Go to any diner, Hawaiian food restaurant, or plate lunch stand in Hawaii, and along with the ketchup, mustard, shoyu (soy sauce), and Worcestershire sauce you’ll also find chili pepper water. Not “sauce,” “water.” You’ll recognize it by it’s pinkish-orange-y hue, and the whole chilis and sliced garlic suspended in it.
Like a distant island cousin of Crystal or Tabasco sauce, chili pepper water is a fiery brine used in Hawaii to add a spicy kick to rice, eggs, spaghetti, fried foods, Bloody Marys—just about anything. In fact, this weekend I made some beef stew and rice for dinner, and it was crying out for a splash or three of chili pepper water to go with it.
You can make chili pepper water a lot easier than you can make your own Tabasco or Sriracha sauce, and I think it’s equally delicious. In Hawaii chili pepper water is made with plump, wrinkly, Hawaiian chili peppers. The closest approximation for those outside of the islands would be small, red Thai chilies or any Asian red chili pepper. (Don’t use jalapeños or serranos.).
Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water
Once made, let sit over night to develop flavors. Keep refrigerated.
8-10 Hawaiian red chili peppers
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 garlic clove, sliced
2 quarter-sized slices fresh ginger, bruised (optional)
1-2 teaspoons sea or kosher salt
2 cups hot water (not boiling)
Place all ingredients into a slightly larger than pint-sized glass jar or bottle. Pour hot water over. Cap when cooled and store in refrigerator.
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1 Ramen Blog // Mar 3, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Hawaiian Pulled Pork
Ingredients
* 1 4 to 5-pound boneless pork butt or shoulder roast
* 5 cloves garlic, halved
* 10 thin slices of fresh ginger
* 1 to 2 tablespoons Hawaiian red sea salt or sea salt
* 1 lb. kale, banana leaves, or 1 small head cabbage
* Chile Pepper Water (see recipe below)
* Speckled Rice (see recipe below)
* Fresh pineapple spears
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degree F. Cut 20 slits on all sides of pork roast at 1-inch intervals with a sharp knife. Fill slits alternately with garlic halves and ginger slices. Rub salt evenly over pork. Wrap entire roast with kale. Tie with 100-percent-cotton string to secure leaves to pork.
2. Place pork, fat-side up, in center of a large sheet of foil. Gather foil up and around roast so it is completely wrapped. Place wrapped pork on a rack in a large roasting pan. Place pan in oven. Pour about 1 inch of water in bottom of roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes; reduce heat to 375 degree F. Roast for 3 to 3-1/2 hours more or until meat is fork tender. Watch carefully; add water to bottom of pan as needed to maintain water level (do not let boil dry).
3. Remove pan from oven and let pork stand for 10 minutes. Carefully transfer wrapped roast to a large container with sides high enough to collect juices, reserving juices in pan. Unwrap roast; remove string and cooked leaves; discard. Using 2 forks, shred pork. Skim fat from pan juices; discard fat. Serve shredded pork with combined juices, Chile Pepper Water, Speckled Rice, and pineapple spears. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Chile Pepper Water: Chop one small red Thai chile pepper. In a small bowl stir together, chopped pepper ( with seeds), one whole Thai chile pepper, and 1 cup water. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours. Serve water in a glass vinegar shaker bottle.
Speckled Rice: In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of short grain rice, 4 cups of water, 1/4 cup pineapple juice, and 1 teaspoon salt to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in 1/3 cup snipped fresh pineapple mint, mint or lemon basil; 1 cup chopped red sweet pepper; 1/4 cup pineapple juice; and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Serve warm.
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