Island Pantry
Some typical recipes from a lunchwagon

By Kaui Philpotts

Doris Nabarro shows off the roast port with gravy at the Tsukenjo Lunch House lunchwago, which does business at the corner of Ward Avenue and Queen Street. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

"Soda was a dime, and so was custard pie," said Nabarro, sitting comfortably in the driver's seat of the bright red Tsukenjo Lunch House wagon parked near the corner of Ward Avenue and Queen Street.

That was 40 years ago, and the wagon has always occupied a space in the surrounding neighborhood. She thinks it's the home-cooked taste that has kept them in business.

When she was growing up, her father was first a fisherman, then a carpenter and finally a city and county worker, with seven children to feed. Her mother, Mitsuko Tsukenjo, worked as a housemaid for a local haole family. It was there that she learned to make the '50s-style meat loaf, swiss steak, mahimahi (soaked in milk) and roast pork that are so popular at the wagon. Nabarro learned how to cook those dishes, as well as the sweet sour spareribs, curry stew and fried noodles beloved by local lunchtime customers.

"People come by and tell us they came to the lunchwagon when they were kids," she recalled. "And now they're bringing their own kids." Other customers tell her that they pass by the wagon every day and notice the long lines and decide to try it.

The most-requested lunch is the roast pork, Nabarro said. She thinks it's because of the brown gravy, which is liberally poured over shredded pork butt that looks a little like kalua pig. Originally her mother slow-cooked the pork chunks covered in the oven, adding water to the pan to keep the meat moist and soft. But today, she places the pot on top of a grill in their plate lunch restaurant at 705 Cooke St. in Kaka'ako. The pork cooks slowly for about three hours.

Then she makes the famous brown gravy. She adds water to the pan drippings along with a liberal amount of Hawaiian rock salt. There's even a little bit of Ajinomoto (monosodium glutamate), although she has eliminated it from most of the other dishes, as well as Kitchen Bouquet and black pepper. When it all comes to a boil, she slowly adds a paste made of one part cornstarch and two parts flour thinned with water. She stirs this constantly until the gravy thickens. The stove is immediately turned off at this point.

Tsukenjo staffers makes their own old-fashioned French dressing, but they've given up making the kim chee, which Nabarro said is just too much work.

The Tsukenjo lunchwagon is just one of a fleet of independent restaurants on wheels that pull up every day near downtown office buildings, construction and surf sites. If you have not had a plate lunch from one, you cannot consider yourself a real, local resident.

Lunchwagons began as a way to feed hungry plantation workers who didn't bring their own bento (cold box lunches) from home. During World War II, they fed hungry military workers as well. Their popularity has continued, in spite of competition from Mainland fastfood chains, and shows no sign of waning.

Nabarro believes that's because plate-lunch food tastes like home food. The basic plate lunch is made up of two scoops of rice, a choice of macaroni or tossed green salad, meat and gravy. University of Hawai'i home economics students once figured a plate lunch could pack a wallop of as much as 1,400 calories, but many may have more than that.

"People will order the rice and roast pork and gravy," said

Nabarro. "Then they have the tossed salad and a diet coke so that they can feel better about it."

Here are some typical lunchwagon plate lunch recipes for you to try at home.

Barbecued Short Ribs

• 3 pounds short ribs
• Oil for frying
• 1 onion, sliced into rounds
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup tomato catsup

In a heavy skillet or dutch oven, over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Brown the short ribs and onion. Mix together the vinegar, sugar, water, worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and tomato catsup. Pour over the browned short ribs and cover.

Simmer slowly for 1à to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. Add water if needed during the simmering process.

Serve with hot rice. Serves 4 to 6.

Local-style Fried Chicken

• 3 pounds chicken breasts and thighs, boneless
• 1/2 cup shoyu
• 1/3 cup mirin (rice wine)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Oil for frying

Cut the boned chicken into large chunks. In a bowl, combine the shoyu, mirin, sugar, ginger, garlic and water. Add the chicken to the marinade and refrigerate for about 2 hours, turning occasionally. In another bowl, combine the cornstarch and sugar. Roll the marinated chicken pieces in the mixture. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, and fry the chicken until browned and crispy. Drain on absorbent towels and serve. Serves 4 to 6.

Pork Cutlet Katsu

• 4 pork loin chops, without the bone
• Salt to taste
• Flour for dredging
• 1 egg, beaten
• Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) for dredging
• Oil for frying
• Katsu sauce:
• 1/2 cup tomato catsup
• 3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon shoyu

Pound the pork chops with a mallet to soften. Sprinkle with salt. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Place the flour and panko on small plates or waxed paper. Coat the cutlets with flour, then dip in the beaten egg, and then in the panko. Fry the cutlets until browned on both sides and cooked through. Drain on absorbent towels.

In a small bowl, mix together the catsup, worcestershire sauce and shoyu. Cut the fried pork cutlets into strips and serve with hot white rice and the dipping sauce. Serves 4.