Chef Chai and Anne in Chinatown

Chai Chaowasaree, the state’s only Thai-trained chef, has been creating wonderful dishes for 30-plus years. His namesake restaurant features Asian fusion cuisine, and for a limited time will offer a course menu showcasing popular dishes in Thai cuisine.

Okinawan Shoyu Pork Belly
Ingredients
3 lbs. Pork Belly, Cut into large Cubes
2 cups water or chicken stock (enough to cover the pork)
1 cup Shoyu
½ cup Awamori
½ cup mirin
4 ounces Ginger, slices
12 cloves Garlic
1 onion, cut in half
2.5 ounces brown sugar or white sugar
½ tablespoon ground black pepper

Preparations
In a hot pot or deep pan, put the pork direct to the pan without any oil with medium high heat and brown all sides of the pork about 1-2 minutes on each side.
Once the pork are brown add brown sugar, stir for 10-15 seconds, add shoyu and cook until the shoyu almost getting thick. Add Awamori, Mirin, cook for 30 seconds add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. At this point you should have enough liquid to cover the pork, if not add more water. Remove any scum and simmer with low low heat for 1.5 hours. Check for the tenderness of the pork, add more time of need.

TIP by adding sugar and shoyu before other liquids, this will help give darker color of your pork and sauce.


Aloha Awamori Lemon Drop
Ingredients
3 oz. Lemon Awamori
1 oz. Cointreau or Triple Sec
1 oz. simple syrup
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
1.5 cups of ice
Some sugar to make sugar rim
Garnish with thin sliced lemon wheel

Preparations
Add sugar to a plate, moisten the of a chilled martini glass with the juices lemon.
Turn the a glass upside down and twist into the sugar, set aside
In a shaker cup add ice, Lemon Awamori, Cointreau, lemon juice, simple syrup and shake well for 30 seconds. Strain and pour into the sugar rimmed glass.

TIP you can add many ingredients into the sugar before you make the sugar rimed glasses, such as Li Hing powder, crystal salt, chili powder, etc…
This will add another flavor to the drink.


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