Last night's dinner was using a new recipe that I got from Nate of HwnPakeOkinawa called garlic mochiko chicken. It is very simple to make.In Hawaii, you can often find mochiko chicken, a fried chicken with a sweet/salty outside, at drive-inns, diners, bento-ya (places which make Japanese-style boxed lunches) and lunch wagons.
This recipe adds garlic to a sauce which you dredge the fried chicken into. It is great for working moms and dads, as you can marinate the chicken overnight, or before you go to work and fry it up when you get home.
I served this with steamed carrots and zucchini and my rice mixture.NOTES: gotta work on my deep frying, was a bit soggy...still, it was delicious! and reminded me of the plate lunches back home.
A plate lunch is usually a plate filled with two scoops of rice, a scoop of macaroni salad and the entree, they are sold from lunchwagons alongside the road--near industrial areas or near the beach. Nowadays, they also have mini versions of plate lunches with one scoop of rice,one scoop of macaroni salad and the entree.
UPDATE: Since Nate's blog is no longer public, I'm posting the recipe here:
2 pounds chicken
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup mochiko
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup shoyu
3 eggs
1. Mix ingredients and marinate for 3 hours
2. Deep fry until brown
3. While hot, dip in dipping sauce
Dipping sauce:
1 cup shoyu
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons sugar
4 drops sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili flakes
2 stalks green onion, minced
Is this Hawaiian food? or Japanese fusion meal? I decided to cook this meal next week some time. Sounds easy enough for me if I read it right. :) But first I need to find mochiko if I can get any at the shop. Did you serve it on top of some cabbage?
ReplyDeleteHi Sue,
ReplyDeleteI think it is a Hawaiian dish, not authentic Hawaiian, but contemporary, influenced by the Japanese-Americans in Hawaii. Mochiko is rice flour--the stuff rice cakes are made of, I hope you can find this ingredient, it is what makes the outside a little sweet. I served it on thinly sliced cabbage, but you can use whatever veggies you can find.
Can't wait to see it.
Take care.
Kat
I see you tried it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Nate, I like it.
ReplyDeleteOooh, looks quick and easy! But reading this post has given me one heckuva hankering for macaroni salad...
ReplyDeleteGarlic chicken my favorite. My sister makes this using Boneless Chicken breast pieces also. When you return home again try Spicy Garlic Chicken. I think they include the red Hawaiian chili peppers. So Ono!
ReplyDeleteYour presentation is so well done! Takes a woman to make it so! Not a lazy guy like me who just cooks and puts it in a bowl to serve.
ReplyDeleteHi Ellie,
ReplyDeleteI sometimes crave for mac salad too. Hope you get your hands on some.
Hi Laura,
Ooh, spicy sounds good too. Gotta try that one.
Hi Nate,
My presentation is not that good. You could make your stuff look good too, just check out all the other food blogs out there and you will be inspired!
Take care everyone!
Kat
I've never tried any Hawaiian food, but chicken mochiko sounds intriguing!
ReplyDeleteHi Pille,
ReplyDeleteIf you have a chance to try this recipe, it is really good and easy.
Take care and thanks for stopping by!
Kat
I guess since you've been gone for so many years, this recipe started out as a pupu chicken wing recipe that the candidates running for office used serve at their fundraisers and print small cookbooks or recipe sheets and pass them out. I swear this is the same as what the currently super popular shoyu Korean chicken places that have popped up all over the place i.e. Von's, Chicken and Brisket.
ReplyDeleteso ono!
v
ah makes sense V, Nate used to love the local types of recipes :)
ReplyDeleteTake care!
Kat