Hawaiian food and local food are not the same thing (but visitors often get the two mixed up).
We covered Hawaiian food recipes in this post. And today we'll cover local food recipes.
Local Food
What is local food? Local food is the food of Hawaii.
Local food is not Hawaiian food. It's also not Chinese food, Japanese food, Korean food, or Filipino food. Local food is a combination of ALL those different types of food.
Local food is a melting pot of many types of Asian food, plus traditional Hawaiian food and also Portuguese food! There's also a tiny bit of European food mixed in there, but that is very minor.
These different cuisines made their way to Hawaii a long time ago via immigrants (mostly during Hawaii's 19th century sugar plantation era). And because we love food in Hawaii, all the cuisines got beautifully mashed together and then evolved over time to adapt to Hawaii (in terms of ingredient accessibility, local tastes, weather, etc)...and that's how local food was created.
Some very cool and specific examples of how local food came to be:
- Manapua evolved from Chinese char siu bao.
- Pork Hash came from Chinese siu mai.
- Chicken Hekka came from Japanese sukiyaki.
- Samin is a combo mix of Chinese wonton mein, Japanese ramen, and Filipino pancit.
Hawaii Local Recipes
When you're in Hawaii, make sure to check out all our local restaurants. We love places like Ethel's Grill, Zippy's (aka Hawaii's local diner, you'll find the full menu of local dishes at Zippy's), Shige's Saimin Stand, Shiro's Saimin Haven, ‘Ōlena by Chef Ron Simon, Feast (for slightly fancier version of local plate lunches), Char Hung Sut, Tin Roof Maui, Hamura Saimin (don't skip lilikoi chiffon pie for dessert), Sam Sato's (there's a recipe below for the famous dry mein from Sam Sato's) and Liliha Bakery...just to name a few!
When you're back home, easily recreate your favorites with the recipes below:
Spam Musubi
Few things are more iconic to Hawaii than Spam Musubi! Find these portable snacks at all convenience stores, snack shops, delis and markets in Hawaii. Even restaurants offer their own fancy version! Or make your own at home, it is easy ^_^
Shoyu Chicken
Hawaii's version of braised chicken! Popular at all local spots, it is easy to make at home. All you need are basic ingredients like chicken shoyu (aka soy sauce), sugar, and garlic. Step by step photo recipe.
Furikake Salmon
Our favorite way to eat in salmon in Hawaii (not counting sashimi ^_^) Brush fresh salmon fillets with a mayo-wasabi mixture then top with a generous layer of furikake. Bake and eat with rice.
Furikake Chex Mix
Furikake Chex Mix is a sweet-salty Hawaii snack made from cereals and chips (your pick). Tossed and shake with furikake and a butter-soy sauce syrup. Bake slow and low until crunchy. Step-by-step photo recipe!
Mochiko Chicken
Mochiko Chicken is a beloved local dish of chicken (always dark meat) marinated in a mochiko flour batter and deep fried. It's crunchy, sweet, and salty. Find it at all the local plate lunch spots, or make it at home.
Fried Saimin
Fried saimin is the same as saimin (Hawaii's iconic noodle soup dish), but without the soup! All you need are the noodles and toppings like Spam or char siu, kamaboko (fish cake), carrots, eggs, and green onions. A simple stir fry noodle dish.
Dry Mein
Dry Mein is made with the same noodles use for saimin and fried saimin. You can use ramen noodles if you can't find saimin noodles. The noodles tossed with a savory sauce and topped with all our favorite local toppings (spam, char siu, green onions, etc).. It's similar to Chinese lo mein, but local style.
Shoyu Hot Dogs
Super easy to make and incredibly satisfying. Simmer hot dogs in a sauce of ginger, soy sauce, and brown sugar. The Shoyu Hot Dogs are saucy, sweet and salty, and best with a big bowl of rice.
Local-Style Custard Pie
Hawaii's local-style custard pie is famous for it's impossibly silky and creamy texture. The secret? Evaporated milk!
Butter Mochi
You might be able to find butter mochi in cities like NYC and SF these days, but don't ever forget...butter mochi is from Hawaii! Like a cross between cake and mochi, butter mochi is cut into squares and served at room temperature. Slightly chewy with a golden crust, this is a favorite snack that everyone in Hawaii loves.
Chicken Hekka
What the hekka is Chicken Hekka? Think of Chicken Hekka as Hawaii's local version of Japanese sukiyaki. Chicken, glass noodles, and all the vegetables in your fridge simmered together in a broth seasoned with soy sauce, mirin, and sesame oil. Perfect with rice.
Local-Style Chicken Tofu
A popular local dish that families often make at home for lunch or dinner. Chicken and tofu (along with ginger, garlic, onions, and green onions) simmered in a savory sauce made from soy sauce and mirin.
Pork Hash
Pork Hash is Hawaii's local version of Chinese shumai. These open-face dumplings are filled with a mixture of pork, shrimp, and water chestnuts. Steam, dip, and eat!
Spam, Eggs, and Rice
The classic local breakfast! This Spam, eggs, and rice combo is so ubiquitous that even McDonald's Hawaii serves it. Get the tips and tricks to making Spam, eggs, and rice in this post
Li Hing Pickled Mango
Many cultures have their own version of a pickled mango snack. Hawaii's version is Li Hing Pickled Mango. Start with unripe mangoes and pickle for 24 hours in rice vinegar, li hing mui (seed and/or powder), apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt. Crunchy, tart and tangy.
Sushi Bake
Sushi Bake is made for sharing (aka the ultimate potluck dish). Take all the elements of a California Roll (rice, imitation crab, and avocado), and layer it in a pan. Bake till hot and golden. Top with furikake. Scoop and make sushi rolls/bites. This recipe is open to endless adaptations.
I lost my favorite Hawaiian recipe for the potato salad once served at the PCC. I’m taking about Ali’i luau’s potato salad back in 2012 or before that. Does anyone still have it please?
Hi Kathy: Well, last night I decided on making some home-made kinda Chinese food for dinner. I made steamed chicken with mushrooms and tofu with shoyu/oystersauce/sesame oil. I also steamed some gailan and served it with oyster sauce too. I also tried to make sticky rice with shiitake mushrooms and lup chong in a rice cooker. That dis came out "okay" but the rice was not sticky. I had a jar of what I thought was sticky rice in the pantry and used that. But maybe it was mochi rice instead. In any event, the dish tasted good, but the rice was not sticky. Why do you think that happened?
Hi Alan! Sounds like you had a feast, love it!! Haven't had steamed chicken in ages...I know what I'll be cooking later this week! For the sticky rice - the only thing I can think of is that maybe you used regular rice instead of sticky rice? I look for the rice labeled "glutinous rice." Glad it was still tasty! ^_^
- Kathy
Unfortunately, I did not label the rice in the jar. It looked like smaller grains of short grain rice. Much smaller grains than regular rice so I assumed it was sticky rice. Now I guess I will never know.
Yup; local foods are cosmopolitan! I love all the recipes that you posted. One of my favorites is the shoyu hot dogs. I always make shoyu hot dogs, even today, when I am making quick-and-fast, home made, old fashion bentos at home. With the shoyu hot dogs, I make sato-shoyu egg omelet (thick kine), fried spam, and musubis. If I am energetic, I make yaki musubi, but if not, I just make regular musubis with nori around them and sometimes with shoyu katsuoboshi in them. I love local kine stuff!!
Hi Alan! You are right, local foods really are cosmopolitan. I haven't had a sato-shoyu egg omelet in a while...man that sounds good. I think I know what I'll be making for lunch tomorrow! Local kine stuff is truly da best ^_^
- Kathy