Jan 28
Hawaiʻi is famous for beaches, volcanoes, tropical flowers, and lush mountain forests, but some of the islands’ most extraordinary natural treasures have feathers. Millions of years of geographic isolation allowed birds arriving in the Hawaiian Islands to evolve independently from their relatives elsewhere. Over time, this produced an astonishing collection of species found nowhere else …
Dec 29
Spam musubi is one of those foods that proves a simple combination can be incredibly satisfying. A slice of savory, browned Spam rests on a compact block of warm white rice, and a strip of nori wraps around the center to hold everything together. The version pictured on this page is wonderfully classic: white rice …
Dec 24
Sweet grilled pineapple, juicy beef patties, sticky teriyaki glaze, and soft slider rolls make these tropical-inspired mini burgers an easy choice for summer cookouts, backyard parties, and casual dinners. They are small enough to serve as party food but filling enough to become the centerpiece of a relaxed meal. The best part of this recipe …
Dec 23
Crispy pan-fried Spam, caramelized pineapple, and a glossy teriyaki glaze come together in this quick sweet-and-savory skillet recipe. Serve it over hot rice for an easy dinner, tuck it into a sandwich, or add it to a casual tropical-inspired party spread. Spam has a genuine and distinctive place in modern Hawaiʻi food culture. Its popularity …
Dec 22
Sweet pineapple, savory ham, tangy tomato sauce, and bubbling mozzarella make Hawaiian pizza one of the world’s most recognizable—and most debated—pizza combinations. Whether pineapple belongs on pizza may never be settled, but if you enjoy that sweet-and-savory contrast, making it at home is surprisingly easy. Despite its name, Hawaiian pizza did not originate in Hawaiʻi. …
Dec 02
Tender pieces of beef coated in a sweet-savory teriyaki marinade and grilled until caramelized around the edges make these easy teriyaki beef skewers perfect for summer cookouts, weeknight dinners, and casual parties. The marinade combines soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, honey, fresh ginger, and garlic. As the skewers hit the hot grill, the sugars begin …
Nov 18
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
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
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
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 …
