Hawaii is a paradise for more than one reason. The scenery is glorious, the weather is perfect all year round, the people are kind and welcoming, and the entire island chain is a food lover’s heaven. Our Hawaiian afternoon tea makes use of the lovely local ingredients that are plentiful on the islands. There are also some quirky aspects of Hawaiian cuisine, like the passion for Spam that pervades the culture. Hawaii is no place for food snobs. Let’s start our Hawaiian vacation with open hearts, open minds and the spirit of Aloha.
Menu
Beverages:
Iced Hibiscus Tea
Hot Ginger Tea
Iced Kona Coffee
Almost Shave Ice: Pineapple and Coconut Granita Cups
Savories:
Spam Musubi (Seaweed Wrapped Rice Rectangles with Spam Filling)
Fried Poke (Spiced and Seared Ahi Tuna Cubes)
Hawaiian Banana Bread
Cream Cheese and Guava Jelly Sandwiches on Hawaiian Sweet Bread (Hawaiian Sweet Bread is actually Portuguese, brought to the islands by Portuguese immigrants who came to work as paniolos (Hawaiian cowboys) on local ranches. This bread is easy to find in any good grocery store on the mainland.)
Pulled Kalua Pig Sandwiches on Taro Rolls
Sweets:
Fresh Pineapple Chunks
Haupia (Coconut Gelatin Pudding Served in Cubes)
Kona Coffee Shortbread Cookies
Dark Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Truffles
While this menu will create a lovely Afternoon Tea, which you can share with friends as you fantasize about actually being in Hawaii, you could also expand the menu for a special buffet meal for six to eight guests. This menu would make a beautiful Easter Buffet, Graduation Gathering, or Birthday Brunch. Here we offer a few suggestions for additions to the Hawaiian Tea menu to create a meal for a larger group. All of the supplementary foods we recommend are widely eaten in Hawaii and continue the spirit of Hawaiian cooking:
Boiled eggs or deviled eggs (brightly colored Easter Eggs for an Easter brunch)
Sweet potatoes baked in coconut milk
Spiced edamame (cooked soy beans in their pods)
Cole slaw
Macaroni salad (surprisingly popular in Hawaii!)
Ellen’s Coconut Cake from our Southern American Afternoon Tea Menu
Recipes Included:
Almost Shave Ice: Pineapple and Coconut Granita Cups
Anyone who has been to Hawaii knows that Shave Ice (without a “d” on the end of shave) is the most popular refreshing snack in the islands. And why not? It keeps everyone hydrated and makes use of the lovely fruits, such as guava, passion fruit (lilikoi,) mango, pineapple, and coconut that grow abundantly in the tropical climate. Shave Ice is really nothing but shaved ice, with a snow-like texture if possible, with fruit syrup poured over it, although real Shave Ice gourmets like to add extra toppings like ice cream, condensed milk, fresh fruit, azuki beans (Japanese style sweetened red beans) and mochi balls. While Shave Ice stands are everywhere in Hawaii, it is difficult to make this treat at home if you do not own an ice shaving device.
For our readers who may not own an Ice Shaver, we offer a recipe for Pineapple and Coconut Granita, which you can make at home in your freezer. You might want to designate one friend to be the first to arrive at your Hawaiian Afternoon Tea and greet each guest with a small glass of Pineapple and Coconut Granita as they arrive. Granita is made of flavored ice crystals, and like Shave Ice, it melts very quickly, and cannot be served conveniently from a tea table. However, given to each guest, one by one, as they arrive, a glass of Granita can be like a lei, welcoming each person to the gathering. It will also serve as a foreshadowing of things to come, as the sweets for our Afternoon Tea include pineapple chunks and coconut gelatin.
Spam Musubi
Musubi is Japanese snack food. It is a hand-shaped rectangle of plain rice topped with cooked egg or meat attached with a strip of seaweed like a belt around the middle of the Musubi. This wildly popular sandwich substitute is sold at quick stop grocery stores and golf course snack bars all over the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaiian version of this old Japanese favorite, with a slice of Spam on top, is the most popular of all. Even if you have never eaten Spam Musubi, you can become an honorary Hawaiian by making this simple snack at home.
When you get started on this recipe, do not discard the Spam can, as you will be using it as a mold to shape the Musubi, which will be the same shape as a slice of Spam. Hawaiians who make Musubi all the time use little plastic molds for shaping the Musubi, but we will have to improvise.
Fried Poke
Poke (pronounced Poe-Keh,) shows up at every Hawaiian party from First Birthday Luaus to festive wakes. Poke is cubed, marinated raw fish, often ahi tuna or octopus, seasoned with onions and seaweed. Hawaiian grocery stores, fish markets and delicatessens offer fresh Poke every day, and much of the store-bought Poke is very fine quality. If you can find good Poke in your neighborhood, do not hesitate to bring it home for your Hawaiian Afternoon Tea and serve it on the day it was purchased.
However, we suspect that some of our readers may not be too keen on the idea of eating raw fish, so we suggest pan searing the Poke just before serving time. And for our friends who do not have a Hawaiian fish market in the neighborhood, we offer this easy do-it-yourself Poke recipe. Traditional Poke contains Hawaiian kikui nuts and ogo seaweed, but these ingredients may be difficult to find. You can use chopped macadamia nuts as a substitute for the kikui nuts, but try to find the ogo if you can. If you can’t, a Poke spice mix, including dried ogo, is available from Noh Foods of Hawaii (nohfoods@nohfoods.com.) You will need to rehydrate the ogo for a couple of minutes and follow the directions on the package. You can add the onions and the other ingredients on your own.
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THE TEA BOOK
The Road Back to Civilization
A Brief History of Tea
Philosophy of Tea
Harmony
Humility
Respect
Creativity
Guidelines for the Host/Hostess
Gathering and Greeting
Sharing Stories
Sharing Food
Sending the Guests Home
Respect your Hostess/Host
Bring a Gift if You Wish
Practice Humility
Monitor Your Conversation
Arrive With a Grateful Attitude
Help if Help is Needed
Do Not Criticize
Leave Gracefully
Send a Thank you Note
A Checklist for Planning a Tea Party
Teas of the World and How to Make Tea
A Sampling of Teas
Herbal Teas and Tisanes
How to Make Tea
Making Iced Tea
Tea Concentrate
Brewing Tea for a Crowd
Tea Kettle
Tea Pot
Tea Cozy
Teacups
Plates
Silverware
Teacart
Tea Strainer
Tea Infuser
Three-Tiered Server
Cream Pitcher and Sugar Bowl
Cake Pedestal
Trifle Bowl
Jam Pots
Serving Dishes, Platters, and Trays
Silver Tea Set or Silver Tray
Linens
Kitchen Equipment for Food Preparation
Sandwiches and Savories
Savory Spreads and Dips
Scones and Tea Breads
Afternoon Tea and the Four Seasons
A Spring Tea
An Outdoor Summer Tea
A Winter Afternoon Tea
An Autumn Afternoon Tea
January:A Japanese New Year’s Tea
February:Valentine’s Day Tea
March:A St. Patrick’s Day Irish Tea
April:An Easter Tea
May:Mother’s day Tea
June:A Wedding Reception Tea
July:A Picnic Tea
AUGUST:A FAMILY REUNION TEA
A North American Family Reunion Tea
An Eastern Mediterranean Family Reunion Tea
A Kosher Family Reunion Tea
A Scandinavian Family Reunion Tea
September:An Ozark Farm Harvest Tea
October:A Tea to Honor Our Ancestors(Dia de los Muertos)
November:A Post Thanksgiving Tea
December: A Christmas Tea
In Defense of Fruitcake:Fruitcakes and Candied Fruit
A Chinese Dim Sum Tea
A Portuguese Tea
A Classic British Afternoon Tea
An Indian Chai Party
A California Tea
A Hawaiian Tea
An Italian Tea
An American Southern Tea
A Russian Tea
A French Afternoon Tea
A Kosher Teawith Traditional Jewish Foods
Afternoon Tea for Special Occasions
An Afternoon Tea for Children
A Tea for Our Elders
A Honey Bee Tea in the Garden
An Urban Tea on the Go
Tea for One
Afternoon Tea For a Large Group
A Vegan Tea
A Rose Tea