The Restaurant in the Chock Chin Store
Chock Chin's store in Hanalei had a popular restaurant and bakery area in it. This establishment was a fixture in the community, feeding local villagers, visitors from the port, plantation workers and paniolos from the nearby ranches. The name of the Chock Chin Store was later changed to C. Akeoni, Lau Store and then Hanalei Store in 1931 after Chock Chin died and Mrs. Chock Chin sold the store to Charles Lau, a rice farmer who later farmed taro. The store remained open as a restaurant, meat market, and general store until 1941. C.Akeoni was the Hawaiian-ized version of the name Chock Chin. It was offered [...]
Chock Chin in Hanalei History
In the Hawaiian Encyclopedia there is a long section about the history of Hanalei. Chock Chin appears in there several times, as he had many businesses and enterprises and played an important role in the economy of the area. Here are the excerpts where he is mentioned. Chock Chin Lily Pond Hanalei Lily Pond in 1955 "Chock Chin dug a lotus pond (now called The Lily Pond) alongside the main road in Hanalei town where it may still be seen today. A freshwater spring replenished the pond, which Chock Chin stocked with edible lotus roots and fish. "The lotus [...]
Nee Chang Chock Wong
Susan Chock, Harry Wong, Nee Chang Chock Wong -- Honolulu 1981 Nee Chang Chock was the daughter of Chock Chin and his third Chinese wife, Chun Shee. She was born on 17 February 1908 in Hanalei, and was married to Harry Chow Wong on 31 August 1931 in Honolulu. They lived in Honolulu and she taught school there. On her gravestone it reads, Retired schoolteacher, Aloha. She passed away on 17 January 2002 in Honolulu, having lived a beautiful, long, life. You can visit her grave at Nuuanu Memorial Park in Honolulu. I visited Nee Chang and Harry on a trip to [...]
Wilfred and Violet Chock’s children – 1943
This photo was in George Chock's photo album, and had the date 7 Feb 1943 on the back, but the people were not identified. Fortunately, Bob Chinn has identified them for me (thanks, Bob!), These are the children of Wilfred and Violet Chock. Left to Right: Wallace Chock, James Chock, Bertha Chock Fong, Marjorie Chock and Evelyn Chock Mun.
Celebrating Ching Ming
Along with the entire Chinese community in Kauai (and globally), Chock Chin led his family in the annual celebration of Ching Ming. Daughter Dorothy remembers: "When it was Ching Ming or decoration Day, Papa sometimes roasted a pig. There would be large bowls and dishes filled with whole boiled chicken, boiled pork, fried fish, crabs and duck eggs. Rice, teas, liquor, and cakes were included. "Papa ingeniously constructed large portable food boxes with two removable trays in each, in which the dishes of food were placed. Uncle, sitting in front with Wilfred, accompanied us in the wagon to the Chinese [...]
Char Siu Bao – Steamed Pork Buns
These are not hard to make, but you really need to pay attention to the ingredients if you want them to taste like the kind you get at a Chinese bakery or dim sum house. And if you don't have a bamboo steamer, this recipe is reason enough to get one.
Ingredients
Yeast Dough:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
- 3/4 cup lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 cups flour
Filling:
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- salt and ground white pepper to taste
- 2 scallions, chopped white and green parts
- 1/2 pound char siu, diced
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Combine sugar, salt, white, pepper, soy sauce, oyster sauce and water in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute. Add the char siu and stir well. Add the soy sauce and oyster sauce mixture and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes, until the pork is heated through.
- Add the Shaoxing rice wine to the dissolved cornstarch. Add the wine and cornstarch mixture to the warm pork and cook, stirring constantly, for another minute until the mixture has come together into a mass that you can mound. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool at room temperature before using.
- Put the yeast in a small bowl, add the water and set aside for 1 minute to soften. Whisk in the oil to blend and dissolve the yeast. Set aside.
- Combine sugar, baking powder and flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture. Slowly stir with a wooden spoon, moving from the center toward the rim, to work in all the flour. Keep stirring as a ragged but soft dough forms. Then use your fingers to gather and pat the dough together into a ball. Transfer to a clean work surface and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic.
- Place the dough in a large bowl that has been lightly oiled. Cover with plastic wrap and put it in a warm, draft-free place to rise for 45 minutes until the dough has nearly doubled.
- Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Cut the dough in half and roll into a foot-long log. Cut the log into eight pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball and flatten gently into a small disc. Using a small rolling pin roll the edges and only the edges. There should be a small bulge at the center of the dough.
- Place a tablespoon of the char siu filling in the center of the dough. Wrap the filling by pressing and pulling the edges of the dough. Gather the edges and twist the top to fully cover the filling.
- Place each bun on a square of wax paper before steaming. Steam the buns in a bamboo steamer for 15 minutes, being careful to leave 1-2 inches between each.