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Hawai‘i is home to a broad mix of culinary influences that shape the food you can find on the island today. True Hawaiian cuisine refers specifically to the traditional foods and ingredients of Native Hawaiians, like poi, ‘uala (sweet potatoes), ‘ulu (breadfruit), and mai‘a (bananas), which carry ties to Native Hawaiian spirituality, land stewardship, and subsistence practices. With so many influences ranging from Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Korean, and Filipino cuisines, Hawai‘i-inspired cuisine is vast and delicious. Here are 15 Hawai‘i-inspired recipes that might have escaped your recipe box so far.
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Malasadas
“Aloha! Here in Hawaii, malasadas are the ONLY donuts we have!” says Allrecipes member IDAJ. “They are sold at fundraisers and are very popular. There are many Portuguese descendants in the islands. Onolicious!
Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread
“This is a keeper! Very most and delicious! My family and friends love it,” says reviewer CoolYeast8024. “It’s also great for breakfast with cream cheese. People who say they don’t like banana bread love this!”
Island-Style Fried Rice
“Don’t be intimidated by the SPAM and TRY this recipe!” says DREGINEK. “I made this to pair with my Hawaiian themed dinner and it was a HIT!! My son-in-law devoured!”
Maui Girl’s Mango Pie
“This pie is one of the first things I make each year when mangoes start falling off of the tree,” says reviewer Rich Haney. “My family and my friends all look forward to it, and my friends are more than happy to supply me with mangoes from their trees…the flavor is delicious, especially with really good mangoes right from the tree.”
Shoyu Chicken
“I’ve eaten lots of shoyu chicken and I have the recipe in my head. But today when I wanted to teach my son to make it, I found this recipe that almost exactly matches my own mental recipe,” says reviewer Maraluisa David. “After over 25 years in Hawai’i, it seems like the one closest to the one that the Obachans taught me at the temples when I was a teen. One thing though, we don’t usually barbecue it but cook it in the oven.”
Hawaiian Pork Hash
“This is a great recipe! Being born and raised in Hawaii and now living in Las Vegas, my husband and I crave the comforts of home. These were easy to make and so ONO,” says reviewer MrsN. “Our local market didn’t have round wonton skins so I used the square ones instead. And I used my rice cooker (with the steamer tray that came with it) to steam it…they came out perfectly. Thanks for sharing this recipe, it’s exactly like the ones we used to buy from our neighborhood Manapua Man.”
Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp Scampi
“Driving up to the North Shore to the shrimp trucks is one of the things I miss most about living in Honolulu,” says reviewer Jon Hennington. “This is by far the closest recipe I’ve found to that exact flavor. Perfect! Shell off or on really doesn’t matter. On is authentic, but off is so much easier to eat and the flavors are nearly identical. I cannot recommend this enough!”
Hawaiian Haystacks
Quenton Dawson
“Rice topped with creamy sauce, lots of veggies, and crunchy noodles make this a quick and easy bust still great anytime meal!” says Allrecipes member J.
Hawaiian-Style Kalua Pork
John Mitzewich
“This Hawaiian-style kalua pork method is the one used by home cooks, to come as close as possible to cooking underground, which is what kalua means,” says Chef John. “Slow-roasting the pork wrapped in banana leaves makes for a truly amazing flavor.”
Ulu (Breadfruit) Pancakes
“When the ‘ulu ripens too quickly, this is a great recipe to use,” says reviewer Briana Rodrique. “My baby loves them, and I can freeze them after making. Can take out a few at a time when I need them.”
Deconstructed Spam Musubi
“I was craving Spam musubi, but without a musubi maker/rice press, I improvised with this deconstructed version,” says Allrecipes member gammaray. “I was told this dish is required at all our future potlucks.”
Ahi Shoyu Poke
Allrecipes / Diana Chistruga
“Quick, simple and DELICIOUS!” says reviewer ERIC. “The only variations to this recipe that I made were using Hawaiian red salt in lieu of sea salt, going heavy on the sesame oil, and I added a a little sriracha.”
Kalbi Ribs
Kalbi ribs come from Korea, but this recipe from Allrecipes member DeenaMae uses Hawai’i-style teriyaki marinade. “Excellent! Can’t wait to make them again. The only complaint was I didn’t make enough,” says reviewer Lisa.
Huli Huli Chicken
France C
“‘Huli Huli Chicken’ (turn, turn) was invented by Ernest Morgado when he cooked teriyaki chicken for a group of farmers in 1955,” says Allrecipes member Mama Smith. “This has been a Hawaiian staple with sticky rice ever since. This is my family’s version of Huli Huli Chicken. Use aji mirin (sweet rice wine) in place of sherry if desired.”
Ono Butter Mochi
“This is a great recipe for mochi cake. My mother in law is from Kauai, and this is just like hers,” says reviewer Parker. “It’s easy to make, tastes onolicious, and is great to bring for potluck or a bake sale!”