Come Try Some Onolicious… Local-Style Oahu Food!
Oahu food celebrates the diversity of the numerous cultures present in the local population. Complementing the traditional luau food found in the Hawaiian diet… many immigrants have contributed their ethnic foods that are now Oahu favorites.
White rice… steamed to perfection in an electric rice cooker and seasoned with shoyu (soy sauce) and/or furikake (Japanese rice seasoning)… is undoubtedly the most common staple found in island meals.
Let’s Surf Country and Enjoy Some Local Oahu Food Along the Way
Surf’s up, it’s Aloha Friday and we’re pau work so join us early tomorrow morning for dawn patrol. We’re going to surf country with Ira. There’s a Northwest swell coming in.
We’ll try some Oahu food starting with breakfast at Zippys… Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice and “Loco Moco”… hamburger steak topped with eggs and covered with brown gravy… Ono!
Remind me to order the pupus at Zippys for Kalani’s baby luau on Sunday to celebrate his first birthday. Pupus (appetizers) with assortments of sushi, teriyaki beef, chicken katsu/Korean fried chicken, mahi mahi, hot dogs, fried noodles and other combinations… are commonly found at local gatherings.
Let’s also grab some bentos from Zippys for lunch. The bento, a Japanese-inspired boxed lunch adapted to local-style taste with steamed rice, fish and/or meats, cooked egg and pickled vegetables. Bentos are available in grocery stores and takeout restaurants island wide… a welcome convenience for a day at the beach.
When we’re pau surfing, we’ll stop at Long’s Drugs and pick up Hawaiian Sun and Aloha Maid fruit drinks for the luau… they’re on sale this week. I hope they still have strawberry-guava, lilikoi, pineapple orange, Big Island orange and island ice tea flavors.
Then we’ll head over to L & L Hawaiian Barbecue and get a loaded plate lunch for dinner… Local-style plate lunches served at diners and drive-ins around the island are embraced by locals and recommended eats. They usually come with 2 scoops rice, 1 scoop of macaroni salad, and generous choices of: teriyaki beef/chicken, barbecue beef/chicken, chopped steak, chicken katsu, lemon chicken, beef short ribs, mahi mahi/shrimp, kalua pork with cabbage, chile and rice, or stew curry… and more.
Luau Food
After church on Sunday we’re going to Kalani’s baby luau. Auntie Lani is preparing her broke the mouth luau menu…good grinds!
Slow-Roasted Kalua Pig and Cabbage
- Pork Lau Lau… Salt Butterfish & Pork Steamed in Taro Leaves
- Lomi Lomi Salmon… With Diced Tomatoes, Onions and Spices
- Mahi Mahi… Fresh Island Fish
- Tako Poke… Octopus Mixed With Tomatoes, Onions, Shoyu and Chile Spice
- Potato, Macaroni and Garden Salads
- Fresh Mango, Papaya, Pineapple and Apple Bananas
- Poi
- Taro rolls
- Haupia (Coconut) Pudding
Uncle is bringing malasadas… a Portuguese donut… and coconut butter mochi… Japanese rice pounded into paste and filled with azuki bean paste or fruit fillings.
The keiki’s will have their favorite crack seed too… li hing mui, a dried plum with a salty, sweet and sour flavoring. Li hing mui powder is sprinkled on popcorn and pineapple slices.
STILL HUNGRY?
After the party, let’s pick up some saimin at McDonalds… a noodle soup in broth with ingredients like chopped green onions, char siu slices (sweet pork), cooked egg and kamaboko (fish cakes)… relished by the locals and available in restaurants around the island. McDonalds also features Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice in Hawaii.
We’ll also stop at Seven-11 and get some manapua… Chinese pork-filled bun… Manapua is available at convenience stores, restaurants and from “manapua truck” roadside vendors. Let’s not forget to buy some spam musubi… spam sautéed in shoyu, sugar and rice vinegar and pressed onto steamed rice, then wrapped in dried seaweed sheets (nori). Even if you are not a spam fan… you might like this!
