Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 35, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 2018 — WAI NIU POACHED FISH FILET [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]
WAI NIU POACHED FISH FILET
By Kealoha Domingo
Traditional lawalu is typically a whole fish, tightly wrapped in ti leaves and cooked on an open fire. It imparts a unique flavor due to the charring and direct contact of the ti leaves combined with the fish eooking in its own juices. This method is a simpler adaptation, likely with some influence from my Chinese grandfather Yun Young Pang, who often steamed and poached fish when I was a child. INGREDIENTS > 2 pounds of fish fillet - opah, ono, mahimahi - cut into 4 ounee pieces > 4 ti leaves, cleaned and trimmed POACHING LIQUID > 6 cups wai niu (coconut water) > Small handful of wāpine (lemongrass) stalks > 6-8 garlic cloves, whole crushed > 2-4 fingers of ginger, peeled and crushed > 2 tablespoons Hawaiian salt