Welcome to Oahu and all its delicious dishes! You are invited to eat like a local. The residents of Hawaii LOVE to eat and it shows in the number of restaurants and types of cuisine you will find available. For those who want to eat at restaurants with food a little closer to home, you will find it…but for those who want to have a true taste of Oahu, here is your crash course to foods in Hawaii you may never have tried or perhaps, never even heard of. Be adventurous and try them all!!!

Adobo (Chicken or Pork) – Deliciously slow-cooked in shoyu (soy sauce), vinegar, garlic, bay leaf and peppercorns, chicken or pork adobo, this local favorite has its roots in the Philippines.

Chicken Katsu – Local version of a chicken cutlet originally adapted from the Japanese Tonkatsu which is the pork version. You will often find this as a menu item at a local drive-in or in your mixed plate.

Chicken Long Rice – Delicious mix of cellophane noodles and chicken. You’ll find this at luaus or Hawaiian restaurants.

Fried Rice (with or without Kimchee) – Local fried rice take the original version you find in Chinese restaurants and adds fried spam or char siu (roast pork). A very popular dish is Kimchee Fried Rice which is fried rice with kimchee, a Korean spicy cabbage dish which give the fried rice quite a kick.

Fried Saimin – You’ll never look at your instant ramen the same again. Local take saimin noodles (refer to saimin for further explanation) and fry it to make a tasty dry version you will find at local diners, carnivals, and parties.

Haupia – Traditional Hawaiian dessert made with coconut milk. It is a pudding with the consistency of gelatin and is served in blocks at Hawaiian restaurants, parties and weddings.

Kalua Pig – This slow smoked pork dish was traditionally cooked in an underground pit called an imu. “Kalua” is actually the name of the Hawaiian cooking method of utilizing the imu, hence Kalua Pig. You will find this dish at Hawaiian restaurants and luaus. At Paradise Cove, take part in their Imu Ceremony and get a first-hand experience on traditional Hawaiian cooking. www.paradisecovehawaii.com

Lau lau – Distinctly Hawaiian dish that uses taro leaves and butterfish, pork, chicken or beef wrapped in ti leaves and originally cooked in the imu (refer to imu background in Kalua Pig). The entire dish is steamed and you will find this yummy item at luaus and Hawaiian restaurants.

Loco Moco – This tasty, popular dish is made with a hamburger, rice and brown gravy topped with a fried egg. Unique to Hawaii, there are many variations with fish, Spam, Portuguese sausage and other meats. This filling mighty meal was created on the Big Island in the late 1940’s. It is said that the name came from a frequent teenage diner of the restaurant who impressed with the hefty portions called it “loco” which means crazy and “moco” because it rhymed and sounded nice. You will find this local legend at most fast food plate lunch (refer to Plate lunch) restaurants.

Lomi-Lomi Salmon – Also known as lomi salmon, this cold and yummy side dish is made with fresh tomatoes, onions, and salmon salad. You will find this accompanying your favorite laulau or Kalua pig plate at a diner as well as luaus.

Malasada – Portuguese dessert that can be described as a softer, chewier version of a donut. Deep fried and coated with sugar, they are local favorites for parties and breakfast. Originally without holes or fillings, you can now try them with custard, chocolate, haupia (coconut) and even guava fillings.

Poi – Distinctly Hawaiian, it may look like purple paste but it is a traditional Hawaiian dish made from the taro plant. It is made by pounding the taro into a sticky paste and slowly adding water until the you get the right consistency. You will find this at Hawaiian cuisine restaurants and at some luaus. Try it!!!

Poke – Marinated raw fish. This is the Hawaiian version of the Japanese sashimi. Whereas sashimi is thinly sliced into elegant pieces and then dipped into sauce, Poke is a cubed version pre-marinated with shoyu (soy sauce), green onions, onions, tomatoes and chilies. There are many, many variations of poke in terms of the fish used and seasonings. Poke is very popular and you can find it at any major local grocery store or discount warehouse in Hawaii in the seafood section as well as parties. There is even a 3-day festival in September hosted by local celebrity chef Sam Choy.

Pipikaula – Hawaiian version of smoked beef (beef jerky) but more tender and juicy. You will find this as an add-on to your Hawaiian plate.

Plate Lunch – This term is used quite frequently in Hawaii. A plate lunch is a boxed lunch usually consisting of two scoops rice, one scoop macaroni salad and then the main meat on top. This term and concept was started in Hawaii’s plantation days when workers of different ethnicities would share each other’s meals to create plate lunches with food from many different ethnicities into one plate of delicious local variety. There are countless diners and fast food restaurants and shops open where you can grab a plate lunch.

Saimin – A noodle soup dish inspired by Japanese ramen, Filipino pancit, and Chinese mein. Developed during Hawaii’s Plantation era, unlike ramen, saimin noodles contain eggs. You will often find green onions, spam, kamaboko (steamed fish cake), char siu (roast pork) or gyoza (Japanese pot stickers) as accoutrements to your bowl of saimin.

Shave Ice – Looks like a snow cone but compared to our local version the taste is nowhere close. The shave ice is so fine that flavors meld with the ice rather than settling to the bottom of the cup as with a snow cone. Like a soft, powder of ice that comes in a rainbow of flavors. There’s the standards such as Cola, Strawberry, Banana, Bubble Gum and Vanilla but you must try Lilikoi (passion fruit), Haupia (Coconut) with Li hing mui (powder made from dried and salted plums). The flavors don’t stop there because at shave ice stands you can often customize it to add mochi balls (sweet chewy dessert balls made from rice) or azuki beans(sweet red beans) or ice cream or sweetened condensed milk or add them all for a colossal treat on a sunny day. Perfect for ending a hike or after a great day at the beach. You can find shave ice in Waikiki and the North Shore area at shave ice stores.

Spam Musubi – Residents love Spam so much we have an annual festival! Spam Jam. Spam musubi is fried spam (often marinated and fried in shoyu and sugar) with rice wrapped in nori (dried seaweed). You will get hooked just like the rest of the state’s resident foodies.