Aloha Kitchen: Recipes from Hawai’i

Kysar, a food blogger (Fix Feast Flair) born in Maui, presents an eye-opening portrait of the cultural diversity behind Hawaii’s cuisine in 85 recipes celebrating the “aloha spirit” at the core of Hawaiian food. Recipes for family favorites and characteristic island fare leave ham and pineapple behind as Kysar turns her attention to Hawaii’s unique food history, explaining how waves of immigrants (Westerners, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Koreans, Filipinos) formed Hawaii’s “pidgin” culinary hodgepodge. Kysar assembles a proper Hawaiian Plate Lunch (protein, carbohydrate, mayo-heavy carbohydrate, and vegetables) drawn from the varied food culture, and which might include shoyu chicken, macaroni salad, rice, and kimchi. Other dishes include a fresh poi of taro root and water, pork laulau (pork butt steamed in taro leaves), and a ginger- and miso-marinated sablefish. There are easy rice and stir-fry dishes and fresh salads of native vegetables. For ambitious cooks, there’s make-from-scratch saimin noodles and broth (akin to ramen); sweets, meanwhile, feature passion fruit chiffon and macadamia nut cream pies. Kysar lists places to obtain some ingredients, but more exotic items such as li hing powder, furikake, and mioi chili pepper may be more challenging to source. Kysar opens her heart and her kitchen in this appealing and informative introduction to a delightful cuisine. (Mar.)