How to Do Luau Party Food
Throwing a luau-themed party can be fun wherever you live. The inspiration comes from the famous meals served in Hawaii which traditionally include Kalua pig, Lomi Lomi salmon, poi, rice and tropical fruits. If you don't want to bury a pig in banana or ti leaves in your back yard, you can do it in a slow cooker. Look for easy recipes and get creative by putting fruit onto skewers or serve in a large hollowed-out watermelon. Serve your luau feast with blended tropical drinks and add bright colors to your decor. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Hawaiian food recipes and ingredients
- Cooking ware
- Party platters and serving trays
- Serving spoons
- Colorful toothpicks
- Drink swizzlers and umbrellas
Instructions
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Check out the various Hawaiian food recipes to select the ones you want to prepare. You can stick to traditional foods like Kalua pig, or substitute with foods generally served in Hawaii, such as grilled chicken pieces in teriyaki sauce. Gather all your ingredients a day or two before the party so you have plenty of time to marinate, chop and prepare.
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Bake the cakes and cookies the day before your event. Banana bread, pineapple upside down cake and macadamia nut cookies work for your theme.
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Cook the meat dishes slowly, flavoring them with the soy and ginger combinations, liquid smoke and herbs. You can use a pork roast simmered overnight in a slow cooker with salt and apple cider, or marinate other meats to grill the next day.
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Steam the rice and either leave it plain or season it with a little nutmeg or cloves. Have a bottle of shoyu (soy sauce) on hand for serving time.
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Prep the Lomi Lomi salmon so the flavors have time to mingle. Mix the chopped tomatoes, onions, chili peppers and salmon in a large bowl and keep it chilled until ready to serve. Open a bottle of prepared spicy Kim Chee and serve as a stand-alone item if you want to get a little more exotic.
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Bake sweet potatoes by timing them to serve piping hot with butter and brown sugar. Other popular side dishes in Hawaii are coleslaw and macaroni salad -- use your favorite recipes or try one suggested by island cooks.
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Clean, peel, slice and cut all the fruits. Basic tropical fruits are banana, pineapple, mango, papaya, guava and passion fruit but you can add kiwis, strawberries and melons, too. Slice a large watermelon in half and make melon balls from the fruit after removing the seeds. Refill the empty hulls with the mixture of different fruits. For a fancier look, scallop-cut the edges of the watermelon. You can also alternate fruits along skewers to eat cold as a dessert with sherbet.
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Get plenty of ice to have on hand, not only for keeping foods chilled if serving outside, but for mixing punch and blended drinks. Alcohol is optional, as you can blend fruit drinks, or alcohol-flavored beverages, too.
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Serve everything on colorful platters or monkeypod bowls and dishware. Poke toothpicks into the fruit platters.
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Tips & Warnings
Start organizing all your party items two or three days before the actual luau. Make sure you have all the necessary ingredients for your items well before the last minute. Much of the food prep can be done in advance, but time everything so the hot foods are served hot and the cold items are well-chilled.
Use toothpicks for smaller foods -- just place them in containers beside various dishes or poke directly into a food item for easy pickings. Having a disposal container is a basic consideration, too.
A lot of Hawaiian foods can be very high in sodium, so use caution, and know any dietary restrictions for guests. Salt substitutes can be an alternative, or eliminate it altogether if it's really not that necessary, such as for rice dishes. Instead, keep a salt and pepper shaker set handy for people who want to season their own food.
Use common sense when mixing up a "Hawaiian punch" with alcohol.
References
Resources
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