SLIDERS... "Island Style"

King's Hawaiian
Sweet Dinner Rolls

Sliders remind me of the old White Castle square shaped mini-burgers sold years ago when I was a child. They were a small hamburger with onions and yellow mustard served on a soft bun, and sometimes they were referred to a "sliders". Today's sliders have evolved from the White Castle mini-burger into a small culinary wonder. Creative cooks are filling dinner rolls and flat breads with anything they can think of to create two bite snacks that are perfect as appetizers or doubled up to make a meal. In Hawaii, we like sweet bread, so I like to serve my island style sliders with King’s Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls, a soft, tasty Portuguese style sweet bread. Try these island style slider recipes, they're simply too good to pass up!

Grilled Beef Teriyaki Sliders
with Fresh Pineapple

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
2/3 cup teriyaki sauce (see my story on making homemade teriyaki sauce, "Talking Teriyaki", much better than store bought teriyaki sauce, and easy to make)
2 fresh pineapple slices, each cut into 4 pieces.
8 King's Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls, available at Sam's Club

Procedure:
Mix ground beef, bell pepper, green onion and 2 tablespoons of teriyaki Sauce in medium bowl until well blended. Shape into 8 patties. Grill over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes per side or until burgers are cooked through, brushing frequently with remaining teriyaki Sauce. Grill pineapple slices 1 minute per side or until grill marks appear. Cut each into 4 pieces. If desired, toast rolls on the grill, open-side down, about 30 seconds.  Serve sliders on rolls with a pineapple slice pinned on top of bun with a toothpick. Makes 8 sliders, enough for 4 servings.

Shrimp Sliders with Spicy Mayonnaise
Ingredients:
1-1 pound bag, peeled frozen shrimp, thawed, pat-dry, and finely chopped
1/4 of a small red onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled, finely chopped
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground pepper

1 egg
canola oil
8 King's Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls, toasted, available at Sam's Club

cucumber slices
 cut thin
spicy mayonnaise (recipe follows)

Spicy Mayonnaise Ingredients:

1/4 cup Sriracha sauce (Chinese chili sauce)

3/4 cup of Best brand mayonnaise

1/3 cup of fresh lime juice

3 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger

Procedure:
Mix spicy mayonnaise ingredients together, and refrigerate. In a large bowl, mix the shrimp with red onion, cilantro, garlic, scallion, jalapeno, sea salt, pepper, and egg. Divide into 8 equal patties and refrigerate for about 2 hours.



Grill the shrimp patties in a large pan with a little oil for about 3 minutes on each side, until fully cooked. Meanwhile, toast the buns lightly and set side. To serve, place the shrimp patty on the bun, top with spicy mayonnaise, and some thinly sliced cucumber slices. Serve immediately. Makes 8 shrimp sliders, enough for 4 servings.

Oven Roasted Sirloin Sliders 
with Pineapple Chutney

Ingredients:
1 3/4 pounds ground sirloin
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 egg whites
6 tablespoons hoisin sauce, divided
24 King's Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls, available at Sam's Club
Pineapple Chutney (recipe below)

Pineapple Chutney Ingredients:

1 pound diced pineapple
1 large sweet yellow onion, diced
1/2 small red bell pepper, diced small
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
Kosher salt, to taste

Procedure for Pineapple Chutney:

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low, and simmer until pineapple starts falling apart and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Procedure for Sirloin Sliders:
Preheat oven 450˚F. Line baking sheet with foil. In large bowl, combine all ingredients except rolls using 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce. Form into miniature patties (heaping tablespoons depending on size of bun) and place on prepared pan. Brush tops of burgers with remaining 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until done. Slit rolls and place burger with about a tablespoon of chutney. Make 24 sliders, enough for 12 servings.

Ground Pork Sliders 

with Cilantro Mayonnaise
Ingredients:
1/8 small green cabbage
1/4 small red bell pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 medium scallion
one 1-inch piece fresh ginger
1 garlic clove
1/2 pound lean ground pork
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cilantro Mayonnaise (see recipe below)
8 King's Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls, available at Sam's Club

Procedure:
Finely chop the cabbage (about 1/3 cup), bell pepper (about 1/4 cup), basil (about 2 tablespoons), and scallion (about 2 tablespoons); peel and Microplane-grate the ginger (1 teaspoon). Combine the cabbage, bell pepper, basil, scallion, and ginger in a large bowl and press in the garlic (about 1 teaspoon). Gently stir in the pork, soy sauce, salt, and sesame oil and shape the mixture into 8 mini burgers. Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat until hot. Add the burgers and cook for 2 minutes per side, or until just cooked through. Meanwhile, prepare the Cilantro Mayonnaise. Serve the sliders topped with Cilantro Mayonnaise. Makes 8 sliders, enough for 4 servings.

Cilantro Mayonnaise:
Stir together 1/4 cup Best brand mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro, 1 teaspoon lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Sliders with Asian Slaw

Ingredients for the slaw:

½ napa cabbage (sometimes called Chinese cabbage), shredded finely
2 carrots, matchstick cut
3.5 ounces daikon radish, matchstick cut
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Mirin rice wine (sweet Japanese cooking wine)
1 tablespoon sour cream or mayonnaise
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for the Chicken:
12 small chicken thighs
1/4 cup basil, finely chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons Tamari, Japanese soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (Chinese chili sauce)

4 tablespoons canola oil
12 King's Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls, available at Sam's Club

Procedure:

To make the Asian slaw: In a large bowl, put half the shredded Napa cabbage and all of the carrots and radish, and add in the rice vinegar and Mirin rice wine. Mix well to coat evenly, and let rest for 30 minutes. While the slaw rests, prepare the chicken: With a sharp cooking scissor remove the skin and the bone from the chicken thighs. In a bowl combine basil, green onions, maple syrup, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili with the chicken thighs. Mix the meat mixture thoroughly to distribute the flavors evenly. Heat a large frying pan with canola oil. Place the chicken thighs in the frying pan and sauté about 10 minutes on both sides. Let them become golden and slightly caramelized. Remove chicken and drain on paper towels. Cut chicken into thin slices. Taste for additional seasoning. Add the remaining shredded cabbage, the green onions and the sour cream (or mayo) to the slaw and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To assemble the sliders, toast the buns (in the oven, in a skillet or on the BBQ), then generously garnish each bun with chicken and slaw. Be careful not to pick up too much liquid from the slaw to make sure your buns won’t turn soggy. Makes 12 sliders, enough for 6 servings.