Okay, I know, but to make yours different you are going to go with a Hawaiian "mixed plate" theme rather than typical Luau food, which will be expected. If you have never been to Hawaii or haven't been for a long time I will remind you of the deliciousness of what a mixed plate entails.
Usually there are two scoops of sticky white rice, a scoop of potato macaroni salad or a green salad, and some sort of teriyaki meat. The meat is typically very thinly sliced beef, and a good-sized chunk of chicken, or pork. The reason I thought of going this route is because I was just in Hawaii and I must say that these mixed plates are to die for! The meat is always so moist and flavorful and the simplicity of the white rice with it just makes a party on your palette!
Now, to re-create this Hawaiian goodness the trick will be some excellent, sticky teriyaki sauce, a very sharp knife, and time! The trick to the beef is to get a large cut that has even marbling of fat throughout it. I would recommend a flank steak, which is also referred to as a flap steak. You will need a sharp knife to slice the beef VERY thinly (1/4 inch if possible). Next you will marinate the thin slices in that sticky teriyaki sauce. The best recipe I have found is as follows from .
Marinade (enough for at least 4-6 pounds of meat):
Ingredients
1 cup of soy sauce (Any kind)
1 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of Chili Garlic paste (more or less for hotter/milder)
2 tablespoons of minced/crushed garlic
2 tablespoons of minced/crushed ginger
1/4 cup of Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
Hoisin Sauce
Directions
Throw everything except the hoisin sauce into a 1-gallon Ziploc back and mix well. Break apart brown sugar clumps, garlic and ginger.
Once well blended, put your meat in the bag, zip and toss around for good coverage.
Marinade in the refrigerator for a few hours min, up to 24 for best results. Each time you walk in the kitchen, flip the bag around for better coverage.
Get your grill nice and hot (at least 500F)
Grill steak to liking. Flap meat is best served on the rare side and doesn't stand up well beyond medium rare. About 1-2 minutes per side.
Once you flip the steaks (only flip once) brush grilled side with hoisin sauce and let finish cooking. Cook these with lid up, as I don't want the oven effect cooking the meat anymore than the direct heat does.
For the teriyaki chicken, you want to get a whole bone in chicken with the skin on because those are what makes the meat tender. You will want that sharp knife again to cut the chicken into ten pieces (here is a how to link if you've never done it) Then marinade the pieces in the same teriyaki recipe as above for up to 24 hours for best results, and grill the pieces until cooked through.
The kalua pork is traditionally cooked in the ground for several hours with banana leaves and ti leaves, but I have found a very innovative recipe from http://gohawaii.about.com/od/luaurecipes/r/kalua_pig.htm that is much more realistic for those of us living in the suburbs that delivers the same results!
Ingredients:
4-5 pound pork butt
2½ tablespoons Hawaiian salt (substitute kosher salt)
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1 banana leaf (substitute 4-5 whole, unpeeled bananas)
4-6 ti leaves (substitute aluminum foil)
Directions:
Trim any excess fat from the roast. Make several shallow long cuts along the roast or pierce liberally with a fork. (This allows the salt and liquid smoke to penetrate the meat.) Rub with salt and liquid smoke. Wrap the roast with banana leaf or in the absence of same, place whole bananas on top of meat.
Cut the ribs from the ti leaves and wrap over the banana leaf. Substitute aluminum foil, if ti leaves are not available. (Ti leaves can often be obtained from a local florist). Tie securely with twine.
Roast in a 325-350 degree oven for about 45 minutes per pound. When meat is done, remove ti leaves, banana leaf (or bananas) and shred pork.
The last piece of this mixed pate puzzle for your Luau themed party is the "potato mac" salad as they call it. This is a very traditional recipe and allows you to add in whatever you think sounds good.
Macaroni-Potato Salad
(Serves 8)
Ingredients
½ lb. macaroni
8 hard-cooked eggs
3 red potatoes, cooked and cubed
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vinegar
2 cups mayonnaise
½ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. pepper
Directions
Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Separate egg yolks from egg whites. In a small bowl, mash yolks and chill. Chop egg whites; put into a large bowl with macaroni and potatoes. Stir in salt and vinegar; chill overnight.
Add egg yolks and remaining ingredients; gently mix into macaroni mixture. Chill.
Now that we have all the food out of the way we can discuss a couple Hawaiian cocktails! I am going to suggest going with the standard Mai Tai and the delicious Lave Flow. Directions are as follows...
Mai Tai
This will give you one gallon. To alter the quantity go to
Ingredients
2 cups light rum
1 cup dark rum
1 cup 151 proof rum
1 cup orange curacao (orange flavored liqueur)
1 cup almond flavored syrup
1 cup simple syrup
10 limes, juiced
1/2 gallon fresh orange juice
Directions
In a large jar or drink cooler, combine the light rum, dark rum, 151 rum, orange liqueur, almond syrup, simple syrup, and lime juice. Stir and top off with orange juice. Do not use grenadine if you want the true Mai Tai! Serve in 8 to 12 ounce glasses with ice.
Lava Flow
This yields one serving. To change the serving size click on the link above.
Ingredients
1/2 cup strawberries
1 fluid ounce light rum
1 fluid ounce coconut rum
1 banana
2 fluid ounces pineapple juice
2 fluid ounces cream of coconut
Directions
Place strawberries, light rum, and dark rum into a blender. Puree until smooth and pour into a tall glass. Rinse out blender, then puree banana, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut until smooth. Slowly pour the banana mixture into the strawberry mixture and watch the lava rise!
Alright; food, check. Drinks, check. Now decorations and ambiance!
One fun thing to do is to purchase a couple kid pools from your local CVS or Target, and some playground grade sand from your Home Depot. Pour the sand into the kid pools so they are 1/4 to 1/2 full and then fill the rest with water. You can also add some store bought seashells to make it extra authentic. Next put some chairs around the pools so your guests can cool their feet at the beach as they sip on their Hawaiian drinks!
To add to the ambiance, tiki torches are always fun, as well as plumerias, orchids, hibiscus, and birds of paradise. Then some Hawaiian music featuring a ukulele would really top it off!
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