A Korean Feast in East Hawaii

A Korean feast in store overlooking Keaukaha bay


There's no shortage of cuisine that our international food group hasn't covered from around the globe. Even though our island lacks many of the wonderful cuisines of the world, it's great that food groups like ours can experiment and share our cooking discoveries with our monthly themed events.

This month we are discovering Korean cooking and the many different and exotic dishes that our cooking group is presenting today, come join us. Usually we start off our get-together with pupus (small plates) or in Korean, they are called banchan. Usually the banchan covers an assortment of 2- 10 small side dishes in which kimchee is the most well known and popular offered at every meal.


Would you like to try some of these delicious offerings, some marinated quail eggs and pickled vegetables?





One of the most popular was this baked potstickers or mandu, these dumplings were filled with avocados with a soyu based sauce. It didn't take too long for this banchan appetizer to be devoured quickly.







Some of the members were already starving and couldn't help themselves to taking a quick bite.





Prior to our big feast, it's our tradition to have a quick discussion of the dish we prepared with the main ingredients and the cooking process. The crowd was pretty hungry at this point so the explanations went rather fast so we could chow down right away. All right, it's finally time to dig in, everyone get in line and lets get started.  Let's see what are the main offerings for our luncheon





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First up, marinated chicken wings and drumsticks in a sticky sweet and sour marinade.





Next we have some fried green onions in a light batter and a soyu sesame glaze sauce - who wants to try?





How about some succulent pork belly with pickled onions and wrapped in lettuce like a Korean burrito.




This savory Korean noodle dish called chapchae are delicious and made with sweet potato noodles which surprisingly is not that sweet, but the noodle is quite flavorful and spicy with all the sauce that it absorbs.






You can't have a Korean meal without some marinated barbecue and this beef barbecue was melt-in-our mouth perfect and oh so good!





Another barbeque with sesame chicken to be wrapped with fresh lettuce below.




What did I bring you may ask? I'm presenting a fried tofu dish with spicy bell pepper and eggplant in a mild sweet and sour sauce. Would you like to sample some, there's enough to go around.

Koreans usually don't partake in dessert but our group absolutely insists! The dessert offerings were amazing and to die for - very different from typical Asian sweets or desserts. Our first delicious dessert that were these wrapped persimmons with walnuts called gotgamssam, have just one bite and you just might want to eat the whole plate.

Oh so flaky and flavorful manju or baked sweet pastry, this one was filled with a sweet bean and lilikoi (passionfruit) paste.




This is a fun and social group, we even had a slippah fashion show after the luncheon and a few made it out to the gorgeous lagoon for a quick and refreshing dip, it's all for fun and enjoying the day out by the ocean.

 

 

View out to the bay with many little inlets from the dining pavilion at Keaukaha park.  

 

 

  Delicious Korean food, good wine and the company of friends that love to cook, what a fantastic end to our cooking event by the ocean in East Hawaii.

 

©Noel Morata, All rights reserved


Come and visit my photography travel website at http://travelphotodiscovery.com/
 

A gorgeous estate and garden along the Hamakua coastline.

I've recently visited a private estate and lilly farm owned by the Trotter family along the Hamakua coastline on the Big Island. A very lush and beautiful estate, its almost a botanical garden in its own right. It's a gorgeous property and the views are quite spectacular from the coastline.

The owners, long retired from a regular farming and nursery business now enjoy the property on their own and allow small local groups to come and photograph their amazing garden. You will be able to see almost every type of exotic plant, flower and fruit tree on this property which the owners have lavishly maintained for decades.
Come and join me on this tour with some of the hghlights below.

This is part one of two posts on this amazing estate, stay tune for some of the more

of their gardens especially their amazing collection of tropical rhododendron or ssss, its a very extensive and award winning collection.

If you would like to visit more photos of this estate, come and vist my flickr page here

©Noel Morata, All rights reserved

Following the waterfall to the coastal overlook in the Hamakua

Ever follow a waterfall in Hawaii to where it ends in the ocean? I've always been fascinated by this simple hike but have never done this type of hike before. So when the occasion came up recently to visit a private garden in the Hamakua with a waterfall and trail that eventually falls into the ocean, I was excited.

When I arrived at the property, I talked with the other guests and everyone seemed to be distracted with the beautiful and expansive garden which in itself was worth spending most of one's time enjoying. Since no-one was ready to hike, I started down the precarious staircase leading down to the waterfall. The paths were tricky but nicely planted with colorful anthuriums and other shade loving plants.

Then I noticed after taking a few pictures, I was totally being eaten up by mosquitoes (no wonder the guests were not interested in coming down) I was the feast that morning for all the mosquitoes swarming around like breakfast time. Needless to say, I didn't stay idle in one spot for a very long time.

I could hear the waterfalls directly ahead and in no time arrived at this beautiful waterfall framed with lush fersns and greens of every color. It was beautiful and I had the whole scene to enjoy on my own. Quickly, I followed the stream bed down a worn path dotted with palms and coconut tree along with many large-leafed plants. Finally, I make it to the edge of the coastline along the cliffs framed with  huge ironwood trees and supporting the cliff sides below - quite an idyllic spot to relax. The soft breezes at this point were keeping the mosquitoes at bay and allowing me to relax and enjoy the scenic views at my leisure.

I hear the waters loudly as they cascade down the cliffs into the ocean. It was a little tricky trying to get a good view of the waterfall falling into the rocks below, all I could really see was the rushing water from the top view, but the coastline views from the edge was quite spectacular.

It was an enjoyable moment even though I couldn't see the waterfalls cascading directly to the bottom of the ocean.  Now, it was time to make that arduous hike back up those 100 plus steps to the main house, well at least if I go quickly I won't be harassed by the mosquitoes on the way back uphill.

©Noel Morata, All rights reserved

Come and visit my photography website at http://noelmorata.photoshelter.com/
 

Discovering beautiful Pohoiki on the eastern Puna coastline.

On a beautiful sunny day, you can't beat driving down the lush forested areas along Pohoiki and Mango road down to the coastline and the boat ramp. Along this panoramic drive down idyllic papaya farms and tropical forests you end up eventually at the rugged coastline of Pohoiki and Isaac Hale Beach Park. The skies and ocean are dramatic and colorful and its inviting to explore and just watch the surfers and other water loving enthusiasts playing in the enticing waters.

The afternoon light is very attractive and everything looks so vivid and dynamic - its these amazing days when you just want to be outside, in the water along this gorgeous coastline. The black and white studies show this colorful area in a different and more graphic perspective that shows the contrast, light and environment in a more pronounced and bold way.

©Noel Morata, All rights reserved

Come and visit my photography website at http://noelmorata.photoshelter.com/

Waipio Valley Photo Excursion

A fantastic Saturday last weekend, when our local photo club sponsored a trip to Waipio Valley on the north Hamakua coastline. This gigantic gulch on the top western-most part of the island is unspoilt area outside of some dedicated taro growers that cultivate wet taro on the floor along the various streams and rivers running through the valley.

 

 

This type of excursion requires a solid four wheel vehicle to navigate the steep downhill grade to the bottom and the numerous rivers and impromptu streams that disect the main road leading to the interior areas and the main waterfall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

©Noel Morata, All rights reserved

Come and visit my photography website at http://noelmorata.photoshelter.com/

December International Food Group Dinner

Its our last monthly get together for the Big Island international food group and tonight's cooking event is being held at a local carport in Hawaiian Beaches - the typical gatherings at most Hawaiian parties are usually held in carports.



Although this event, is quite festive and the pupus (Hawaiian for appetizers) are very well put together little bites in beautiful desplays to our discerning foodies.

What's a party without a little Xmas cheer and mistle toe greeting?

How would you like to try baby pears wrapped and baked in thick bacon and maple syrup, anyone takers?

 

 

 

 

 

The requisite party game involves teams competiting with each other and the losing team donning the typical L branding - meaning 'Loser'.

 

 

 

 

 

Another delicious bite of this zucchini and tuna pupu with fancy sprigs of mint and green onions.

 

 

A moment of surprise captured prior to opening the beautiful red wrapper!

I think our dining participant might be comtemplating the dreaded secret Santa exchange, not sure if she wants to open this for the moment.

Christmas parties are always fun and entertaining, even better when they involve amazing food created by food enthusiast from the Big Island.