May 2024 - Super Ono

Welcome to Super Ono! This post is updated every Friday in May 2024 with musings from the week. It's a collection of recipe ideas, current eating recommendations, and a bit of Hawaii travel. I promise you only tasty things ^_^

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• Friday: May 31, 2024
• Friday: May 24, 2024

Friday: May 31, 2024

Happy Aloha Friday,

This weekend we're cooking Garlic Shrimp (it's pretty easy to make). A reader is searching for an Okinawa Fried Rice recipe! And we're eating mochi and Sichuan food around town. Also: staycation at The Kahala and our 400th blog post ^_^

Recipe for you! Garlic Shrimp 🦐:

​Garlic Shrimp was one of the first recipes I posted on Onolicious and it is still one of the most popular recipes on the blog today.

I understand why. Fresh and sweet shrimp. Lots of garlic. Butter. Even more garlic when cooking for just myself. What's not to love!

I live on Oahu and when friends visit we take them on "around the island" trips. It's a full day adventure and we always stop at a shrimp truck. Usually Romy's or Giovanni's. Everyone has their favorite. I love both. The crowds and lines can be long (especially on weekends). Go early if you can.

For daily cravings we make garlic shrimp at home. It's easy and you can tailor to your tastes...aka extra garlic! The garlic butter sauce is so good and you'll want a big bowl of rice to go with this.

Reader Question: Okinawa Fried Rice:

Do you know about Okinawa Fried Rice? Reader Greg emailed in search of a recipe:

"My favorite dish to this day is Shoyu Chicken. I make it pretty often. Growing up, my mother always served it with something called Okinawa Fried Rice. I don't know why it was called that. It was basically fried rice, but the dominant veggie was cabbage, with some carrots and peas. I think it might have used sesame oil as a flavoring too, but I'm not sure. I've lost the recipe and have not been able to find anything comparable online. I just haven't been able to recreate the taste - and I am a bit obsessed with it."

Can anyone help? This sounds awesome and I'd love to put together a recipe with instructions for everyone.

Eating Around Town:

Have you been to SXY Szechuan at Ala Moana? It's been here for a few years but hidden at the end of the mall (near Longs Drugs). The menu is vast and everything I've tasted so far is quite good. My favorite dish here is Pork Belly with Garlic. It is DELICIOUS.

Thin slices of pork belly and cucumber are folded together and arranged on a plate. They pour a spicy garlic and chili oil sauce all over and mannnn it's good. You need to eat this with rice. I'm working on a recipe for this!

Leahi Health! Many friends are eating healthier these days and it's inspiring. They are all fit and looking good. Leahi Health is a popular spot where we meet, usually at the Manoa or Kaimuki location. It's healthy and tasty. Also happens to be vegan.

On Tuesday and Saturdays they have a $15 for any smoothie + two taco combo. I like the Kale-Avocado Tacos with the Poi Boy smoothie...the smoothie has poi! The Beet Poke Salad is great. And they make coffee smoothies like Morning Mana which has coffee, almond butter, cinnamon, and cacao.

You know how much I love the The Rice Factory. We go through lots of rice so I'm always trying different varieties.

Every now and then, The Rice Factory makes fresh mochi or other rice treats. Sweet and savory.

Sometimes they send an email notifying you in advance. Other times they email you the morning of and you have to get there right away because they always sell out. What a thrill! Haha.

They had yomogi (Japanese mugwort) mochi the other day. We drove there as soon as we saw the email. Super, super tasty. Fresh pounded mochi, topped with azuki bean paste.

Staycation at The Kahala Hotel.

We just did a staycation at The Kahala Hotel & Resort! They had a kama'aina special and room rates were too good to pass up.

I used to feel that we had to get on a plane and leave Hawaii for it to be a "real" trip. But then I remember that people from all over the world consider Hawaii a dream destination. We are lucky to call Hawaii home.

Here's a recap of our stay with details on pricing, rooms, and travel tips! Excited for our next staycation ^_^

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Friday: May 24, 2024

Happy Aloha Friday!

Recipe for you! Cold Tofu, Hot Sesame Oil:

Of the 300+ recipes on the blog, this is one of my favorites. I’ve already made this cold tofu dish twice in the last few days. My friend Shann taught me this recipe (she learned it from her mom).

Open and place a block of cold soft tofu in a shallow bowl. Then heat sesame oil in a small pan until just before it starts to smoke. Pour the hot sesame oil over the tofu…you should hear the slightest sizzle sound. Drizzle shoyu (soy sauce) and a few other ingredients on top. Serve with a spoon. Devour!

It’s delicious with a bowl of rice, a simple lunch for one. Or serve it as a side dish. You can find similar cold tofu dishes at many Japanese restaurants, but this homemade version is so comforting.

Use any brand of soft tofu. Do not use firm tofu. If you're in Hawaii, I’m a fan of Aloha Tofu Factory. They sell tofu and other soybean products like natto at their Kalihi factory.

You can also find Aloha Tofu at local supermarkets. I'm often at Ala Moana (truly the mall that has it all), and buy tofu from the Nijiya Market there. The Nijiya brand of soft tofu is pretty good.

P.S. If you're looking for other tofu recipes, check here​ ^_^

Reader Questions (aka recipes I'm searching for):

Have you tried the salt and vinegar chicken wings from Foodland?

Imagine salt and vinegar chips, but with fried chicken wings instead of chips! They're popular, especially at potluck parties. It is awesome, delicious, and sold by the pound.

A reader named Naomi lives on the east coast and she is craving this. Reading her email also made me crave it! I can buy the wings at Foodland, but it would be cool to make at home. Do you know how? I'm trying to find the recipe.

Eating Around Town (in Honolulu):

Fujiya is one of my favorite mochi shops in Honolulu and they made peanut butter Oreo mochi this week!

I love trying their special and seasonal mochi flavors. The plain peanut butter mochi is a classic flavor, but this was the first time I’ve seen it combined with Oreo.

The Oreos were crushed and mixed into the peanut butter. They use crunchy peanut butter. Glorious!!

Le’s Banh Mi! My order: Saigon Special (the classic banh mi combo) with a Vietnamese Iced Coffee.

Sometimes I replace the Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Coconut Coffee. The Coconut Coffee is a blended frozen drink, like a coffee slushy. Extra refreshing on the hottest days.

I like taking my son to Le’s because they make a kid’s banh mi! It’s ⅔ the size of the regular sandwich and has mayo, pate, and pork floss. So cute, so good. They bake the banh mi bread in-house, very fresh.

Lunch at Hangang! Spicy cold noodles with beef tartare is my go-to order. I love this dish. The beef tartare is nicely chilled, topped with sesame oil, pine nuts, and black sesame seeds. Sometimes I mix the beef tartare with the noodles and sometimes I eat it separately like a little treat.

I always tell myself I’ll order a different dish next time but I just keep having this over and over. The location is convenient (there is valet parking in the back but I park at Ala Moana and walk across the street), the service is friendly, and the banchan is amazing ^_^

Ok, have a good weekend! Email me if you have questions or are looking for a certain recipe/dish (or know how to make those salt and vinegar chicken wings).

See you next Friday,
Kathy