Recipe: Hawaiian Pa'i'ai With Lychee, Ho'io And Dried Shrimp
Prep Time:
1 hour, 15 minutes
Cook Time:
15 minutes
Servings:
8 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups fiddlehead ferns
  • ½ cup white soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons mirin
  • 8 lychee pieces—peeled, seeded and chopped
  • 5 tablespoons dried shrimp
  • 1 pound pa'i'ai loaf, cut into ½-inch-thick squares and left at room temperature for 1 hour
  • Canola oil, for frying
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
Directions
  1. Make the relish: Prepare a large ice bath. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fiddlehead ferns and cook for 2 to 2½ minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ferns to the prepared ice bath. Drain and place them in a medium mixing bowl. Add the white soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and mirin, and whisk to combine. Fold in the lychee and dried shrimp. Let the mixture marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, make the pa'i'ai: Line a sheet tray with paper towels. Working in 2 batches, fill a large frying pan over medium-high heat with ¼ inch of oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add 4 slices of pa'i'ai and fry until the bottoms are crispy and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes until the other sides are crispy. Transfer to the prepared sheet tray and season both sides of each slice with salt while still warm.
  3. Divide the fried pa'i'ai among 8 plates. Using a slotted spoon, top the pa'i'ai with the relish, garnish with the scallions and serve.