Aloha Kitchen: Recipes From Hawai'i

"To capture the food of a place, you must understand the people who live there. Aloha Kitchen provides cultural context and a diverse representation of recipes to honor Hawai’i’s native people and the waves of immigrants who brought their own flavors and dishes to the table. Alana Kysar, who grew up on the islands, presents accessible recipes with roots in Portugal, Japan, China and the Philippines that will be as familiar as a plate lunch to anyone who has visited the Rainbow State. Though some ingredients may be hard to find on the mainland, Kysar provides alternatives that would work just fine. The simple BBQ marinade for “huli huli” chicken makes for great backyard grilling. A comforting bowl of noodle soup (saimin) or chicken long rice brings me back to my favorite Hawaiian restaurants. And Kysar’s sweet bread roll recipe has me up for the challenge of making the pillowy bread from scratch. Finally, it wouldn’t be Hawai’i without Spam: Kysar’s recipe for soy-glazed Spam musubi (a kind of sushi-looking snack) had my kids asking for more. If you can’t book a flight, this cookbook will bring you to the locals’ table."