Haupia is a Hawaiian dessert that is often referred to as “coconut pudding.” The key ingredient in Haupia is coconut milk and it’s pronounced as: “how-p-ahh.”
Hawaiian plate lunch at Yama’s Fish Market (the cup of haupia is served in the lunch box)
The word haupia sounds mysterious and complicated……
Afternoon tea at Halekulani Hotel, one of Hawaii’s best afternoon tea spots. We’re taking a detailed look at the menu, food (and tea!) offerings. Plus a few tips for your next visit.
Hong Kong is full of afternoon tea options. As is New York City. And London. And especially Singapore! But after you visit a few, they all start to feel the same.
But Hawaii afternoon teas are very different from the rest of the world. The Hawaii spots have an ideal blend of ambiance, location (tea with ocean views are the norm), and that aloha spirit. That’s why I love afternoon tea in Hawaii.
While there aren’t tons of tea places in Hawaii (quality over quantity!), what we have is special……
McDonald’s Hawaii offers a special menu of items you can only find in Hawaii. There are breakfast platters loaded with Spam and Portuguese sausage, a dessert menu with hot haupia (coconut pudding) and taro pies, fried apple pies (only state where you can get the pies fried in the US!), and much more. Below are our favorites, ranked.
The only time I eat fast food is in Hawaii. Fast food places here are clean, service is friendly…and the Hawaii-only menu items are a treat. There are breakfast platters loaded with Spam and Portuguese sausage. The dessert menu offers haupia (coconut pudding) and taro pies. Bonus: did you know Hawaii is the only state where you can get McDonald’s fried apple pies (not baked!) in the US?
Below, my favorite Hawaii-only McDonald’s menu items, ranked.
Haupia (sometimes called “coconut pudding”) is a traditional Hawaiian coconut dessert that has a consistency halfway between pudding and jelly. At Mcdonald’s Hawaii, they stuff haupia into the pie crust and deep fry the whole thing. It’s really good, the haupia is all hot and molten, and that fried pie crust is familiar in all the right ways.
They also make Fried Taro Pies! But you’ll never find both Fried Haupia Pies and Fried Taro Pies on the menu at the same time. It’s always one or the other, and they keep rotating them back and forth…….
Valley Isle Kombucha makes kombucha with local fruits (like passion fruit, pineapple, and guava). Find them at local Hawaii markets or visit their cafe/kombucha bar in Maui.
I grew up in Honolulu, on Oahu island. People not from Hawaii tend to think we travel often and easily from island to island via boat/ferry. That is not the case. Plane is the only logical option (and those interisland tickets always cost more than you’d think)……
Malasadas are an iconic Hawaii dessert/snack. It’s a plush, eggy, yeast doughnut (usually without a hole in the middle), rolled in lots of sugar and served hot.
What are Malasadas?Short answer: Hawaii’s doughnuts of choice.
Long answer: Malasadas are yeast doughnuts that came to Hawaii via Portugal. Like all foods/recipes that arrive to Hawaii from another country, the food gets “Hawaii-ized.” We adapted malasadas into our local culture, and today you can find malasadas everywhere from local bakeries, to restaurants/hotels, and school carnivals……
Avocado smoothies are one of my favorite things to drink, and Thang’s in Honolulu is where I go. Velvety and rich with local avocados and condensed milk, this tiny Kalihi shop makes some of the best fresh fruit smoothies in Hawaii.
I mention Thang’s avocado smoothies a lot in my old blog. Here, here, and here…just to name a few. Thang’s started as a Chinatown smoothie kiosk in the early 2000s. The owners were Vietnamese and made incredible fresh fruit smoothies. Soursop! Jackfruit! Durian! But the best was the avocado smoothie. They used fresh local avocados (half an avocado per drink), ice, and condensed milk……
Two Ladies Kitchen is *the* go-to mochi shop on the Big Island. They’re famous for fresh strawberry mochi, grape mochi, butter mochi, and so much more. Come take a look!
There will be lots of mochi on this blog. I love mochi so much (many people in Hawaii feel the same), and the local, family-run mochi shops we have in Hawaii are special. You won’t find shops like these anywhere else in the world.
Hopefully you’ve already seen the posts on Nisshodo Candy Store and Happy Hearts Mochi (both located on Oahu island). And the post about Butter Mochi. Today we’re at Two Ladies Kitchen on the Big Island!…
Kulolo is a super good Hawaiian dessert made from taro, coconut, and sugar. It has a texture like pudding crossed with fudge. Eat it at room temperature (or warm, with ice cream!) You can find kulolo all over Hawaii, but it is most famous in Kauai.
Kulolo from Pono Market (they carry kulolo from Kapaa Poi Factory)
Ok, kulolo!
It’s fun to have an audience in mind when you write blog posts. Is this post for a friend who eats kulolo almost every day? (I have a friend who does that.) Or is this post for a friend like Jee. Jee lives in NYC and has not yet visited Hawaii (come soon, Jee!), but we chat often about all the food I eat in Hawaii.
I’m going to go with the latter because……
We love local-style mochi in Hawaii. We visited Nisshodo Mochiya in the last post, and today we’re eating mochi from Happy Hearts Mochi!
Hawaii mochi is very different from Japanese mochi. It’s softer, more gentle. It doesn’t have the precise, flawless look of Japanese mochi, but I find this type of mochi more happy and pleasurable ^-^
I have two regular go-to mochi spots on the island of Oahu. The first is Nisshodo Mochiya in Kalihi. The second is Happy Hearts Mochi. Happy Hearts Mochi doesn’t have a retail storefront. You have to go to their website, select a mochi bento/platter set and order via email (at least two business days in advance). Then you schedule a pick-up time, and pick-up at Natsunoya Tea House in Liliha. It’s a lot of extra back and forth. It’s worth it….
Nisshodo is one of my favorite spots for fresh mochi in Hawaii. Here’s a look at what to order (chichi dango! stuffed mochi!) and insider tips.
I love mochi!
I have a list of food spots I share with friends who ask where they should eat in Hawaii. Nisshodo Candy Store (also called Nisshodo Mochiya) is always on the list. I’ve been coming to Nisshodo with family (mostly mom) since I was in elementary school……
Butter Mochi is a local treat (like a cross between cake and mochi) that you can find in Hawaii. See below for our favorite butter mochi spots (including places for chocolate butter mochi and lilikoi butter-butter mochi!) and a recipe you can make at home.
Today we’re talking about one of my favorite subjects: Butter Mochi!
We grew up with Butter Mochi everywhere in Hawaii. At the school cafeteria/snack bar. You’ll see butter mochi at potluck parties and bake sales. Someone’s mom/aunty/grandma always had a fresh tray of butter mochi at home. It’s available at all the local bakeries. It’s easy to make and super delicious.
Think of Butter Mochi as Hawaii’s version of the blondie/brownie. It has a deep golden top, and is just a bit chewy and sweet. Imagine vanilla butter cake crossed with mochi. Heavenly! Butter Mochi is usually baked in a 9×13 tray and cut into squares for snacking. It’s meant to be shared and eaten at room temperature.
The two main ingredients in Butter Mochi are mochiko flour and coconut milk……
Every local knows and loves Hurricane Popcorn. You can buy it (easy to find in Hawaii) or make it at home. Super simple: popcorn, furikake, and kakimochi.
I only see Jee in person a few times a year. But! We chat daily, mostly about what we’re eating, what we’re going to eat, and what we made for dinner. Our chats get really interesting when I’m home in Hawaii for long periods of time…that’s when I realize all the local foods/snacks we eat are not at all common or regular. Like Hurricane Popcorn!…
