Chickie Flautas

MY HAWAIIAN KITCHEN
Delectable memoirs of living on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai high above the famed Kona Coast on the beguiling Big Island of Hawaii.

 

  

Dear Journal – Today I lay suspended, floating effortlessly in azure waters.  I love it under there.  I’m such a happy intruder to that busy world that goes mostly unseen, the world just below the surface of the blue Pacific. Offshore from Kahalu’u Beach, decked out with snorkel, mask and fins I bob and drift and circle, snooping amongst the coral and lava, becoming an expert looky-loo.  Creatures and formations so eerily beautiful they seem more dreamlike than real.  And the colors.  Brilliant, sumptuous colors that my eyes cannot draw away from.  Straying towards the horizon I swim alongside four huge graceful honu (turtles).  They gaze at me.  I marvel at them. We part ways on good terms.  Slowly I turn back towards shore surrounded by curious onlookers; butterfly fish, schools of surgeon fish, a wrasse here, a tang there, and of course the famed humuhumunukunukuapua’a.  Technicolor everywhere.  Bliss right here.  Beaming, I peel off my underwater spy equipment in the heat of the tropical sun and head up the salt and pepper beach to join the gang for a picnic.  Hungry from our octopuses garden adventures we exchange fish stories while munching and crunching fresh-rolled-this-morning flautas and yummy sauce made from avocados we grew ourselves.  Good food, good day.  Lucky we live Hawaii

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12  6-inch corn or flour tortillas or 8  8-inch flour tortillas

Vegetable oil

 

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

¼ cup flour

Hawaiian salt and Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice

4 green onions, chopped

1 small can (4 ounces) diced mild green chiles

3 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken

AVOCADO SAUCE

2 medium avocadoes, peeled and seeded
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
½ cup sour cream

¾ teaspoon onion salt
10 drops Hawaiian chile water or hot pepper sauce

 

Soften tortillas by heating just a few seconds on each side in a frying pan over medium high heat with a little vegetable oil in pan.  Remove with tongs to paper towel lined plate. Set aside. 

 

In medium skillet or pot melt butter, blend in flour, salt and pepper to taste.  Add chicken broth.  Cook and stir until mixture thickens and bubbles.  Add cilantro, 3 tablespoons lime juice, green onion and green chiles.  Stir in chicken until well combined.  Set aside to cool, about 30 minutes. Place 2-4 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on each tortilla.  Roll up very tightly, securing with wooden picks.  Fry in large skillet, over medium high heat in about ½ inch vegetable, canola or peanut oil for 3-6 minutes.  Drape with Avocado Sauce and serve hot.  Or put flautas and sauce in separate  plastic containers, throw them in the cooler and enjoy a yummy beach day.  Serves 4 to 6.