5 comments about Remembering Diamond Head, Remembering Hawai'i.

1. I'm a Hawaii native now living in Bloomington Indiana. I was not able to see Shirley in person when she was here earlier this month for a book signing / cooking demonstration. I did buy her book anyway and it is really great. Why? I'm not exactly the best cook by any means, but through Shirley and Lisa's honest, open, and interesting commentaries, one can actually learn about the history, culture, and uses of the many flavorful dishes of the islands. Plus, the book does a great job explaining what certain food terms mean such as "saimin", "poke", "mochiko" or "aburage" since they are not common words used here on the mainland. I have many cookbooks from Hawaii written for locals, but I honestly believe that Shirley and Lisa's book is a great way to share Hawaiian food dishes and recipes with our mainland friends. In fact, I have recommended this book to several of my new friends here in Southern Indiana. If any of you want to try out Hawaiian food without having fly to Hawaii to sample it, this book is the easiest and cheapest way to do so. On a final note, try the Mochi Chicken. This dish is typcial party food in Hawaii. You'll like it!



2. This was more than a cookbook it was an experience. The recipes were just great, from fried rice to banana cream pie, my husband and I have savored the flavors. As a collector of cookbooks I have been more successful with these recipes than any cookbook I have tried in many years. However, the surprise bonus was that the delightful history of the food and the family caused me to actually read the entire cookbook before I tried the first recipe. What fun!



3. This memoir with recipes brings some wonderful flavors and aromas to life; the recipes are easy to follow and you can almost feel the tradewinds wafting through.....kalua pork,soy glazes, coconut pudding.....
   Shirley Tong Parola and her daughter Lisa Parola Gaynier recall a simpler time and a beautiful harmony between peoples of different ethnic backgrounds, living out their dreams on the paradise that is Hawaii......their ability to bring a taste of the islands to the mainland resulted in opening successful restaurants in Indiana and then later in Michigan---tasting the foods of this heady ethnic mix, Mainlanders never had it so good and you, too, can recreate the special culinary magic that was theirs.....



4. The collaboration of Shirley Tong Parola and Lisa Parola Gaynier, Remembering Diamond Heat, Remembering Hawai'i: A Cookbook Memoir Of Hawai'i And Its Food won first place in the cookbook category of the Writer's Digest International's Self-Published Book Awards. Packed from cover to cover with 250 delicious recipes and regional culinary favorites of the Hawaiian islands, of special note are the sidebars on every page providing advice and instruction on everything from locating and selecting ingredients, to their preparation and preservation. From Coconut Cardamom Coffee Cake; Papaya and Chinese Greens Salad; Mahimahi Chowder; and Mango Chutney Dip; to Pacific Rim Barbecue; Sauteed Salmon Filet with Avocado Sauce; Luau Chicken; and Hawaiian Style German Chocolate Cake, Remembering Diamond Heat, Remembering Hawai'i is an ideal and highly recommended addition to any adventurous collection of ethnic and regional cookbooks.



5. A cookbook scribed from the heart with elegance and humor. Simple to follow recipes and dishes easy to make, even for a bachelor like me. I recommend this cookbook memoir book to everyone that likes to cook who has been fortunate enough to taste the multicultural cuisine of the Hawaiian Islands and those who wish they could.

3 comments about Chefs of Aloha: Favorite Recipes from the Top Chefs of Hawai'i.

1. When you purchase a cookbook like this, most people are hoping that the recipes would be written so that someone with a fair amount of cooking experience can follow the instructions and make the recipes. Not in this cookbook. The chefs often leave out important details so that only experienced cooks can follow and make the recipes. The worst one in the book is Eric Favre. His directions are so unclear it's as if he is being intentionally snobby and put his recipes in the book just for the royalties, not so you can make them. I'm sure there are many good recipes in this cookbook, you're not a chef, I'd strongly recommend buying another book.



2. I've been an avid home chef for years, and the recipes seem complicated to me.



3. I did not find all the recipes in this book difficult to follow, and I have made a number of them. I don't consider complexity to be a valid criticism. After all, we're talking about A-list Hawaiian chefs here, not Rachel Ray. But these recipes do assume a fairly high level of knowledge on the part of the reader. For example, the "Lemongrass Coconut Cream" recipe has as one of the ingredients "1 cup thick bechamel sauce". I hope you know how to make that, because the cookbook doesn't say. Similarly, some recipes call for demi-glace without further explanation.
   
   The editing of this book was sloppy and could have been better, and it would have avoided some rather ridiculous snafus like the "Rotisserie Island Chicken" that has "Huli-Huli Sauce" as an ingredient. Not so helpfully, the recipe is immediately followed by something called "Huli-Huli Style Sauce", one of the ingredients of which is 1/2 cup of Huli-Huli sauce! I'm still wondering what the hell Huli-Huli sauce is.
   
   My number one criticism of this book is that many chefs include unusual, local-to-Hawaii, and hard-to-find ingredients in the recipes. Even those of us who live in an area with many Asian markets may have a hard time finding some of the ingredients like sambal olek, or ogo seaweed. It would have been good if the chefs would give the reader who does not have a lot of experience with this particular style of cuisine just what it is about these ingredients that make them special, and what one might substitute when the preferred ingredients are unavailable.
   
   I do give this book 4 stars, because many of the preparations are indeed delicious.

5 comments about Alan Wong's New Wave Luau: Recipes from Honolulu's Award-Winning Chef.

1. ALL RECIPES VERY HARD TO MAKE. TOO MANY STEPS & EXOTIC INGRIDIENTS.



2. Beautiful pictures, but the dishes were nearly impossible to replicate and some were overly arranged. Food as art. Some of the ingredients are unavailable or overly expensive. But the pictures in the book are fabulous!



3. I actually purchased this book. The recipes are not practical if you do not live in Hawaii. Unless you are a chef, the directions are difficult to execute. He lists no alternative ingredients for mainlanders like myself.

   If you want a picture book to stick on your coffee table, this might work. Otherwise I would rather pass. I will be selling this book on Amazon shortly.




4. I received this book as a gift. I found that it was not very practical. Ingredients I could not get. Instructions were too difficult. I'd recommend getting a different Hawaiian cook book.



5. Sometimes there are cookbooks that you can taste and then there are the ones that prefer a more clinical approach to cooking . Alan Wong's New Wave Luau is a very good exposition of Pacific Rim Cuisine. This book along with Sam Choy and Roy Yamaguchi give the cook/reader a flavorful and expansive overview of what is the cuisine of the islands and the Pacific Rim. The recipes explore Hawaii's culinary influences and then creates a few influences of his own.
   The book is not for beginners. For those who are interested in learning more about contemporary cuisine this is a great read. The ingredients can now be found in most international markets, and if not then with a little research you can find just about everything through an online retailer.
   The recipes do work if you follow the directions. There is much to learn from New Wave Luau and all you have to do is read, study the photos, learn about how the flavors interact and then cook your way through them. It's a lot of fun.
   I have had the book for several years now and still return to it every now and then for a few inspirations and guides when researching new foods that I am interested in. This is a book for the serious cook. And then, once you get past the hard stuff it is all fun and adventure, really. Hawaiian cuisine is a marvel of color, flavor and aroma. Of course seafood is king in any book of island recipes, and it should be. Alan Wong's New Wave Luau just jumps off of the page inviting the reader into the grocery store and the kitchen, and sometimes into the fishing boat.
   What is New Wave Luau? Well, go to page 86 and cook the Steamed Opakapaka and Gingered Vegetables in Truffle Broth, and there you have it. Bringing Japan, Thailand, Hawaii and France together in one recipe without disturbing the wonderful quality and design of the food itself.

   The cookbooks of the three great Hawaiian writer/chefs are excellent examples that we must live to eat, not eat to live.
   I recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding what makes the foods of the 21st century so in love with life and flavor. What is more important to food than advancing ideas of unity to the table so that others may learn to do the same? Alan Wong's New Wave Luau along with the writings of Sam Choy and Roy Yamaguichi do just that.

1 comments about Fresh Catch of the Day: From the Fishwife.

1. this book is full of easy and delicious fresh fish recipies. A must have for anyone who likes to eat fish.

2 comments about Ethnic Foods of Hawaii.

1. Ann Kondo Corum, is a librarian who decided kids had a tough time researching the various ethnic foods of Hawaii. What did the early Hawaiian eat? What cultures influenced what is now known as modern Hawaiian cooking?

   Fascinating, and easily devoured tidbits on Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portugeuse, Samoan, Filipino and other eating habits, taboos and cultural heritage that make up the delicious melange that represent ethnic foods of Hawaii.

   The recipes are simple, and representative of each group's classic dishes. Find your favorites from among kahlua pork, chicken long rice, haupia, malassadas, Portuguese Bean Soup, adobo, Kal Bi Ribs, Kim Chee, and more.

   An amazing little book that is sure to be the beginning of adventures in cooking foods like those found in the drive-ins, the coffee shops and the places locals like to eat. The author's chatty and laid back style help to decrease the intimidation factor and demystify plenty of delicious ingredients and culture so germane to each group's cuisine.




2. When I ordered this book I was expecting mostly foods of Hawaii and ethnic foods of other nations Hawaiian-ized. It took me a while to figure out that I had gotten a bit more than I had bargined for. At first I was a bit dissapointed as I was looking forward to the Hawaiian versions of the different ethnic cuisines but as I got into the different chapters I was very pleased with what was included in this book.

   The first chapter is a nod to strictly Hawaiian cuisine that has limited seasonings and strictly fresh ingredients. Chapters that follow are :
   Chinese
   Japanese
   Okinawan
   Portuguese
   Puerto rican
   Korean
   Filipino
   Samonoan
   Thai
   Vietnamese

   Each chapter talks about cooking methods, ingredients and styles of that cuisine as well as how that cuisine came to the islands....and is very interesting. The recipes seem authentic to each area. They could have come out of a collection of ethnic recipes from that area. Some of the recipes I have come across similar versions of before...like the wonton recipe in the Chinese section (altho this one called for fish cake or shrimp and I have usually seen it call for pork only). there is a japanese pickle recipe that is quite good and very easy. There is a very good recipe for chicken or pork adobo in the Philipine section (calling for a few more ingredients than the usual vinegar, and the additions are very welcome).

   Some things were new to me. I don't think I have ever come across Samoan Recipes. The Samoan recipes were very interesting but there were alot of uncommon ingredients (breadfruit, taro leaves, octopus (fresh), green papayas, etc. Clearly I would have trouble finding some of these items but I really enjoyed reading these...As well as the Okinaowan recipes (thought by some to be the healthiest in the world.

   The book is a paperback book with a wipeable cover that will not lie flat, unfortately. The pages arent cleanable and the paper is a bit thin. The drawings are attractive enough, if a bit mixed in sytles.

   While this book wasn't what I was expecting, it turned out to be a very nice surprise. The recipes were true to their ethnic roots. The ones I tried had *clear* tastes and while some ingredients could be hard to find, many were not. The additional information seemd to be well researched and I enjoyed reading the *extra* info as much as the recipes.

No comments about Family-style Meals at the Hali'imaile General Store.

No comments about Little Holiday Gift-Giving Recipes (Little Hawaiian Cookbooks).

5 comments about The Food of Paradise: Exploring Hawaii's Culinary Heritage (Kolowalu Books).

1. Read this book before or after you visit Hawai`i, and you'll increase your appreciation of the people, the place and the food. As one born and raised here and of mixed ancestry, I treasure this book. The only significant group the author missed is the Puerto Ricans, and consequently some of the Afro-Carribean influences in our cuisine.



2. Reading this book brought memories of a childhood partially spent in Hawaii flooding back. Rachel Laudan definitely seems to cover a the broad array of unique goodies that can be found in Hawaii; for instance, Hawaii is the ONLY place to truly appreciate shaved ice and the potential myriad of delicious flavors. Unfortunately, however, the recipes don't quite live up to expectation. I can remember one of my earliest memories in Hawaii -- I had made friends w/ another little girl at the beach and her family invited me to share in their cooked-at-the-beach lunch of steamed rice and teriyaki beef. It was sooo good and not something that my mom cooked for ME at the beach! I've been looking to re-create that taste and memory for a while and Rachel Laudan's teriyaki recipe falls far, far short. Her butter mochi recipe is also very heavy and greasy for my tastes (and I love mochi). Nevertheless, it's a fascinating account of Hawaiian cooking. I just wish the recipes were excellent, too.



3. Maui Sherbert

   2 (7oz) cans strawberry soda AND 1 can sweetened condensed milk AND 1 (7oz) can 7-up

   Mix together and freeze for 3 hours. Whisk. Freeze again.




4. It seems this book was born out of Laudan's attempt to categorize and make sense out of the foods in Hawaii. I was raised in Hawaii and grew up surrounded by the foods that Laudan presents in her book. Many of the local cookbooks put together and sold by Hawaii's churches, schools, and communities give you recipes from local home kitchens; nothing too fancy and usually no description of the dish, because it is assumed you know what the ingredients are and how they are used.

   More than a cookbook, Laudan has written well-researched histories of how various local foods have developed throughout the islands before each main and sub sections (The Plate Lunch, The Matter of Mochi, Sorting Out Sushi to name a few). And, she includes a brief explaination of the dish before each recipe.

   I bought this book hoping to shed some light on "crack seed" and how to make it. Unfortunately, it appears that she was able to get only the more well known recipes due to the fact that the main ingredient (oriental flowering apricot) is not widely available.

   This book is a good resource, if not for the recipes, then for the history of Hawaii's local food for both non-Hawaii and island cooks. One caveat: a recipe found in a cookbook is no more than a base on which to add/subtract/change ingredients as you see fit. There is no such thing as "The Recipe" for teriyaki sauce - recipes vary from home to home and island to island.




5. Professor Laudan, who is primarilly a philosopher of the history of science, has produced an outstanding book on the origins and background to Polynesian food. It is not supposed to be a recipe book, and Heaven knows what the reviewer who talks about "sherbert" was on about. That was not a review.
   
   It is well-written, engrossing and in beautiful English, a real rarity nowadays. Richly deserved to win the Julia Childs Award for America.
   
   I gather that Professor Laudan's long-awaited magnum opus, the World History of Food, will be ready soon. Should be excellent and ground-breaking.

1 comments about Hawaii's Best Tropical Food & Drinks.

1. What a waste of money. 12 pages (24 if you count both sides), 13 food item recipes and 8...yes..count em Dano...EIGHT drink recipes. Don Ho say it ain't so! I just lost $5 bucks!
   
   Recipes: Pork, Lobster, Chicken, Steamed (do we really need a recipe for this?) and Fried Rice, Sweet Potatoes, Vegetable Stir Fry, Spring Rolls, Short Ribs, Chicken Tempura, Shao Mai, Cheesecake, Bundt Cake, and Chopped Fruit. (Of course all of these were embelleshed with words like Luau Sweet Potatoes, etc.)
   
   Drinks: Punch, Hurricane, Daiquiri, Hawaiian Sunset, Blue Hawaii, Mai Tai, Bird of Paradise, Macadamia Chi Chi. (are you laughing?)

No comments about Hawaii's Favorite Pineapple Recipes.