Feb#1: ube halaya

Pronounced uhi in Hawai'i and ubi in Filipino, the purple yam is present across Asia (known as a royal food in Tonga and known sometimes as "Moraga Surprise" in India).

Ube Halaya is a sweet "jam" made from boiling this purple yam with sugar. In the Philippenes it provides a usual player in the kitchen sink desert Halo Halo (thogh less prevelant in Hawai'i).

This short entry comes out of researching Halo Halo - and should balance the surplus of words found in the last entry.

Jan5: Halo Halo

Another personal favorite (read unusual).



Halo is a tagalong (Philipino) word meaning "mix"and indeed there is no set recipe for Halo Halo. The loose formula invovles filling a tall glass with:
1. fillings (any number of sweet beans, fruits and gelatins)
2. shaved ice (with one or several flavored syrups and/or sugar)
3. leche flan, ube halaya, or ice cream(possibly macademia nut).
4. some kind of milk (often condensed milk or evaporated milk which lasts longer in tropical climes)

A partial list of possible fillings (step 1) include: boiled red mung beans, kidney beans, garbanzos, sugar palm fruit (kaong), coconut sport (macapuno), plantains caramelized in sugar, jackfruit (langka), star apple, tapioca, sago, nata de coco, purple yam (ube), sweet potato (kamote), sweetened corn kernels or pounded crushed young rice (pinipig), gelatin, papayas, avocados, kiwifruit, bananas and cherries.

I can't even find good entries for all of those on wikipedia...

You might guess that this rough recipe can yield mixed results. There's a different picture on "Senor Enrique's" award winning blog.

Note: the first image comes from a Philipino website which includes Halo Halo in a list of foods traditionally found at a Noche Buena - a luxurious late Christmas eve meal after mass.

I didn't find too many places in Kauai that offered this concoction - though I believe Halo Halo shave ice in Lihue is our best bet - although they're not always open. Possibly because they're too busy serving Saimin in the restaurant that shares a roof: Hamura's Saimin stand.

Jan #4: Shave Ice [Click for pic]

The coolest thing ever created!



Shave ice is reminescent of the American snow cone but the ice is shaved finer resulting in great syrup retention, visual presentation and taste! If your Hawai'ian shave ice is very gritty the razor has probably gotten dull - this is one thing that seperates the good shave ice from the best. It is common in Hawaii to get a scoop of icecream in the bottom of your shave ice mound - try macademia nut!

Toppings besides syrups can be a special treat - try li hing mui powder, condensed milk (as in the Cepillados of Venezuela) or this writers favorite: Halo Halo...

Related links: Kauai, mac nut cookie recipe, shave ice

Here's a a very appetizing and accurate article by the NY Times in '05 and a delicious looking recipe by chocolatier Michael Recchiuti. An online trivia game also provides some general shave ice knowledge.

Jan #3: Macademia Nut Icecream [click for pic]

This may seem like a cheap follow up to the last word - but if you've had macademia nut icecream you know it to be a logical follow up.



Of course you don't have to go to Hawai'i to get this one it's available from Dreyers, Lapperts, Haagen-Daz, and Cold Stone Creamery. That last link has plenty of nutritional info... The mystery of the great taste revealed!

Or you could make it yourself!

A big scoop of this stuff is a welcome addition to any shave ice...

Jan #2: Macademia Nuts

Note: these first two (outdated posts) are culled from their original home in another blog...]

Howdy folks - taking a minute to enjoy a stomach full of conch fritters on the Grand Cayman Isle I came up with about 40 Hawaiian food words - I can do this weekly... On to that great nut made so familiar in Subway cookies...

This native of eastern Australia, the macademia nut is named after John Macadam, who was a colleague of the botanist, Ferdinand von Mueller, who first described the genus. Besides the development of a small boutique industry in Australia during the late 19th and early 20th century, macadamia was extensively planted as a commercial crop in Hawaii from the 1900s. The Hawaiian-produced macadamia established the nut internationally. Macadamia oil is prized for containing approximately 22% of the Omega-7 palmitoleic acid, which makes it a botanical alternative to mink oil, which contains approximately 17%. This relatively high content of "cushiony" palmitoleic acid plus macadamia's high oxidative stability make it a desirable ingredient in cosmetics, especially skincare. (Note: they're quite toxic to dogs!)

In Hawaii one will find in packaged raw, salted, in cookies, tons of candies, and most decadently in ice cream. For a killer treat get a scoop of it with your strawberry or mango shave ice...

Probably the most interesting function of this column will be to expose the diverse cultural influences on Hawaiian culture... and to distract me from my dissertation...

Jan #1: Li Hing Mui

Let's start with a flavor that really sets my tongue on fire.



This Vietnamese flavor came to Hawaii in the 1900s by the Yick Lung Company. (Now you're appetized...) Turns out this pickled plume is a great way to flavor your shave ice (NOT shave ice). Some might say to stick to the macademia nut icecream... but not this guy...

Having only been to Kauai - I can only think of Jo Jo's shave ice shop in Waimea that has both li hing mui syrup and powder.

(Props to the Grub Club of LA for reminding me of the name...)

Can't someone help wiki and expand this stub ?

It's debatable if this flavor is best enjoyed fresh (head to your nearest Asain "candy" store and find out), in shave ice, or in margaritas. But what about children's books?

Order some online today!

First post... all downhill from here...

A big howdy to the web from my first blog! This intent is to share information, knowledge, and stories about the fantastic melting pot cuisine of modern Hawai'i. It was threatening to overgrow the private family blog so here it is making a go on its own... Threatening to steal a few minutes a week from my dissertation...