Students from four Leeward high school culinary programs presented their best versions of local fish and Ewa sweet onion at the Mahi’ai Gala May 3 at Aloun Farms.

Teams from Nanakuli, Waipahu, Campbell and Kapolei high schools cooked marlin, tilapia and kampachi alongside the Aloun onions and any other produce they requested from the farm to create tasty, upscale dishes.

Kapolei took top honors with a pan-fried marlin served with roasted red pepper relish. It was served alongside bruschetta topped with sweet onion, anchovy and Kalamata olive.

Nanakuli coated Big Island kampachi with herbs, topped it with crisped skin and served it atop onions set in lettuce leaves. Campbell’s offering was tilapia crusted with the onion and coated in panko; it was served with a coconut cream sauce, seasoned bell pepper and sweet potato mash. Waipahu’s panko-macadamia nut crusted tilapia was accompanied by a sweet onion salsa, spicy honey mayo, garlic-onion fried rice, and onion and kale saute.

The event was a benefit for the culinary programs, organized by Aloun. It followed Aloun’s Ewa sweet onion festival held the week before.

Among judges were chef Alan Wong, Aloun President Alec Sou and Kapiolani Community College chef-instructor Grant Sato.

The culinary teams also produced dishes for dinner guests, including pineapple kalua pork sliders and watermelon poke (Campbell); curried kabocha soup, and macadamia nut and pineapple cobbler (Kapolei); seafood pasta and spiced cashew rice (Nanakuli); and chicken with bok choy and furikake rice, and braised short ribs with caramelized onions (Waipahu).

One recipe especially friendly to home cooks is the curried kabocha soup, shared by Kapolei culinary teacher Cynthia Pratt. 

Curried Kabocha Puree Garnished with Maple Bacon, Pecans and Black Pepper

1 medium to large kabocha 
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup diced sweet round onion
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger root
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 cup water
2 cups coconut milk, or more depending on desired thickness
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
White pepper, to taste

>> Garnish:
3/4 cup bacon crumbles (fully cooked item; sold at Costco under Kirkland brand)
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup, or to taste
1 tablespoon coarse black pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry kabocha. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Pierce several times with chef fork. Bake up to 1 hour, until soft. Cool, then cut in half, discard seeds and scrape out pulp. Discard skin.

In large soup pot, melt butter with the vegetable oil. Saute onion and ginger. Add curry powder and water, and cook on medium-low heat for several minutes, stirring constantly. Add kabocha, coconut milk and salt. Bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer until kabocha is tender, about 15 minutes. Use immersion blender or puree in food processor or blender, a bit at a time. Adjust taste with salt and white pepper. Garnish with bacon-pecan mix and serve. Serves 7 to 8. 

To make garnish: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In large bowl, place bacon and pecans, and drizzle with just enough maple syrup to moisten. Sprinkle generously with coarse black pepper. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cool, then break apart. Store in an airtight container. 

Nutritional information unavailable.