10 Essential Hawaii Pantry Ingredients

We use soy sauce / shoyu in many local recipes.

Aloha Soy Sauce is especially popular in Hawaii and can be found at almost every supermarket.

We use shoyu in everything from Shoyu Chicken (a super delicious local dish) to Shoyu Hot Dogs and Hot Sesame Oil Tofu!

If you can't find Aloha brand soy sauce, you can also use Kikkoman, another very popular brand.

We go through so much roasted sesame oil at home, I purchase by the 56 ounce container from Costco Hawaii!

This 11 ounce bottle however, is much more practical for everyday use. I love the smell and taste of sesame oil.

Kadoya is a popular brand and reliable favorite. You can find it at most Asian markets and online. If you're in Hawaii, you can also buy it at Costco and Longs Drugs (which is secretly CVS).

Hawaiian Sea Salt is an important ingredient for many Hawaiian and Local dishes including Lau Lau, Hawaiian Boiled Peanuts, Poke (and even Tofu Poke), and our super tasty Beef Stew.

Large grains and a not-as-salty flavor makes Hawaiian sea salt distinct.

This is our go-to brand for rice vinegar. It's reliable, affordable, and tasty.

We use it in many recipes like Somen Salad, Shoyu Chicken, and Pickled Mango.

Rice vinegar is found at Asian markets (and most supermarkets in Hawaii).

Make sure you purchase the plain rice vinegar. They have a variety of rice vinegars and some are seasoned.

Mirin is a type of rice wine. Imagine sake, but sweeter and with a much lower alcohol content.

It provide a gentle sweetness and balance to local Hawaii favorites like Kalbi, Local-Style Chicken Tofu, and Miso Salmon. Plus Misoyaki Butterfish!

Cellophane Noodles are awesome! They're versatile and soak up flavor so well. These noodles go by many different names:

• Cellophane Noodles
• Glass Noodles
• Mung Bean Noodles
• Bean Thread Noodles
• Long Rice Noodles (this is the term we mostly use in Hawaii)

You'll find these noodles featured in recipes like Glass Noodles And Cabbage Stir Fry, Chicken Long Rice, and Buddha's Delight (Lo Han Jai). Buy a lot and keep them stocked in the pantry, they always come in handy.

Dried Shiitake Mushrooms are very essential. Buy the whole mushroom (don't buy the sliced mushrooms). They have so much flavor!

Store them in a sealed bag in your refrigerator. They will keep for a long time. And you'll always have a use for them.

Popular recipes using dried shiitake mushrooms include Chicken Hekka, Hawaii's Famous Oxtail Soup, and Ozoni (Japanese New Year Mochi Soup).

To use the dried mushrooms, simply rehydrate them in a bowl of warm water until soft. Save the soaking water (use it in any recipe - replace water or chicken broth with the mushroom soaking water).

Furikake is a savory Japanese seasoning made of nori (seaweed), dried bonito, and sesame seeds.

This specific furikake is the most popular around town. Costco Hawaii even sells a giant container of it!

We like to use furikake to make Furikake Salmon, Furikake Chex Mix, Spam Musubi, and Hurricane Popcorn!

You can also just sprinkle it on a bowl of rice for a simple and tasty snack.

Oyster Sauce is one of those not-so-secret powerhouse ingredients. It makes everything extra delicious.

There are a ton of different brands on the market and even vegetarian versions, but our favorite is this Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce. It's a classic for a reason.

Use oyster sauce in recipes like Gau Gee, Hawaii's Local-Style Chow Fun, and Fried Saimin.

Rice!! Perhaps the single most important item on this list ^_^

There are a million different types of rice you can buy. We currently have 6 different types of rice in the pantry. We are obsessed with rice in Hawaii.

For nice/fancy rice, we like The Rice Factory (in Honolulu). We also like Marukai or Nijiya (they have a wide selection).

Nishiki Premium Rice is a good everyday rice that's reliable and tasty. It's a great one to start with! Then once you start exploring more rice you can try all sorts of different rice. You can also mix white and brown rice to make "hapa rice" (very popular in Hawaii).