Li Hing Mui Vinaigrette Recipe
Meet the Chef: Felix Tai
Aloha, family!
We present the first in the personal collection of recipes shared by Chef Felix Tai, the Executive Chef of the Polynesian Cultural Center and formerly the Head Chef of Pounders Restaurant. These bi-monthly posts, which will be a part of our popular Eat Polynesia recipe series takes us into the world of Chef Tai, where local Hawaiian ingredients are fused in Asian, Polynesian, and Western styles of culinary art.
As several of you know, Pounders is located at the entrance to the most popular paid attraction in Hawaiʻi, the Polynesian Cultural Center, situated on the North Shore of Oʻahu. It is in Lāʻie that Chef Tai has perfected his unique style of island-focused cuisine.
This particular recipe features a favorite ingredient in Hawaiʻi—Li Hing Mui! For the unfamiliar, li hing mui powder (pronounced lee-hee-moo’-ee) is created from dried pickled plums and has a lovely balance of sweet, salty and sour flavors. This local favorite is normally found sprinkled on candy, snacks, fruits, shave ice and is often mixed into drinks. Chef Tai takes us out of the box and creates a fantastic sweet and tangy dressing for salads, breads, and vegetables. Most Ling Hi Mui powder uses aspartame. If you want a version made with natural ingredients, try looking in a local health food store.
Look for another great recipe from Chef Tai’s personal file soon!
Li Hing Mui Vinaigrette Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 60 ml (¼ cup) rice vinegar
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) lemon juice
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) honey
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) Dijon mustard
- 100 g (½ cup) sugar
- 30 g (¼ cup) li hing mui powder
- 240 ml (1 cup) extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a mixing bowl. Whisk while slowly pouring olive oil into the bowl from the side to emulsify.
- Store in refrigerator. Before serving, take dressing out of refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Shake well to re-emulsify before using.