August 23, 2023 — Poi Dog Sauces, purveyors of Hawai’i at home condiments led by founder and acclaimed Chef Kiki Aranita, announces the line’s expansion with the addition of a brand-new sauce, Huli Huli. Launched just in time for summer grilling season, Aranita debuted the versatile pineapple-based marinade and dipping sauce at the brand’s inaugural appearance at Cherry Bombe Jubilee – the annual conference celebrating women and creatives in the world of food and drink.
“I grew up in Hawaii Kai, a suburb of Honolulu. It was an idyllic place to spend one’s childhood – a couple miles away from Hanauma Bay, where my sister and I would swim in calm waters while fish nibbled at our toes. There is a Foodland at the halfway point between home and the road up the mountain to Hanauma Bay and on weekends, the perfume of smoke and roasting chickens would nearly reach our house,” said Aranita. “Huli Huli smoke was a siren call for us to line up – in the Foodland parking lot, but also the backroads of Kaneohe and the edges of the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium – knowing that our fingers would soon be oil slicked and blackened, tearing into chicken flesh, seasoned with soy, maybe some pineapple, and a lot of smoke.”
Poi Dog’s Huli Huli sauce grabs all those essences and memories and bottles them, resulting in a sauce packed with sweet pineapple, deeply savory miso, and fragrant Chinese five-spice. Exceptionally versatile, it can be used to baste chicken, but also gives vegetables, mushrooms, and even burgers, a deep, sweet savoriness.“Huli” is Hawaiian for ‘turn’ with“Huli Huli” referring to many turns and the method of cooking Huli Huli Chicken over on open flame.
Poi Dog sauces was born from the pandemic shuttering of Philadelphia’s beloved Poi Dog restaurant, which served people who missed and loved Hawai’i all along the Northeast corridor. Luckily, the heartbeat of Poi Dog continues in Aranita’s line of unique, island-inspired sauces comprising of Chili Peppah Water, Guava Katsu Sauce, and now – Huli Huli.
Condiment enthusiasts are encouraged to get creative and come up with new ways of using these classic flavors from Hawai’i and can shop Poi Dog sauces in select retailers in California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, and Virginia. Huli Huli is available for $16.99-17.99 MSRP per bottle and in 64 oz PET jugs at $261 per case ($0.68 per oz), specifically designed for food service. The sauces are also available on the mainland for shipping direct to consumer via the Poi Dog website. A BBQ trio (1 x 5 oz bottle of Chili Peppah Water Batch: Amarillo Espelette, 1 x 12 oz bottle of Guava Katsu, 1 x 12 oz bottle of Brand New Huli Huli) is available now for $39 and is the perfect gift set for kitchen masters to beginners. Available for food service through CW Dunnet. Contact Ari Miller (amiller@cwdunnet.com). The retail sizes of Chili Peppah Water and Guava Katsu are carried by Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-Op.
See below for product descriptions.
HULI HULI
Sweet pineapple, deeply savory miso, fragrant Chinese five-spice. These are the notes that make the Poi Dog Huli Huli sauce sing. I grew up in Hawaii Kai, a suburb of Honolulu. It was an idyllic place to spend one’s childhood – a couple miles away from Hanauma Bay, where my sister and I would swim in calm waters while fish nibbled at our toes. There is a Foodland at the halfway point between home and the road up the mountain to Hanauma Bay and on weekends, the perfume of smoke and roasting chickens would nearly reach our house. “Huli Huli” means “to turn,” and those chickens turned slowly on sizzling spits. Huli Huli smoke was a siren call for us to line up – in the Foodland parking lot, but also the backroads of Kaneohe and the edges of the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium – knowing that our fingers would soon be oil slicked and blackened, tearing into chicken flesh, seasoned with soy, maybe some pineapple, and a lot of smoke. Poi Dog’s Huli Huli sauce grabs all those essences and memories and bottles them – but the sauce is versatile. Use it to baste your chickens, but also give your mushrooms, your vegetables, your burgers, a deep, sweet savoriness.
CHILI PEPPAH WATER
Chili Peppah Water is found on most tables in Hawai’i, nestled next to the shoyu. We say “chili peppah water over everything” and “everything” refers to rice, meats, macaroni salad, vegetables. This version lends everything a spicy, vinegary tang, a gingery kick laced with Hawaiian Sea Salt and it is made with seasonal Pennsylvania peppers so batches will change depending on when they are brewed.
Every batch of Chili Peppah Water will vary slightly, depending on the types of fresh peppers available each season. Hot peppers used are typically padron peppers, long hots and red rocket peppers. Sweet peppers used are typically lunch box peppers.
Ingredients: Water, Rice Vinegar, Distilled Vinegar, Red Peppers, Green Peppers, Onion, Sugar, Sea Salt, Ginger, Ancho Pepper
VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE // 5 oz glass bottle, $8.50
GUAVA KATSU SAUCE
Tropical, umami-rich, fruity, and gingery. A Japanese-style BBQ and dipping sauce made with guava, miso, ginger, tomato, and dried mushroom. Meaty, rich, and deeply flavorful — but it happens to be vegan!
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Guava Paste, Filtered Water, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, White Miso, Ginger, Fresh Garlic, Onion, Mushroom, White Pepper, All Spice
12 oz glass bottle, $16
ONE LAST NOTE
The heartbeat of Poi Dog restaurant and spirit of aloha continues in Aranita’s line of unique, island-inspired sauces. Please note, Poi Dog sauces are not “Hawaiian-themed”. As Aranita states in Poi Dog restaurant’s Inquirer obituary, “the root of our food and culture is not a theme.”
Poi Dog, a pidgin term for mixed breed or mutt, celebrates the diverse fusion of cultures that makes up ‘local food’ in Hawai’i. The blend of ingredients – from China, Japan, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Okinawa, Korea, and the Philippine Islands – with traditional Hawaiian food, was born on the sugarcane plantations, where Aranita’s great grandparents and grandparents lived and worked. Today, this food feels like home for Aranita and continues to inspire her multicultural culinary creations.
Mahalo!
– Hannah Church