Foraging at the Farmers' Market and beyond

One of our favorite finds this time were the Sunshine Markets: they are somewhat strictly regulated farmers' markets where purveyors are only allowed to sell produce, plants and flowers grown in Kauai. The selection varies from market to market and so does the availability of organic produce. We made it to two: the Wednesday market in Kapaa and the Friday market in Kilauea

http://www.kauai.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=214

We went nuts buying tangy, juicy Suriname Cherries, Sweet creamy Cherimoyas (custard apples), low acid pineapples, fragrant organic papayas, yummy guavas, adorably tiny and incredibly delicious strawberry guavas, and we even found chikoos! It had been atleast a decade since I had last tasted a chikoo and I was in fruit heaven! or maybe it a fructose induced coma? It didn't matter -- for it was a very tasty trip down memory lane.

I have been described as a farmers' market junky, but even I could not pass up on the super fresh lettuces picked hours before by the sellers themselves. Some came with tangy nastarsiums and other edible flowers, others contained 20 different herbs and lettuces. Tossed into a simple but delicious salad with a home made key lime vinaigrette and a bit of suriname cherries, papayas or mangoes, they were the perfect accompaniment to the fresh fish we cooked for dinner most nights. Although banned from Farmers' Markets (they do not allow any meat or fish), fresh fish is one thing that is relatively cheaply and easily available in Kauai. Just look for the hand made signs near the Farmers' markets, or even the main roads in Kapaa and Lihue, and you will find ahi, ake and ono being sold from roadside stands or car trunks! My husband was adventurous enough to buy a whole 4 lb ahi and butcher it all by himself using simple rudimentary directions from the sellers, and a not very sharp knife. I was impressed since this provided dinner for two nights and bemused by what he considered "an adventure". And if you are too chicken to buy your dinner out of someone's trunk then, Fish Express is Lihue is a good and not too pricey resource.

Fish Express 3343 Kuhio Hwy # 10Lihue, HI 96766
(808) 245-9918‎

In search of the best Lilikoi pie

There are supposedly only 2 places to get good Lilikoi (passionfruit) pie in all of Kauai -- or so I gathered from my sources. And once I'd heard of the existence of an ethereal chiffon pie made from passionfruit juice, there was no way I was not going to taste it and try to decide on the winner for myself. Besides, with a beautiful sounding name like Lilikoi chiffon pie, who could pass up the chance to taste it?

First we went to Hamura's Saimin in Lihue. I thought the rest of the food there (Saimin aka noodle soup with various Japanese style toppings, chicken/beef teriyaki sticks) was pretty forgettable and (and most likely laden with msg from the size of my headache following the meal) while my husband thought it was edible. But the lilikoi pie was incredible. The crust was light and buttery and slightly flaky, and the chiffon filling was light as air, and just sweet enough. The whipped cream topping was overwhelming, but once we removed it we enjoyed the mild passionfruit flavor, and the light texture of the filling. I would rate this a 7 out of 10, and definitely very enjoyable.

Next, we tried the pie from Wong's Chinese Bakery in Waimea. The lilikoi flavor was more pronounced in the filling here, but the crust was slightly harder and not as good as Hamura's. And once again, we had to do away with the whipped cream topping to do justice to the lovely filling. [As my friend Laura would say, "If I were King, I would ban this fake whipped cream topping once and for all!"]. Tastewise, this gets a 8.5 out of 10 from me, and definitely worth a stop on the way to/from (or why not both?) Waimea canyon. And the incredibly friendly ladies at Island Rental Agency were very happy when we brought them one of these pies from Wong's as a "thank you for all your help" gift and agreed that Wong's did indeed make the best Lilikoi pie on the Garden Isle.

And not only the pie very yummy, the service was a lot less surly, and the surroundings and bathroom much cleaner than Hamura's which might make me raise my score to 9.0. And the bbq meats looked good (and have been well rated on chowhound) though I cannot personally vouch for them. I can however vouch for the bbq pork bun - it was pretty good, and huge! It is a great bargain for $1.50 and if you like your pork buns shrouded in a lot of light spongy dough, and the filling on the sweeter side, this is good snack for you to take along for one of the shorter hikes at the canyon.

Hawaiian Desserts are Da Bomb!!

After this last week spent in Hawaii (Kauai to be exact) I am convinced that Hawaiians really know how to do desserts!
Thanks to recommendations from chowhound।com, and from random locals we met on our travels (and in one case, pure serendipity) we chanced upon some amazing desserts. My favorites by far: halo halo (or any tropical flavor) shave ice and lilikoi (passion fruit) pie. The sweet Hawaiian bread (often called Portuguese bread) wasn't half bad either. And when it come to the "fresh fruit as dessert" category, Hawaiians pretty much have a lock on it!

Fortunately, I was not too much into standard Hawaiian fare like laulau and kalua pork, and chicken and mahi katsu, but these calorie savings were wiped out by my copious consumption of the desserts and fruits.