On 2/11/2014 6:04 PM, dsi1 wrote:
> On 2/11/2014 12:50 PM, James Silverton wrote:
>> Saimin at McD's around Honolulu is tolerable if that is the only place
>> to get it. Now, at Lahaina on Maui, Saimin is something else!
>>
>>
>
> Saimin is tough to get right. Back in the 60s and 70s, one could get a
> nice bowl because there were many saimin shops in Honolulu. A lot of
> them were hole in the wall, low rent places, with a counter to sit at.
> The problem is that you pretty much have to cook the noodles to order
> and not let cooked noodles sit. The guy making the saimin will grab a
> mound of noodles and throw them in a giant pot of simmering water. After
> a couple of minutes, they fish the noodles out with a net and rinse them
> in cold water. The noodles are then placed in a bowl and hot broth is
> poured on top. It's so simple! Unfortunately, most places don't cook
> noodles this way and you get gummy, soggy, noodles. A tragedy!
>
> I was in Maui, last weekend. Too bad. Do you know of any hole in the
> wall, low rent shops, with a counter to sit at?

Sorry, it's a while since I was in Hawaii but but the temple of saimin
is Hamura's in Lihue, Kauai. Like many things Hawaiian, it is
cross-cultural contamination (“fusion" to be polite) but it is basically
Japanese noodle soup with practically any additions allowed. It can have
no fat or a little depending on the additions or the noodles used.
Spaghetti noodles have a smaller fat content than Ramen.



--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not." in Reply To.