Hawaiian Foods you Must Have at Your Next Luau

Char Siu

Hawaiian dishes may have strange-sounding names, but they all have one thing in common: the delectable taste! Hawaiian foods, because they are influenced by cultures from around the world, including Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Puerto Rican cultures, just to name a few, they often feature unique names and uncommon flavor combinations.

If you want to impress your guests by serving traditional, Hawaiian foods at your next luau, then you must try our selection of the best Hawaiian luau foods!

Banana Bread

This traditional Hawaiian luau food is made with mashed, ripe bananas:

• One half cup butter, softened
• One cup sugar
• Two cups flour
• One teaspoon baking powder
• One half teaspoon salt
• Two cups, mashed and ripened bananas
• Two eggs, well beaten
• One cup nuts of your choice (macadamia nuts, pecans or walnuts)

Grease and flour a bread loaf pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, combine the butter and sugar well, and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt and slowly blend the mixture into the butter and sugar mixture. Add the bananas, nuts and eggs and stir until well mixed. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and bake for one hour.

Char Siu

These red spareribs are a favorite at Hawaiian luaus and are adapted from the Chinese culture:

• One and a half to two pounds spareribs
• One quarter cup brown sugar
• Two tablespoons red bean curd sauce
• One quarter cup honey
• One half teaspoon five-spice powder
• One teaspoon salt
• One clove garlic, crushed
• Two tablespoons sherry

Prepare the marinade by combining all ingredients expect for the spareribs. Marinate the spareribs in the marinade overnight, in the refrigerator, turning them several times. Bake spareribs for about an hour and a half at 325 degrees, turning them several times. Achieve an internal temperature of 155 to 160 degrees before removing from the oven.

Chicken Long Rice

Chicken long rice has long been a staple at Hawaiian luaus, and is adapted from the Chinese culture:

• Three pounds chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
• Six tablespoons soy sauce
• One tablespoon sesame oil
• Two tablespoons minced ginger (fresh)
• Three cloves garlic, minced
• One teaspoon sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Two tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• Two to four cup sliced mushrooms and green onions
• Ten ounces long rice
• Eight ounces chicken broth

Combine two tablespoons of the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, sugar, garlic and pepper to make the marinade. Add chicken to the marinade and refrigerate for one hour. Soak the long rice in cold water for 30 minutes and cut into eight lengths.  Add vegetable oil to a hot wok and add marinated chicken. Cook until chicken is cooked through, then reduce the heat and add the mushrooms, green onions, long rice, chicken broth and the remaining soy sauce and simmer until it is hot. Be careful not to overcook the long rice, as it absorbs liquid very easily. Serve the dish immediately after cooking.