Pupu party; Hawaiian appetizers, ready to serve, are easy to buy in the islands - recipes

Sunset, August, 1989

A melting pot of Asian, South Pacific, and Portuguese cultures, Hawaii offers an exciting mix of foods. Island supermarkets, delicatessens, and ethnic stores sell a tremendous variety of these foods ready to serve, making it easy for locals as well as travelers with minimal kitchens to put together an impromptu pupu (Hawaiian appetizer) party. In the Islands, buy a selection of foods you'd like to try. Many take no cooking, while some require reheating or grilling. Set them out for guests to sample. On the mainland, choices may be more limited. But you can make many of the favorites yourself and supplement with ready-made purchases from the market.

Island or Mainland

pupu party

To expand this menu for more than 10 to 12, include other store-bought items. Ready-to-eat nibbles include taro chips or Hawaiian potato chips, macadamia nuts, toasted coconut chips, Japanese rice crackers, and lomi lomi salmon. Most foods can be eaten out of hand or with wooden picks or chopsticks.

Chinese Barbecued Spareribs

Sushi with Pickled Ginger

Teriyaki Beef Sticks or Hawaiian Jerky Pickled Maui Onions Kim Chee

        Hawaiian Seasoned Tuna Papaya and Portuguese Sausage Skewers
                                Tropical Fruits
                               Guava Wine Cooler
                              Pineapple Rum Punch

The pickled onions and kim chee can be made weeks ahead; these recipes and ones for the two beverages are on page 106. Marinate the meats and assemble the sausage skewers up to a day in advance. On party day, make the sushi up to 8 hours ahead; also prepare the tuna. About I hour before serving, bake the ribs and light the briquets for the skewered meats. Add sparkling water to punches just before serving. For fruit, offer pineapple, papaya, mango, coconut, or guava. Chinese Barbecued Spareribs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 rack pork spareribs, 3 to 4 pounds

(have meatman saw ribs in half

crosswise) In a 12- by 17-inch pan, combine sugar, soy, hoisin, sherry, and ginger. Lay ribs in pan and coat with soy mixture. Cover and chill, turning, occasionally, at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Lift ribs from marinade and put in a foil-lined 12- by 17-inch roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, until meat is browned and no longer pink at bone (cut to test), I to hours. To serve, cut between rib bones. Makes 10 to 12 appetizer servings. Reynold Choy, Honolulu. Per serving: 237 cal.; 14 g protein; 13 g fat,- 15 g carbo.; 855 mg sodium; 54 mg chol Sushi with Pickled Ginger Various forms of sushi are sold. Some are wrapped in nori or stuffed in fried tofu cases. For a simpler version, press the rice into compact shapes and top with pickled ginger (buy in Japanese markets). 1 1/2 cups short-grain white rice

About 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar

        (or 2 tablespoons sugar and salt
        to taste dissolved in 1/2 cup white
        wine vinegar)

1 tablespoon thinly sliced or

shredded pickled ginger, drained

In a 2- to 3-quart pan, rinse rice with water until water runs clear; drain. Add 13/4 cups water to rice. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook without stirring until all water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons vinegar. Spread rice in a I 0- by 15-inch pan. Cool rice quickly to room temperature, turning often. Press about 2 tablespoons of rice into 1- by 2inch ovals; dip hands into remaining vinegar as needed to prevent sticking. Place ginger on top of rice. (If made ahead, cover tightly and hold at room temperature up to 8 hours.) Makes 22 pieces, 10 to 12 appetizer servings. Per serving: 102 cal; 1. 7 g protein; a I g fa t,- 23 g carbo.; 10 mg sodium; 0 mg chol. Teriyaki Beef Sticks In Hawaii, thin slices of marinated beef are sold for teriyaki beef. For a quick appetizer, cut slices into about 1-inch-wide strips, thread on skewers, and grill.

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

2 tablespoons dry sherry

2 tablespoons salad oil

1 pound boneless lean beef steak,

        such as sirloin or top round,
        about 1 inch thick

In a bowl, mix soy, sugar, ginger, garlic, sherry, and oil. Trim off and discard excess fat from beef. Cut meat across the grain in 1/4-inch-thick slices. Mix meat with soy marinade. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Weave thin wooden skewers in and out of meat slices, so meat lies flat. (If made ahead, cover and chill up to overnight.) Cook on a grill 3 to 4 inches above a solid bed of hot coals (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds), turning meat until brown on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Makes 12 sticks, 10 to 12 appetizer servings. Per serving: 77caL; 8.8g protein; 3.7g fat,- 1.5g carbo.; 190 mg sodium; 25 mg chol. Hawaiian Jerky (Pipikaula) Hawaiian beef jerky is moister than its Mainland counterpart, because it's dried in large pieces.

1 flank steak (1 1/2 to 2 lb.)