Author's posts
Nov 18
Hawaiʻi-Style Shoyu Ahi Poke: Easy Tuna Poke Recipe
Fresh cubes of ʻahi tuna, savory shoyu, nutty sesame oil, sweet onion, and green onion come together in this simple Hawaiʻi-style poke recipe. There is no complicated cooking technique and no long list of toppings—the quality of the fish and the balance of the seasonings do most of the work. Poke has deep roots in …
Nov 11
Hawaiʻi-Style Shoyu Chicken: Sweet-Savory Soy-Braised Chicken Thighs
Tender chicken thighs simmered in a sweet-savory mixture of shoyu, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic make shoyu chicken one of Hawaiʻi’s most comforting local dishes. The chicken absorbs the salty-sweet sauce as it cooks, creating a simple meal that is especially good spooned over hot white rice. Shoyu chicken reflects the multicultural food traditions that …
Nov 04
Huli Huli Chicken with Grilled Pineapple: Easy Hawaiʻi-Style Recipe
Smoky grilled chicken, a sticky sweet-savory glaze, fresh ginger, garlic, and caramelized pineapple make this huli huli-style chicken an irresistible backyard barbecue recipe. The chicken marinates in a shoyu-and-pineapple mixture before hitting the grill, where repeated turning and glazing create beautifully browned edges and plenty of flavor. Huli huli chicken is a genuine Hawaiʻi local …
Oct 28
Korean Kalbi Short Ribs: Easy Grilled LA Galbi Recipe
Thin beef short ribs marinated in shoyu, Asian pear, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and sesame oil are grilled over high heat until tender, smoky, and beautifully caramelized. These Korean kalbi ribs cook surprisingly quickly, making them perfect for backyard barbecues, family dinners, and Hawaiʻi-style plate lunches. Kalbi—also commonly romanized as galbi—means ribs in Korean. The …
Oct 18
Hawaiian Poke: History, Traditional Ingredients & Modern Poke Bowls
Poke has traveled an extraordinary distance from the fishing communities of Hawaiʻi to supermarket counters, restaurants, and customizable bowl shops around the world. Today, the word may bring to mind cubes of ahi arranged over rice with avocado, cucumber, spicy mayonnaise, and an assortment of toppings, but the roots of poke are much simpler—and distinctly …
Oct 18
Hawaiian Food Guide: Traditional Dishes & Local Hawaiʻi Favorites
Ask someone what “Hawaiian food” means and you may hear wildly different answers. One person pictures poi, laulau, kālua pork, limu, and fresh fish. Another immediately thinks of Spam musubi, loco moco, macaroni salad, chicken katsu, garlic shrimp, or a plate lunch covered in teriyaki sauce. Someone who has never been to Hawaiʻi may picture …
Oct 18
Hawaiian Islands Travel Guide: Which Island Should You Visit?
Choosing a Hawaiian island can be surprisingly difficult. Photographs make the islands look interchangeable: palm trees, blue water, mountains, beaches, waterfalls, sunsets. Once you actually start planning, however, the differences become obvious. A week on Oʻahu feels very different from a week on Kauaʻi. Hawaiʻi Island requires a completely different travel strategy from compact Lānaʻi. …
Oct 14
Hawaiian Kālua Pork: Easy Oven Recipe for Tender Shredded Pork
Tender, juicy pork seasoned simply with Hawaiian sea salt and a touch of smoke is the heart of kālua pork. Traditionally, kālua pig is cooked slowly in an imu, a Hawaiian underground oven heated with hot stones. The result is deeply tender pork that can be pulled into fine shreds and served alongside poi, lomi …
Oct 07
Classic Loco Moco Recipe: Hawaiʻi-Style Hamburger, Rice, Gravy & Egg
A mound of hot white rice topped with a juicy hamburger patty, rich brown gravy, and a fried egg may sound simple, but together those four ingredients create one of Hawaiʻi’s best-loved comfort foods: loco moco. Born in Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island in the late 1940s, loco moco is a distinctly local creation rather than …
Sep 30
Crispy Chicken Katsu: Japanese Cutlet & Hawaiʻi Plate Lunch Favorite
Juicy chicken wrapped in a light, shatteringly crisp panko crust makes chicken katsu one of the most satisfying fried cutlets you can make at home. Serve it Japanese-style with shredded cabbage and tonkatsu sauce, or turn it into a Hawaiʻi-style plate lunch with steamed white rice, macaroni salad, and plenty of katsu sauce. Chicken katsu …
