Hawaiian Haystacks

Never heard of Hawaiian Haystacks? Its sort of similar to a Chicken-a-la-King dish but better!

   This is my own recipe version of Hawaiian Haystacks using coconut milk and ginger root.
   This dish is a favorite of ours because you can customize your own dish by adding as many or as little toppings as you like. The dish consists of layers; the first being the "haystack"=cooked rice then you add your favorite toppings (suggestions at the end of recipe), the chicken sauce, and last garnish with pineapple and crunchy chow mien noodles.
   *In using fresh ginger, try this trick I learned from Rachel Ray. Break off the root pieces and peel them, place individual pieces on wax paper and wrap tightly securing ends by twisting like candy pieces, place all wrapped pieces in a freezer bag and freeze up to 6 months (don't forget to label the bag and add the date). I do this when I bring home ginger from the store because it is so much easier to cut or grate frozen ginger. Just cut off the frozen piece that you need for your recipe and wrap the rest before it thaws, back in the wax paper and put back into the freezer for next time: Other ideas for using ginger: grate into soups, stir-fry or teas; it's so good for you.
   

Ingredients for Chicken Sauce:
1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon of butter
1 small onion-about 3/4 cup minced
1/2 Tablespoon minced ginger root
2 cloves garlic minced
13.5 oz. can Coconut Milk
1-10 3/4 oz. can Cream of Celery soup
1-10 3/4 oz. can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 Tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce (hot chili sauce)-add more if you like it spicy.
1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
1 small cooked rotisserie chicken; meat removed and chopped into bite size pieces.

 Directions for Chicken Sauce:

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot; add onions and cook until translucent.
2. Add minced ginger and garlic; cook stirring constantly for 1 minute.
3. Add to the pot the coconut milk, cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup, chicken stock, soy sauce, sriracha sauce and rice vinegar and whisk until smooth. Reduce heat so not to scald the sauce and cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the cooked chicken pieces and again cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. 

Serves 6

Assemble haystacks:
Place cooked rice in the middle of plate forming a nest; add suggested toppings (see below), pour Chicken Sauce over the top and garnish with chow mien noodles, pineapple and scallions (see below other suggested garnishes). Add more soy sauce and sriracha on top if you like!

Suggested haystack toppings: to place on top of rice "nest"-no need to heat the toppings. I serve them room temperature. Pouring the hot chicken sauce over the top heats them up.
PEAS
STEAMED BROCCOLI and/or CAULIFLOWER
GRATED CARROT
SLICED CHESTNUTS
SLICED CELERY
SAUTEED MUSHROOMS
COOKED GREEN BEANS

Suggested garnishes: to place on top of chicken sauce.
CHOW MIEN NOODLES
PINEAPPLE TIDBITS
SLICED SCALLIONS
FRENCH'S FRENCH FRIED ONIONS
DRY ROASTED SUNFLOWER SEEDS