into bowl. Gradually add water, mix with hands until smooth, the consistency of thick paste. Store, covered, in a cool place. Serve at room temperature.
If poi is kept at room temperature for several days, it will gradually become sour. If refrigerated, it will sour more slowly but should be covered with a layer of water. It may be mixed with more water when ready to serve as it hardens when cold.



Royal Hawaiian Wedding Cake
Yield: 12 Servings
Ingredients For Cake:
1 1/2 pk Butter recipe cake mix
1/3 c Light rum
6 oz Instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 c Water
4 ea. Jumbo eggs
1/4 c Salad oil

Ingredients For Frosting:
6 oz Crushed pineapple w/juice
4 oz Instant vanilla pudding
1/3 c Light rum
2 pt Whipping cream; whipped
Coconut; for garnish
Mix all cake ingredients for cake and divide into (3) 8 or 9 inch greased and floured cake pans and bake at temperature listed on the box. Divide each layer into 2 layers-so you end up with 6 layers total.
Soak the pineapple with the rum for about 30 minutes. Mix in pudding and let sit until in a gelled state.
Whip the two pints of heavy whipping cream, (put metal mixing bowl in freezer along with beaters before whipping for best results (also put pints into freezer for several minutes before whipping too.) Whip cream until firm---watch it so it doesn't become butter-that's going too far! Then fold in the pudding mixture into the whipped cream-carefully.
Toast the coconut in oven until lightly browned.
Alternate layers of cake with layers of thick whipped cream.
Garnish with toasted coconut and cover with plastic wrap tightly and place in refrigerator until the next day.
If you do not wait and let these flavors mellow for at least 8 hours, you end up taking a bite of cake and frosting that has pieces of pineapple loaded with rum and just doesn't taste good.
------------------------------
Oven Kalua Pork
3 lbs. pork butt
2 cups water
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1/4 cup Hawaiian salt (coarse sea salt)

Place pork, fat side up, in a roasting pan.
Combine water and liquid smoke, pour over meat.



Sprinkle with salt.
Cover and roast in electric oven at
400 degrees for 3 hours or until tender.
Remove from pan and shred pork.
-----------------------------
Shoyu (Soy Sauce) Chicken
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup sliced or grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup chopped fresh garlic
1/2 round onion
Green onions for garnish
5 lbs. chicken thighs

Before adding chicken, be sure to taste sauce and adjust to your taste.
Mix all ingredients in a large pot.
Add chicken and boil for approximately 30 minutes or until chicken is tender.
Serve on a platter and top with chopped green onions or sprigs.
------------------------------...
Lau Lau
They freeze GREAT. If you like, you can make some with just fish or just meat, you can use chicken instead of or along with pork, or whatever.
Yield: 6-8 Servings
3/4 lb Butterfish or salmon
1 lb Pork butt (brisket O.K.)
16 each Luau leaves (see substitute)
8 each Ti leaves
Cut fish into 4 pieces and soak in water for 70 minutes.
Cut pork butt into 4 pieces.
Prepare luau leaves by stripping outer skin of stem and leaf veins to prevent itching in throat when consumed.

Wash and remove tough ribs from Ti leaves. Lay 2 ti leaves on
Cutting board. Place 4 luau leaves in center. Place a piece of
Pork and a piece of fish on luau leaves. Fold luau leaves over meat and fish to form a bundle. Tie ends of ti leaves and steam for 3 to 4 hours. **** you may substitute 1 to 1 1/2 lb. spinach for luau leaves.**** (But it is not as good.)


This is my favorite!

Chicken Luau
2 pounds chicken breasts
2 tablespoons macadamia nut oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 cups chicken stock
2 lb luau (taro leaves; you can use spinach, but it's not the
Same) or 3 boxes (10 oz. each) frozen whole leaf spinach, thawed
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
Remove skin and bones from chicken breasts; reserve for stock if desired. Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté chicken and garlic until light brown.
Add stock, cover, and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is tender. Drain taro or spinach and stir coconut milk into skillet. Simmer for 5 minutes. Makes 8 servings.
------------------------------...
Oven Kalua Pork Makes 10 servings.
4 to 5 pound pork butt
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
2 1/2 tablespoons Hawaiian salt
Preheat oven to 3250 F. Rub pork with liquid smoke and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the Hawaiian salt. Wrap pork in foil and seal completely. Place pork in roasting pan and bake for 5 hours.
After baking, shred pork, sprinkle with the remaining Hawaiian salt.

Comments on this post
jillianleab agrees: Ok, now I'm bummed I ate a crappy burger for lunch. All of that sounds WONDERFUL!!


Trust me, they taste oh so wonderful! :D

Kind of makes me want to throw a Hawaiian Themed party so I can cook the food. And eat it, of course! :D

For Mother's Day I made grilled fruit Kabobs

You could take pineapple, mangos, strawberries and other fruit, put them on a bamboo stick and grill them quickly. It carmelizes the sugars... it was a hit at my house.

Plus they are easy to carry around...

There's a really yummy fruit salad I make sometimes;

Half fresh pineapple
One fresh Mango
One fresh Papaya
One large orange

Dice everything but the orange. Squeeze the orange juice over the diced fruit and toss.

If you can find it, look for cinnamon sugar chips and top with the salad. It's also great on its own! Also, some stores have the fruits pre-peeled and cored, which cuts down on the time.

Sounds like the bamboo your speaking of was sugarcane.

Ideas for a party... puu puu platters, aka appetizers. Lau Lau, Lomi lomi salmon, Rumaki,
Spring rolls, anything asian just about. Hawaii is a melting pot of many cultures. I was married to a Hawaiian for 10 years. We had many luaus in our backyard. Pig and all. We put the pig in the ground with heated lava rock and bananna leaves, lemon grass, etc. In most places in the U.S. you can find someone to actually cook the pig in the ground or over a bar-b-que. Don't forget to go to your party store and get leis for all your guests. That will really get everyone in the mood. So much fun stuff to. From hiring hula dancers to making a mini volcano. Have fun!

Thank you all for all of the wonderful and delightful answers, thanks to all of you this makes me soooooo glad I chose the
Hawaiian theme and I'm deffently going to try your ideas, I'll let you all know how it goes.
Thanks again

Oh please do let us know how it goes my dear! Best of luck!

All the other answers you got are wonderful...

All I can say for you is to think tropical and to have a lot of tropical fresh fruit... no mainland fruits.

Have a lot of banana's, pineapples, guava, mango, kiwi, passion fruit, and fried banana's...

Then, of course... Spam. Spam is at every Hawaiian party... with pork and chicken.

Aloha and have fun,

Maui

I love Hawaiian chicken

1 green bell pepper
2 c. cubed chicken
3 c. cooked rice
1 (13-16 oz.) can pineapple bits
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp. salad oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce

Cut green pepper in strips and set aside. Drain pineapple, saving juice in saucepan. In skillet heat oil and cook green pepper with garlic until tender. Blend in soup and 1/2 cup pineapple juice. Add chicken, pineapple and soy sauce. Heat stirring now and then until done. Serve over rice.