Chayote chicken part of Hawaii’s Plantation Village celebration

Sure, we all love fruity desserts, but as Hawaii’s Plantation Village points out, fruit can also be cooked and enjoyed as a main dish. Think pastele stew, pineapple meatballs and chayote chicken soup. At the village’s May event on Saturday, these dishes will be part of the celebration themed “Plantation Fruits & Toys.”

Also on the menu: banana lumpia, almond float and fresh fruit pops.

And since Saturday is Boy’s Day, activities will also feature old-timey games such as shooting marbles, plus a special Kashiwa mochi for the holiday. In the Gentry Room at noon, film buffs can view a screening of “Picture Bride.”

Here, the village’s Ravinia Cabbab shares her recipe for chayote chicken soup. Chayote, also called pear squash, pipinola and sayote, is considered a fruit because of its seed but is treated like a squash. Something to note about processing chayote: Its fruit secretes a sap that can irritate skin, so wear gloves when cutting or peeling the fruit.

Cabbab, born on a sugar plantation on Maui to Filipino immigrants, returned to the Philippines with her family as a toddler and learned to make this dish as a girl. By the time she was 13 years old, she was the cook of the family.

Cabbab moved back to Hawaii as a young adult, and now shares her cooking skills at village events.

PLANTATION VILLAGE CHAYOTE CHICKEN

By Ravinia Cabbab

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, mashed
• 1 stewing chicken, cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces (substitute with 4 boneless, skinless thighs)
• 4 cups second-rinse rice water (see note)
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can chicken broth
• 4 chayote
• Chayote shoots (optional)
• Salt or patis, to taste (optional)

>> Note: Place raw rice in a bowl and rinse with water. Drain. Add water again to the bowl, rinse again and use 4 cups of the rinse water for recipe.

Place oil in heated pot. Add ginger and saute until fragrant. Add chicken and stir-fry until pieces are no longer pink.

Add rice water and bring to a boil. Add chicken broth and return to boil. Simmer until chicken is tender.

In the meantime, using gloves, peel off chayote skin, remove seed and cut into bite-size pieces.

Add chayote to pot and add seasonings if desired. Cook 20 minutes or until you can easily pierce chayote with fork or chopstick. If using chayote shoots, add several minutes before end of cooking time. Serves 4.

Nutritional information unavailable.