Chicken Hekka (with one modification)

I'm guessing that not too many folks here on the mainland have heard of Chicken Hekka......

So what is Chicken Hekka? Well, most folks I know, and my Mom called it "Chicken Sukiyaki", though I thought it was a bit different than the Sukiyaki I know. There's also a Chinese influence, the addition of bean thread and ginger, and the use of white pepper for flavoring. So I'm not quite sure........

 I can say that it was a nice post-Thanksgiving meal, and really hit the spot on a very rainy day....the first one in over 160 days here in San Diego.

About fifteen years ago, I modified my recipe after seeing a version in Sam Choy's cookbook, With Sam Choy. I did make a couple of changes, including ratios, and not including cornstarch in the marinade.The one thing I took from that recipe was first creating a marinade for the chicken, in addition to the "warishita". That was the last bunch of changes I made, the last time I made this, maybe thirteen of so years ago.

There's one thing you'll quickly notice when looking at the photos of the Chicken Hekka:

Where the tofu??? To be perfectly frank, I forgot to buy tofu....sigh. Call it Karma for kidding Kayako of Umamimart for running out of rice. Since it was raining pretty hard, I decided to try to improvise. What I did have was some aburaage in the freezer, so I thawed that out, and quickly poured some boiling water over it remove the oil from the exterior. I cut the pieces crosswise into triangles and used that in place of tofu. And to be honest, I loved the fried tofu flavor and the aburaage also soaked up all the wonderful flavor of the sauce, so this might be the permanent change.....I'm thinking even thawed frozen tofu, which would soak up liquid like a sponge would work well too.

I also pour some boiling water over the bamboo shoot to remove the smell, which some find unpleasant. Again this is a pretty simple recipe........

 
 Chicken Hekka

1 - 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into cubes

Chicken Marinade:
1/2 Soy Sauce (I use Aloha Shoyu - old habits die hard)
2 Tb Mirin
2 Tb Dark Brown Sugar
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 Tb ginger grated
Dash of white pepper
1/3 Cup Canola Oil

Sauce:
3/4 Cup Soy sauce
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Mirin
1/3 Cup Water

2-3 Tb Canola Oil
1-2 packages of Long Rice (bean thread)
1 15 oz can of Bamboo Shoots sliced
8 oz Shiitake Mushrooms sliced
1 medium onion sliced
1 cup julienned carrot
2 stalks celery sliced
1-2 bunches watercress cut into 1" lengths
5-6 stalks green onion, green part only sliced in 1" lengths
1 2" piece of ginger crushed
1 Block of Tofu cubed or 4oz Aburaage cut into triangles

- Combine marinade items and marinate chicken for 30 minutes
- Combine sauce ingredients
- After marinating for 30 minutes or so. Heat a pot or wok over medium heat.
- Add 2-3 Tb of Canola Oil. Drain chicken and saute with crushed ginger until chicken starts to brown.
- Add the remaining marnade and bring to a boil
- Add onion, carrots, bamboo shoots, and celery and saute for a minute.
- Add the sauce, shiitake mushroom, aburaage(if using) and bean thread, mix, and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Add watercress and tofu (if using), mix gently, bring back to a simmer, and turn off heat.
- Add green onions before removing from heat.

And yes, you'll need rice for this dish....

A Chicken Hekka Story:

Yes, just like my Portuguese Bean Soup, I've got a Chicken Hekka story. The first time I recall having Chicken Hekka was in a garage in Lahaina, Maui. My Mom was from Maui, and we had to return for a funeral. Being just a "Keiki" (this was over 35 years ago), I was quite overwhelmed by all the folks...."uncles" and "aunties" that I had never met, and have never seen since.  There was a gathering, and in the garage there was a large cast iron pan of "Chicken Hekka" being made.  This was "Uncle's" special Chicken Hekka, and he held court, a bottle of Primo in hand. I distinctly remember being mesmerized by the bubbling pan of Hekka. "Uncle" noticed and squatted down.....I instantly caught the scent of pomade, Old Spice, and Primo..... In a whisper, "Uncle" asked me, "you wanna know da' secret of da' hekka?" It was not a question to be answered..... "Uncle" pointed to his bottle of Primo, "it's dis'.......da' secret." Fascinated, I watched "Uncle" making his Hekka and never noticed Primo being added. But the thing that I was most amazed by was that no matter how much Primo he drank, that bottle always seemed full. Hmmmm, the mystery of the unending bottle of Primo.......

Thanks for reading......no worries, a post of San Diego restaurants is coming up tomorrow!

Comments

[Lynnea]

I love all the recent recipe posts =)
thanks for sharing.

[kat]

I heard hekka is a "Hawaii" dish, but I always try to explain it as "sukiyaki" too. We usually have chicken or beef hekka. Good on rice :)

[sawyer]

nicely written! i enjoyed the story at the end...great recipe for this cold weather we've been having. gonna give this a shot after finals.

[Jo`]

THAT, is a great story! Why, one could even say it's a, "Primo Story"! HA! Interestingly, I had a similar funereal in my childhood and I've been creating the flavors ever since. In my case, poundcake. Which, I must say, is now nearly perfect. I have 6 minis and 1 loaf currently soaking in rum syrup even as I write this... ;o)

[bill]

That looks great and very simple to do. Thanks

[Daimyo]

I love these recipes! My mom's also from Maui and I always get a laugh when you pull out these "local" type dishes. Hekka, porta-gee soup....if you can pull a guri guri recipe that comes close to Tasaka's at Maui mall its over!

[Carol]

haha, thanks for sharing da family story and secret! My mom used to make something a little like this but it was her own concoction of sorts and she used frozen tofu. Loved bean threads.

[Kirk]

Hi Lynnea - Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoy these type of posts. I'm never quite sure if I should do my cooking stuff....

Hi Kat - Yes, you must have rice!

Hi Sawyer - Here's something else that's funny....my mom always considered this "health food". ;o)

Hi Jo - I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Nice to hear from you.

Hi Bill - This is really easy to make...it's all prep.

Hi Daimyo - It's really nice to hear from you. I'm really starting to go back and do some of the kinda "old-style" local dishes. Guri guri, huh? Now that might be a bit of a stretch.....

Hi Carol - Frozen tofu in this would be great, as it would soak up all the juices.

[kirbie]

How funny. This weekend I was at a restaurant and trying to figure out what the heck was sukiyaki. Too bad I didn't see your post prior to my dining experience.

[Kirk]

Hi Kirbie - Sukiyaki is a hot pot style dish. I will say that I've never had really good sukiyaki for under $25 per person in a restaurant. Most places make it really watered down.

[Su-Lin]

I've not heard of hekka before - learn something new everyday!

[Kirk]

Hi Su-Lin - Hekka is pretty much only found in Hawaii....so I don't think most folks even know about it. Thanks for reading!

[Janfrederick]

Well, I finally got around to making this last night. I think the flavor was better than the version I'd made in the past (I think I got the recipe from the Watanabe Hee book). However, I think I used way too many noodles (8 oz dry), and so it was a bit on the dry/noodly side. But I'll take that over bland.

By the way, I skimmed off some of the oil from the marinade before adding it because it seemed a bit much. Also, I sauteed the veggies before adding the liquids. Did you cook the marinade separately to reduce it? Or was it to kill the bad chicken juice?

[Kirk]

Hi Jan - I cooked the marinade right after browning the chicken....I wanted some color on the chicken, grey is rather unappetizing. This got rid of anything that would be considered "bad chicken juice". I also saute the vegetables before adding "the sauce", remember there are two liquids here...the marinade, and the sauce. 8oz bean thread is four times what I use...so no wonder all the juice got sucked up.....sounds like your making a variation of Chicken Long Rice...come to think of it...you're using twice the amount I use for chicken long rice! LOL! You've invented a new dish! JanFrederick's Hekka! ;o)

[kyle]

Love chicken hekka. Are you cooking anything special for the new year? Nishime, ozoni, kobumake? Miss being in Hawaii around the new years for that type of food. Oh yeah and the ahi.

[Kirk]

Hi Kyle - You know....I haven't even thought about that yet! Hmmmm.....I haven't made konbumaki in ages....

[WillD]

Really late comment. Snow here in Chicago over the weekend. Read the blog every day as I'm a Hawaii expat - Hilo boy originally - living in Chicago for the last 15 years...What a great recipe...made it last night with snow falling...oh so ono...just my bro and me as da wife is on a business trip to your neck of the woods - SoCal...so again thanks for the recipe...so much better than the one I've been using...mahalo and mele kalikimaka to you and yours...a hui hou.

[Kirk]

Hi Will - Thanks for taking the time out to comment. I'm glad the Hekka turned out well. Thanks also for letting me know how the recipe turned out! Happy Holidays, and keep warm!

[ahfook808]

i'm originally from lahaina and wonder if you or your mom/family remember the "fry soup" chow fun from liberty restaurant on front street. the restaurant has been closed for a long time now, and the recipe for the chow fun is a mystery...i've tried, and am constantly experimenting with some basic ingredients for some recipes that have been given to me. any insights/help??

[Kirk]

Aaaah Liberty Restaurant.... the chowfun had french fries in it....wrapped in pink butcher paper. I haven't had anything like that in years....and don't even know where to start. Maybe someone reading will have a clue. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.... and bringing back some great memories.