Maui- Beef & Potato Reipe

Beef & Potatoes are simple to make, using a Chuck roast, some beef broth, simple herbs you have on hand, some tomatoes, celery, carrots, and potatoes, you have the makings of a very easy dish for your family for dinner, or store it away in the freezer for another week, if sealed air tight, you can use it at least 7 days or so down the road.


Some plate lunch digs do sell beef potatoes in their hot bars, or grab and go sections, usually it has lots of gravy making it a really home cooking kind of a meal. So let's start with some basics.


Preheat your oven to 350 deg. f.


Using a stainless steel pot with all steel handles and a lid, use no plastic or rubber it will go into the oven.


3-4 lbs. of Chuck roast, cut into cubes, season it with some salt and pepper and let it sit.
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
* Heat up the pot on the stove top over medium high heat, add oil, and brown the cubes of meat releasing all of the juices.


1 cup of flour
* Add the flour to the meat, and stir, continue to cook it and make sure the flour turns brown, this will give it its color.


2 cans of low sodium beef broth
* Add the broth to the pot, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.


2 large potatoes cubed
1 large carrot sliced 1/2 inch thick
5 stalks of celery cut in diagonal 1/2 inch thick
3 large tomatoes sliced into wedges
1/2 cup of red wine
1 tbsp. chopped parsley


* Add in all of the veggies, wine, and parsley to the pot, give it a good stir, then put the pan into the oven with lid, cook in the oven for 2 hours, when done, remove from oven, and let sit and rest. It will continue to cook, remove lid, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice or bread.


Chuck Roast Cut

Maui- Hot Dog on a Stick Queen Kaahumanu Center

Hot Dogs? Maui? Try Hot Dog on a Stick, that's right that mainland food shop is here on Maui, and quite frankly they do have great hot dogs... on a stick. What a concept. I mean you order a hot dog, and the girl grabs a hot dog from the chiller, and dips it into the batter, gives it swirl and then deep fries it. Maybe not the healthiest of meals, but this is a food that Americans love, it reminds me of those days at the local carnival, only thing is, at the mall there's no rides.


And the best thing about Hot Dog on a Stick? Is their frozen lemon drinks. Yeah, for 3.00 to 3.50 you can get a nice frosty lemon aid. They also have zucchini and fish too, and French fries. A concept that still sells, just hot dogs, and drinks primarily. And the menu is so small, it is easy for the employees to do their jobs fast. 


Located upstairs in the Queen Kaahumanu Shopping Center in Kahului, Maui, just minutes from the main airport, and 20 minutes from Kihei, and 40 minutes from Lahaina, take the kids there for a quickie to shut their traps! Sometimes the mall has some music and entertainment at center stage, have a good time when on Maui.


A finished frozen lemon aid and hot dog on a stick
Photo: Ron Sambrano C 2011

Maui- Bale Restaurant Won Ton Min in Lahaina

Won Ton Min Vietnamese style on Maui. A very clean clear broth with veggies, and a few won ton dumplings makes this a winner. If you ever get to Maui and you're in the mood for something out of the ordinary, come down to the Lahaina Cannery Mall and stop by the food court and try out Bale. The soups are awesome, fresh, and very tasty, a hint of French cooking be it the herbs. Since the French occupied Vietnam, the influence is present at Bale. They do have other items on the board. But this awesome soup cost 7.25 and this if you have a cold is something to have, eat the carrots, the cabbage, green onions, cilantro, won tons, the egg noodles, and the clear tasty broth that makes this soup. Man! You will be in heaven telling God, "Not yet man, I have more food to eat at Bale's."


Other items:
Vietnamese Chicken Salad 8.15
Spicy Lemon Grass Chicken 8.25
Rare Steak (Pho) Soup 8.25
Eggplant w/ Tofu or Chicken 8.15


And the sandwiches.. oh da sandwiches
Vegetarian Sandwich 4.00
Ba-Le's Pork Sandwich *BBQ 5.25
Char Siu Sandwich 5.50
Pastrami Sandwich 5.50
All on fresh baked French Bread


And the desserts
Banana Tapioca 
Taro Tapioca
Sweet Potato Tapioca
Rainbow Jell-O 
all for 1.75 and they're great!


808-661-5566 M-Sat 10a-9p Sun 10a-7p
Photo: Ron Sambrano

MAUI - Things To NOT Eat If You're A Diabetic

Diabetes is a killer even on the island of Maui and it is not getting any better. I myself is guilty of treating my body like an amusement park, infusing it with junk food at times, and I should know better. My blood pressure is an up and down thing, my sugar level is getting up there, but it's those sweets and salty foods that tastes good that's killing us, and a lot of it is not healthy at all but filled with a lot of artificial gunk. Hydrogenated oils, GMO soy, corn, and wheat, animal products that are filled with all kinds of chemicals to fatten it up and to prevent contaminations. We are eating a lot of chemicals, and we are at fault because we should know better, but when the powers that be are selling us stuff that's bad for cheap, we just eat it. Unless we can afford a healthier more organic meal, most people will opt for the artificial snacks, or the less than 100 % beef or pork or fish, we are just consuming too many foods that are bad for us.


Diabetes is a bad one, Type 1 or Type 2, it's when the body doesn't have enough insulin to move the sugars. When someone is obese, and you want to make a good bet to make some bucks, call that obese person at least borderline diabetic, and you'd win some dough. Not to be mean or cruel, but we all have to work on eating right, and to make smarter decisions on shopping.


In the book The China Study, the research in that book is astounding, the writer suggests that milk or dairy products are a real cause for diabetes and also cancers. Studies show in the book that people who consumed a lot of dairy products in their lives got diabetes more so than their non dairy consuming counterparts.


If you are feeling tired, it could be because the foods you are eating just have zero nutritional value at all. Try doing this for me, do no eat anything the night before you go to bed, but the next morning, stay away from those bad foods, like that Mc Sausage Muffin, or the Breakfast Jack, and stay away from coffee. Instead, do this, go to your market and get an organic fruit, an orange, grapefruit, apple, pear or what have you, and drink some organic or natural green tea with no sugar in it. Feel the difference, your energy level should skyrocket, you'll feel like a clean engine instead of a tired bus that has bad fuel and clogged up.


Fruits or whole foods do have vitamins, and fibers that are vital to our bodies, it gives us nutrients, and because of the fibers we'll let it go when we sit on the toilet, don't get grossed out, but it is vital that we do... well take a good dump, and I mean it. Getting rid of waste in our bodies is the first step to losing weight, and getting rid of all that chemicals we intake on a daily basis, this is not good, so eat more whole foods, if you are a diabetic, attempt to eat better, don't succumb to temptation and eat something like this


Nabisco Nutter Butter & Coca Cola are Trademarks

Photo Ron Sambrano copyright 2011

Maui- Vindaloo Lahaina Style

Indian style pork dish- Vindaloo in Lahaina? Nothing wrong with that, I'll use most of the same ingredients that the Indian chefs use in their vindaloo. And what better place to eat vindaloo than on Maui. Oh yeah, if you want good Indian food, Monsoons in Kihei is great.

I'll do a recipe for you here.

3 lbs. of pork shoulder
1/3 vinegar
1/4 cup of white wine
1 1/2 tbsp. garam masala
7 cloves of fresh garlic
1 inch chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. fresh pepper corns
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cardamom
2 fresh pepper (any fresh hot ones you can get)
---------------------------------------------
1 onion sliced
1/4 cup chopped Macadamia nuts
1/2 cup yogurt plain
1 tbsp. raw sugar
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1. Place all of the ingredients above the dotted line in a blender and blend, then remove it into another bowl.

2. Cut the pork into cubes (bite size) add this to the blended ingredients. Marinate for about 3 hours in the chill.

3. In a large enought pot, heat up the olive oil, and brown the pork really well do not add in the marinade, wait until the pork is browned, then add in the marinade.

4. Add in the chopped onions stir, cook until translucent, then add in the macadamia nuts and cover pot, simmer for about 1 1/2 hours,

5. Add in the raw sugar and stir, cook uncovered for about 10 minutes so the sugar works into the juices.

6. Off the heat, then stir in the plain yogurt, stir well. Serve with cooked Basmati rice.

Picture: http://www.food.com/

Garam Masala is a blend of these spices that is popular in Indian cooking. Cumin, coriander, cloves, pepper corns, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, saffron.

Despite having garam masala in this recipe I added more cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and pepper corns to enhance the spiceyness of the dish.

Maui- Opihi Ceviche

Opihi is a sea creature like a snail, that has a shell, and it sucks itself on the rocks, in the ocean, near the shoreline.
Some might say oyster, others clams, well an opihi is really a Limpet... okay just call that sucker a snail. Our Limpets have a Chinaman's hat shaped shell, with grooves running down from the center down to the sides. To get these creatures, we put on tubbies, or rubber soled beach shoes that grips the slippery rocks, and we use butter knives, or screwdrivers to pry the creatures off of the rocks, then put them into a sack, fill it up and take it home clean it out in fresh water, and freeze it for later usage, usually for some party like a baby's first luau, an uncle's retirement, or junior's graduation. Or celebrating the obnoxious neighbor's prison sentence.


Here's a simple Opihi Ceviche recipe


1/2 lb. of shelled opihi and rinsed
1 large tomato diced
1 small round Maui Sweet onion diced
1/2 stalk celery minced
4 oz. of diced cucumber
1 tsbp. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 cup of fresh lime juice
1 lime sliced thin for garnish
1 cup diced pineapple for garnish


1. In a glass or nonreactive bowl, put all of the ingredients inside, except the garnishes.
2. Cover and refrigerate for about 3 hours.
3. When ready to serve divide into small dishes, and garnish with lime slices and pineapples, add more salt and pepper to taste.


Photo: www.flickr.com

Locals like to grill opihi right from the ocean and onto the hot grill, and eat it with chili pepper water, soy sauce, vinegar, Hawaiian salt, and whatever they can get their hands on. But a nice cold bottle of brew goes well with these chewy creatures.


If you are ever on Maui, find a local that makes good opihi, and try it out, you'll have to ask and search for it.

Maui- Bento Lunches a Popular Item Visitors Should Know

"What is that there bento lunches ya all Maui locals talk bout, wut da hell is that huh?" 
Hold on there mister Jackerander, slow down pal, take a  deep breath and let me Chef Ron talk you through what a bento is. 


1. It is usually sold in the grab and go section of small mom and pop markets, and recently major chain supermarkets are selling it too. A bento or box lunch has any kind of items in side of it, you name it, it's in it.


2. You need to have your partner or lover with you when you purchase a bento, locals buy a bento when we are heading to the beach, a softball game, or after a funeral, or after a hard day of doing nothing.


3. Get a water when purchasing a bento because usually bentos aren't the healthiest of foods, although some natural food stores serve up vegetarian bentos.


4. Oh yeah, it comes in different sizes.


5. Make sure you never leave a bento unattended, it may get ripped off, and the M.P.D. doesn't give a shit about a stolen bento, they have enough trouble of their own.


6. If you can't finish your bento, it may have a long shelf life because of the high sodium chloride or salt used in the foods.


7. You can sneak a bento into the movies, an average bento is about 6.00 to 10.00, and much more fillling than that lame ass hot dog and popcorn.


8. Take it on your next flight home, airline foods suck.


9. Usually, most places that serve up bentos will have their display shelves filled with bentos around 9am in the morning and it is sold out by noon, and there's the shitty ones leftover.


10. Just enjoy our culture.


Pictured below is a Fried Chicken Bento from Blackies Pitstop in Lahaina, and the Shell gas station on Kapunakea (Kah poo han kay ah) street and highway 30 across from Safeway at the Lahaina Cannery Mall.


It has one musubi (moo soo bee) which is a white rice formed into a rectangular shape wrapped in nori (noh ree) a seaweed wrap used in sushi, a traditional musubi has an ume in the middle a salty plumb, 2 pieces of deep fried Maui chicken thighs, and one red Maui hot dog sliced in half. the cost? After 12 noon it is half price, so this cost less than $3.00.


Photo: Ron Sambrano

Other bentos may include:
Fried fish
Pulled pork
Breaded pork
Chow fun noodles
Chow mein noodles
Pinacbet (a Filipino braise)
Pork and peas
Hamburger patties
Meat loaf
Spam
Short ribs
Sweet and sour spare ribs
Beef tomato
and various other local favorites, some places really get creative.


Where can you find a bento?


Nagasako Okazu Ya and Deli-Lahaina
Pukalani Superette- Pukalani
Takamiya's- Wailuku
ABC Stores in various locations
Foodland Supermarkets various locations
Time's Supermarkets- Honokowai and Kihei
Napili Market- Napili
Foodland Farms-Lahaina
Sam Sato's- Wailuku (Get a plate to go and that''s your bento)