Do you dream of Hawaii? Its brilliant blue waves, soft sandy beaches, and lush green forests? When you think of Hawaiian food, do you think of pizza? Well, if you do, Aloha Kitchen is here to blow your mind. Aloha Kitchen, by my dear friend Alana of Fix Feast Flair, is a gorgeous collection of all the foods that Hawaii calls near and dear – nary a pineapple pizza in sight.
I first met Alana years ago – I’m not even sure how we might have come across each other…oh wait, now that I’m thinking about it, I’m pretty sure I just wandered over to her little part of the internet where I was drawn in by stories of mochiko chicken, spam musubi, and butter mochi cake. I must’ve left a bunch of creepy stalker-ish gushing comments. Somehow we became good friends.
We’ve made panda buns together, hung together, and even have been to Hawaii together. It was amazing having Alana show me her hometown. We ate all the things but somehow missed out on dry mein?!
If you know anything about me, it’s that I’m a noodle lover. So even though every single recipe in Aloha Kitchen called to me (shave ice! malasadas! plate lunch!), it was the dry mein that really caught my eye. Dry mein is somewhat similar to a lo mein, in that it’s essentially noodles tossed in sauce. Alana’s Hawaiian version is tossed with a soy-oyster sauce, with slivers of Chinese char siu, crunchy bean sprouts, and fresh sharp green onions. I love how just a couple of ingredients come together to create something amazing.
I wish I could say that we went all out and made the char siu recipe from Alana’s book, but the truth is, that Mike made these noodles the day before we left for Japan and we didn’t have time to make the char siu. Instead, we went to our favorite Chinese bbq joint to pick up some of the best char siu in town. It’s always insanely busy – the little sit in area is always packed and the line ups are usually out the door. I love having a little Chinese bbq place and according to Alana’s book, so do people on Hawaii!
Anyway, this dry mein was awesome, especially with the suggested hot mustard. So noodley and good. I hope you get a chance to make it, and if you don’t, I hope you get a chance to pick up Alana’s book. Flipping through the book is like visiting Hawaii. You really get a sense of that friendly aloha vibe. The photos are vibrant and gorgeous and Alana’s writing makes you feel like a close friend is giving you the best private food tour you could ever imagine. It’s like you’re in Hawaii without the plane ride :)
Dry Mein
serves 4-6
- 1.5 lbs fresh noodles
- 6 ounces bean sprouts
- 1/4 cup neutral oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb char siu pork, julienned
- 6 green onions, green parts only, chopped
- hot mustard, to serve
via Aloha Kitchen
Bring a large pot of water to boil over night heat. Rinse the noodles under the kitchen faucet to remove any excess cornstarch. Place the bean sprouts in a large colander and set in the kitchen sink. Cook the noodles in the boiling water until they begin to float to the top, about 1 minute. Do not overlook the noodles; you want them to be al dente.
Pour the noodles into the colander with the bean sprouts. Give the colander a good shake and transfer the noodles and bean sprouts to a bowl. Toss them with the oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and black pepper to taste. Toss in the char siu and green onions. Serve with a dash of hot mustard.
If I can’t find fresh noodles, would dried chow mein noodles work?
yes, just be sure to cook the noodles according to the package before using in the recipe!