L & L hawaiian BBQ macaroni salad?!
L & L hawaiian BBQ macaroni salad?
Does anybody know what exactly is on their macaroni salad?? I only like their macaroni salad and would love to make it at home....but havent figured it out yet..
Answers:
Sorry to see the lack of responses on this question. I love L&L's macaroni salad, too. But I also like the fried shrimp, mahi mahi, Loco Moco, garlic shrimp,and even the Spam saimin.
Anyhow, getting back to the macaroni salad. Normally, it's too bland for me, so I usually get potato salad if there's a choice. L&L's is different. It's very tasty. My original idea was to add just a little ketchup to Best Foods mayo with a little mustard added in. The next time I had it, I ruled out the ketchup. I've travelled to Hawaii many times, but the last time I was there was 20 years ago. Hawaiians like to add coconut milk, pineapple, and/or teriyaki to many of their dishes. So if I were trying to duplicate it, the first thing I'd try is coconut milk. You can get it a couple of ways. You could get a whole coconut at the grocery store. Refrigerate it, and then crack it open. The milk will flow out, so be careful how you crack it. Add just a little of the milk to your mayo/mustard mixture. The alternative to whole coconut is coconut extract. Go to a liquor store and look for a can of Coco Lopez coconut extract. It is coconut milk that has been boiled down to a thick concentration. Don't get heavy handed adding it to your mixture. Just a little goes a long way. And don't throw the remainder of Coco Lopez away. Use it to make Pina Coladas (rum, Coco Lopez, and pineapple juice). Recipes for P/C are all over the internet. Just do a search on "pina colada". Now back to L&L. Another ingredient Hawaiians use is teriyaki. The basic ingredients are soy (or shoyu) sauce, fresh ginger, and pineapple juice. Soy sauce is REALLY SALTY. Use shoyu instead. (The condiment bar at L&L's has shoyu sauce. Take one of the little plastic tubs and get some shoyu. Be sure you get a lid to keep it from spilling on the way home.) Start by just adding a little shoyu. If that doesn't get you close, make teriyaki. Start with about 1/2 a cup of shoyu, Peel one of the fingers of a fresh ginger. Cut a few slices off, and add to the shoyu. Taste the shoyu. There shouldn't be a salty flavor. Add more ginger if required. Now add just enough pineapple juice (Dole is best. Hawaiian pineapple is much sweeter than South American.) to give the teriyaki a slight sweet taste. Set the teriyaki in the refrigerator for a while to let the flavors blend. Add just a little teriyaki to your sauce, and try. If it still isn't quite there, try adding a LITTLE pineapple juice. I'm really shooting in the dark here. I really have no idea what L&L uses. But I do know what Hawaiians typically use. I wish you luck, and hope this works for you.
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 lb imitation crabmeat, chopped
9 ounces frozen peas, cooked
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 large hard-boiled eggs, grated
1/4 teaspoon pickle relish
salt and pepper
1/2 chopped yellow onion (optional) or 2 chopped scallions (optional)
3/4 quart Best Foods Mayonnaise, as needed
1.Boil macaroni to al dente - do not over cook; drain & cool.
2.Add all other ingredients to cooled macaroni then add the mayo. The macaroni will absorb the mayo, so you may want to make your salad a day ahead to let the flavors combine. You might also want to add more mayo just before serving. Enjoy!