The thing that really showed the most improvement from my first attempt at Katsu Chicken Hawaiian Plate Lunch and Macaroni Salad was the chicken. It was moist and tender on the inside with a perfectly light and crunchy outer crust. We couldn't stop eating it.
This time I also nailed the Hawaiian-style Macaroni Salad. If you've never eaten it, macaroni salad in Hawaii is just glorified pasta and mayonnaise. It is not at all like the stateside version with celery, onions, pickles, and hard-boiled egg. I am a big fan of the stateside version, but the Hawaiian style is growing on me. It lends itself well to the plate-lunch-style meal where everything is crammed onto the plate, or usually a styrofoam container. Macaroni salad's somewhat bland island cousin lets the other flavors on the plate stand out.
Hawaiian-Style Macaroni Salad
Equipment
- Small bowl
- Small saucepan
Ingredients
- 4 ounces elbow macaroni dry
- 1 large carrot diced small
- 2 ounces flaked imitation crabmeat
- ½ cup mayonnaise you may need to add more
- ½ teaspoon Salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon White pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon Rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
Instructions
- Boil the macaroni until al dente. Do not overcook it. It will continue to cook a bit until cooled and will soak up the mayonnaise and soften. Drain the pasta well and place uncovered in the refrigerator until completely cooled.
- You can speed up the process by stirring it around a couple of times while it's cooling.
- Peel and dice a carrot. Cook until barely tender but still crisp in a pan of boiling water. Drain well and cool in the fridge with the macaroni.
- When the macaroni and carrots are completely chilled, remove from the refrigerator and add the flaked imitation crabmeat. Stir in the mayonnaise. Taste. Add salt and pepper until it suits your taste.
- I deliberately did not salt the pasta water because the mayonnaise adds a lot of saltiness. You can always add more but you can't remove it. The amount of salt and pepper you add is entirely per your liking.
- Refrigerate until serving time. You will probably find that the macaroni has soaked up the mayonnaise and you may have to add more. Typically this style of macaroni sale is mayonnaise heavy. Again, this is entirely up to you.
Nutrition
Approximate nutrition information is provided as a convenience and courtesy only. You are encouraged to do your own calculations if precise data is required.
We take every effort to ensure that the estimated meal cost per serving is accurate. We use a meal cost analysis application that estimates the cost of a recipe based on groceries purchased at a Walmart store in my geographical area, northern California.
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