LILIKO'Ī-GINGER SWEET AND SOUR GROUPER

SOURCE: JEAN-MARIE JOSSELIN. A TASTE OF HAWAII: NEW COOKING FROM THE CROSSROADS OF THE PACIFIC.

Chinese tastes arrived on the Hawaiian shores in 1852 through Cantonese laborers contracted to cultivate the burgeoning sugarcane plantations. This indentured servitude of immigrants, for better or for worse, inadvertently introduced the Yue cuisine of Guangdong to locals, and Hawaiians learned how to adopt and refine the culinary concept of “sweet and sour” into their own cooking and in accordance to their own beloved tropical flavors and produce. One favorite ingredient for the desired “sweet and sour” effect in sauces is the liliko'ī or passion fruit, which intensely packs an intriguing sugary and tart punch and a unique fruity and floral aroma in its juices to an extremely lean and delicate fish, such as the deepwater bottom-dwelling hapuʻupuʻu or grouper.

Ingredients

1 cup/250 mL rice wine

1/2 cup/10 grams chopped basil leaves, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results

2 teaspoons/2 grams minced fresh red chiles

1/2 cup/120 mL freshly squeezed lemon juice

Salt

1 1/2 pounds/680 grams grouper fillets, cut into 3-inch/7.6-cm strips

Peanut oil

1 medium onion, sliced into rings

Liliko'ī -Ginger Sweet-Sour Sauce

3 tablespoons/45 grams vegetable oil

2 cups/100 grams coarsely chopped onions

1 teaspoon/5 grams finely chopped garlic

1/2 cup/75 grams diced green bell peppers

1/2 cup/75 grams diced red bell peppers

3 tablespoons/18 grams minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoons/10 mL rice wine

1/3 cup/80 mL chicken stock

1 cup/240 mL passion fruit juice

2 teaspoons/10 mL fish sauce

2 tablespoons/30 mL light soy sauce, preferably reduced-sodium

2 tablespoons/20 grams cornstarch

Specific Equipment

Large mixing bowl

Colander

Deep-bottomed saucepan or wok

OPTIONAL: Thermometer

Tray

Medium saucepan or wok

Small bowl

Serves 4

Instructions

1. Stir rice wine, basil, chili pepper, lemon juice, and salt in a large mixing bowl until well-blended. Marinate in the grouper fillets for at least 20 minutes. Drain the fish fillets thoroughly through a colander.

2. Heat the peanut oil in a deep-bottomed saucepan or wok over medium-high heat or until the thermometer reads to 375°F/190°C.

3. Dredge the grouper fillets in a tray filled with flour until well-coated. Deep-fry the fish fillets for 4 minutes or until they have turned golden brown. Remove the sea bass fillets from the deep-bottomed saucepan or wok and transfer them to a serving platter. Set aside in a warm place.

4. Heat the vegetable in a medium saucepan or wok over medium heat. Sauté in the onion and garlic for 1 to 2 minutes or until they soften and turn translucent. Stir in the red and green bell peppers and sauté for 1 minute, making sure they do not take on any color. Stir in the ginger and wine and reduce the liquid for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken stock and passion fruit juice and bring to a boil. Simmer the sauce for 2 minutes and stir in the fish sauce and soy sauce.

5. Dissolve the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons/30 mL cold water in a small bowl and pour into the sauce mixture. Simmer for 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon. Remove the medium saucepan or wok from heat and spoon the sauce over the grouper fillets before serving.