Planning an exotic Tiki party right in your own home? Putting up the right decors—leis, beaded curtains, and miniature idols—and wearing hula skirts and floral prints are not the only way to set the right mood for a tropical party.
Preparing the right food, that is, retro Tiki cooking can make or break your party. The Tiki brand of flavor is a rich blend of sweet and savory spices, tropical fruits and vegetables, meat, and seafood—everything you can imagine with a new tropical twist.
So here are a few tried and tested easy-to-make Tiki party recipes to make your party an authentic Polynesian feast!
BBQ Spareribs
You can use any type of ribs for this recipe. Just season with salt, pepper and garlic powder, cook in a large pan (covered with foil) at 275 degrees for a couple of hours. Prepare the grill when the ribs are almost done—prick the meat with fork to check on its tenderness. When ready, place the ribs on the grill, brush with BBQ.
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Combine ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup teriyaki sauce and 1 tsp prepared mustard.
Tangy Grilled Corn
While boiling frozen corn, mix ½ cup or 1 stick melted butter with ¼ cup teriyaki sauce. When corn is done, place on grill and baste lavishly with teriyaki-butter mix. Remove corn when grill marks appear (about 15 minutes)
Fried Squid
Cut 1 ½ pound squid into half-inch thick rounds, drain well.
For the batter, mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup rice flour, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon peanut oil and 1 teaspoon sugar in a large bowl. Add 1 ¼ water and whisk until smooth. Let batter stand for at least an hour, whisking occasionally.
Toss squid in a mixture of ½ cup flour and ½ cup rice flour, coat evenly. Shake off excess flour and season with salt and pepper. Mix coated squid in the prepared batter and deep fry in hot oil. Fry until crisp and golden brown in color, transfer to paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
Papaya and Frisee Salad with Spicy-Sour Dressing
Combine 4 cups frisee lettuce, 2 cups papaya (half inch cubes), ½ cup roasted, salted cashew, thinly sliced chestnut rounds (6 chestnuts) and 1/3 cup fresh, thin ginger strips. Add dressing, toss lightly and top with sesame seeds.
Spicy-Sour Dressing
Heat 1 tbsp grapeseed oil in a heavy medium skillet over med-high heat, sauté 3 cloves, thinly sliced garlic until golden brown. Add ¼ cup each of 1/8 cubes carrot and red bell pepper; sauté for 2 minutes. Add in & tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar, 5 tbsp lime juice and ¼ cup brown sugar. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat, cool and transfer to a blender, add 1 tbsp chili sauce and blend until smooth. Season with salt and you’re done!
Of course, no party will ever be complete without cocktail drinks. These are the most popular Tiki drinks to match your Tiki cuisine! Here’s some great drink ideas to stock your bamboo tiki bar with.
Surf Rider
2 oz rum
2 oz cranberry juice
2 oz apple juice
dash lemon juice (optional)
Mix in shaker in pour in Tiki mug filled with ice.
Hurricane I
3 oz rum
1 oz lime juice
2 oz Passion Fruit syrup
1 oz orange juice
1/4 oz grenadine
Mix in shaker, pour in Hurricane glass or Tiki mug filled with ice.
Piña Colada
3 1/2 oz rum
2 oz cream of coconut
2 to 3 oz pineapple juice
Splash milk or cream (optional)
Combine in shaker with ice and blend well. Pour in Tiki mug and enjoy!
That’s about everything you might need for a perfect tropical escape. All you need now, which I’m afraid, have no recipes for, is the perfect date to match your perfect food!