Polynesian Ha’ka Goes Italian: Fast, Easy and Healthy

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This morning I thought about all the holiday leftovers you may have. I have a really easy, fast way to make new meals from any left leftover turkey, lamb, pork, beef or whatever you have.

I don’t know if you saw “Fast, Easy To Do, Healthy Cooking From Polynesia And The Philippines In One Pot,” which I posted here a few weeks ago. If not, there is a link below for your convenience. 

That article like this one, is about how you can prepare several tasty servings quickly, cheaply and easily, in a Wok.
 
I used to prepared meals in what I would call the old fashioned way, after OD-ing on way too many cooking shows. I used to spend hours preparing meals, that I have now found out can be done in about 30-45 minutes. There is a bonus too. You can reheat these Ha’kas in a just few minutes. 

I used to take all kinds of unnecessary, time consuming steps. I sautéed, I boiled and I fried, then assembled it all.  I don’t have allot of time for all that these days, like most people. Imagine my relief when I found that I didn’t have to do all that work and still be able to enjoy great meals. 

I have no idea how much I am saving now on energy, doing everything at once, with the final product being just as good as the ones I labored over. I do know it saves lots of time and is cheaper.

I use a Polynesian Ha’ka cooking (boiling) technique, as I mentioned a few weeks ago. The method is simple. 

Polynesians combine all their ingredients, pretty much all at once, in a pot. The trick of it is being sure you have enough, but not too much water. You are not making soup.

You can decide too, what vegetables go into your Ha’ka. My Trinity is onions, garlic, and pechay, a cousin of Chinese cabbage, which tastes like spinach, (To me) when cooked.
This generic Ha’ka recipe is really simple and you decide what ingredients go into it. It is very healthy way to cook, as well as saves you time. 

I usually make enough for four of five meals. You simply heat what you need up again with a little water in a non-stick pan.
You will note in this article, as with the last one, I don’t use oils, sugar or much salt. 

My basic spices are basil, oregano and black pepper. You can also add bay leaves, fennel seed, chilies or cilantro too, if you want.

The basic premise here is you can do about whatever you want. Another premise to cooking Ha’ka style is ignoring everything you have been told about cooking techniques, because they really aren’t necessary, unless you host a Television Cooking Show or are selling Cook Books.
 

This Ha’ka is Polynesian Cooking Goes Italian. Last time it was Filipino. I have found though, that many of the spices used in Polynesian, Filipino and Asian cooking are pretty much the same. The real difference with this approach is that there is no frying.

Here’s how it works. You will need pasta, onions, Tomato sauce, garlic, pechay plus meat, pork, lamb or poultry. This is where holiday left overs can find their final resting place. And, don’t worry if you combine different leftovers. This will still be great.

If you are starting from scratch, bring about quart of water to a boil, in a covered wok and put your meat (Half pound) in. first. (If using leftovers, chop them up and put them in later with the tomato sauce.) After a few minutes, it will be half cooked and then put in about a pound of medium shell pasta and stir. This is when you have to keep an eye on the water level.
 
You want to keep the pasta and meat nearly covered by the water, but not like you are making soup. The pasta, vegetables will begin thickening your Italian Ha’ka.

When pasta is half done put in your vegetables and spices. You may want to consider adding eggplant, zucchini or both, too. Stir every few minutes and keep your water gently boiling, slightly covering your ingredients. 

If you find the pasta is sticking to the bottom of the wok, you don’t have enough water.
Put in your leftovers and tomato sauce. I use about 500 grams. It just depends how thick you want your Ha’Ka to be. 

Buy tomato sauce that doesn’t have any additives like sugar, salt, or anything you can’t pronounce.


After about five minutes you are about done and can let your Italian Ha’ka cool. I store future meals in Tupperware. 

You can reheat using a little water. No microwaving since I have been told, that destroys all the nutrients. Plus reheating with water is just as fast.

You are good to go. You can top your meal with a little cheese or maybe a touch of wine or dark cane vinegar.

 
One reason too that this is a very healthy cooking technique is because of how you cook the food. You don’t loose any of the ingredients’ natural vitamins and minerals.

Below is the link to my previous article about Polynesian-Filipino Ha'ka Cooking in a Wok.
http://johnsheehan17.blogspot.com/2012/12/fast-easy-to-do-healthy-cooking-from.html