Island Comfort.
Big flavor, no apology
Loco moco, chicken long rice, teriyaki, and the kind of food that belongs on a real plate, not a tiny tasting menu.
51 RECIPES · UPDATED APRIL 2026
Start here
Start with the classics, then keep the versions that feel doable at home. The point is comfort, not ceremony.
“Lau lau is the traditional Hawaiian steamed bundle: pork and butterfish wrapped in taro leaves, then ti leaves, steamed for 4 hours. The luau classic.”
Lau Lau: Hawaii's Steamed Pork-and-Butterfish Bundle
Lau lau is the traditional Hawaiian steamed bundle: pork and butterfish wrapped in taro leaves, then ti leaves, steamed for 4 hours. The luau classic.
Hawaiian Noodle Recipes: A Honolulu Kitchen Field Guide
Hawaii's noodle dishes are a plantation-era pan-Asian crossroads — saimin, fried saimin, pancit, chow fun, and how each one ended up on the local menu.
Kalua Pig in the Instant Pot: 90 Minutes Instead of an Imu
Kalua pig in 90 minutes via Instant Pot: pork shoulder, Hawaiian salt, liquid smoke, banana leaves if you have them. The mainland-friendly version of the imu.
The classics
The recipes from this chapter that come up over and over.
Hawaiian BBQ Mixed Plate at Home
How to build a real Hawaii BBQ mixed plate at home: two proteins, rice, mac salad, kim chi, and the timing that puts it all on one plate.
Kalua Pig in a Smoker: The At-Home Imu Substitute
If you have a smoker, you can get 90 percent of imu-style kalua pig at home: banana leaves, Hawaiian salt, kiawe or mesquite wood, and a long slow cook.
Cooking with Spam Beyond Musubi
How Hawaii cooks use Spam beyond musubi: caramelizing technique, knife work, the nine everyday dishes, and which variety to buy for each.
How to Build a Hawaiian Plate Lunch at Home
A practical guide to building a Hawaii plate lunch at home: the three-component rule, the right timing, and the moves that separate it from approximations.
New here
More from this chapter, in order of when CurtisJ filed it.
Meat Jun: Hawaii's Korean-Hawaiian Comfort Food
Meat jun is Hawaii's egg-battered pan-fried marinated beef: the Korean-Hawaiian plate lunch protein you mostly find only in the islands.
Slow-Cooker Kalua Pork with Cabbage
A weeknight plate-lunch version of kalua pork and cabbage, built around liquid smoke as seasoning and staged so the cabbage stays bright.
What Is Saimin? Hawaii’s Plantation-Born Noodle Soup Explained
Saimin is Hawaii’s noodle soup: light broth, springy noodles, and a plantation history that no mainland ramen bowl can copy.
Saimin — Hawaii’s One-and-Only Noodle Soup
This saimin recipe is about broth, noodle texture, and topping balance, so the bowl tastes light, local, and worth making at home.
Hawaiian Oxtail Soup — The Local Classic Worth the Wait
Hawaiian oxtail soup is long-simmered broth, tender meat, peanuts, and ginger-soy heat on the side for the people who know how to finish the bowl.
Pancit – Filipino-Hawaiian Stir-Fried Noodles for Every Potluck
Pancit is the soy-garlic noodle pan that shows up at Hawaii parties because it stretches, reheats well, and disappears fast anyway.
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