Leah L Harbottle
Gregory HarbottleWhat is “Home”?
When we think about the concept of going home, we usually mean the place we grew up or where our family resides. But can the feeling of “home” mean different things to different people?
Does it extend beyond just where you were reared to an area where you’ve spent the most time or how about a destination you’ve frequently visited and felt the most comfortable? From our experience, “home” might just be any of the above.
We recently had the chance to take some time off and visit friends and family in one our favorite annual vacation destinations – the Pacific Northwest. Exchanging “palms for pines”, we spent about a week on Whidbey Island and then attended a beautiful family wedding on Carillon Point in Kirkland, WA.
As with any great trip, we couldn’t help but notice the bittersweet sentiment when it was time to leave the company and place we enjoy so much.
Driving the long winding curves of the Pali to Lahaina, we reminisced about our sweet Pacific Northwest memories and began to acclimate to our surroundings – palm trees silhouetted against the moon while a Henry Kapono song wafts in from a nearby speaker.
Pulling into our driveway after almost two weeks away we had the realization that there are many versions of “home” but for us, this is the ultimate one.
Neither of us were born on Maui, but we each chose it, intentionally, as our home.
As we took turns giving scratches to a deliriously happy Gidget and enjoyed the evening lights illuminating the familiarity of our yard, we realized how much we loved our vacation but how absolutely happy we were to be home, especially because that home is MAUI.
Aloha, Greg & Leah
Here’s a great recipe from Sheldon Simeon for a great family meal, Chicken Hekka!
Chicken Hekka
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup shoyu (soy sauce)
- 3/4 cup mirin
- 6 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 6 ounces dried cellophane or glass noodles, or rice vermicelli
- 2 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 pounds boneless, skin-on chicken thighs, sliced into 1-inch-wide strips
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (from a 2-inch piece)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
- 1 cup diagonal-cut carrot slices
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 (14-ounce) can baby corn, halved lengthwise on the diagonal
- 1 cup canned sliced bamboo shoots
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups fresh watercress, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 small baby bok choy, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 4 ounces aburaage (deep-fried tofu), sliced into 1/2-inch-wide strips, or 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cubed
- 6 scallions
- Cooked rice, for serving (optional)
Instructions
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, shoyu, and mirin and set aside. Place the dried shiitakes in a bowl and cover with warm water to soften. Place the noodles in a bowl and cover with warm water to soften.
2. In a large wok or Dutch oven, heat the sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, increase the heat to high, and sauté until the meat is mostly cooked, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add the carrots, onion, baby corn, bamboo shoots, shoyu mixture, and chicken broth. Reserving the soaking liquid, drain the mushrooms, cut off and discard any stems, and slice the caps. Add them and the soaking liquid to the pan. Bring all of this to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Drain the cellophane noodles (they should be softened at this point) and cut into 3-inch lengths. Add them to the pan along with the watercress, baby bok choy, abura age, and scallions and simmer until the greens are blanched but firm, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Serve with cooked rice, if desired.
Notes
Reprinted with permission from Cook Real Hawai’i by Sheldon Simeon and Garrett Snyder, copyright © 2021. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
ENJOY!