A Kitchen Full of Mac Salad and Mochiko Chicken

There is no singular Hawaiian mac salad method—and the same can be said about molded pucks of Spam musubi, cubed shoyu ahi poke, and pork laulau bundled in taro leaves. Tackling the complex cuisines and varied culinary traditions of Hawaii is no easy feat, but the Maui-born, Los Angeles–based author Alana Kysar leaves it up to your interpretation in her influential cookbook, Aloha Kitchen .

Bound by the spirit of aloha as a way of life, Kysar notes that many of the iconic dishes we associate with Hawaii’s local cuisine vary from island to island and household to household. Whether you’ve spent your whole life in Hawaii or only experienced a cone of rainbow shave ice by scrolling through your Instagram feed, Aloha Kitchen captures the soul of a region as varied as the many islands that make it up. “People like to call Hawai’i the ultimate cultural melting pot, while others argue it’s more like a salad bowl.

Though Aloha Kitchen was released last year, the book feels as relevant as ever, and I spoke with Kysar a few weeks ago to see what she’s been up to since then. Thanks for asking—my partner and I are in good health, and we’re navigating the times as best as we can.

Work has definitely slowed down for me, which has been a challenge, but I’ve been finding lots of time to work in my garden and, like so many have finally made the time to master sourdough. Shoyu chicken, creamy Asian dressing, namasu (rice vinegar–dressed cucumbers, radish, and carrot)—all these recipes can be made with the protein/veggie, some aromatics, and those pantry items. What’s the one recipe from Aloha Kitchen that can transport you to Hawaii in a single bite?

To me, the bite that transports you is the bite of food you most closely tie your Hawai‘i experience to. So, for me, that’s mochiko chicken, but for you, that might be shoyu ahi poke or a cone of powdery, fine shave ice.

My mom makes the best mochiko chicken—it’s a sweet-rice-flour-battered fried chicken that is sweet-salty and crunchy, and when it’s paired with onigiri and some namasu, I feel transported. As you mention in the book, the food of Hawaii is influenced by many countries, and preparation varies from family to family.

You know, the funny thing is that when I first set out to write Aloha Kitchen , I wanted to organize the recipes by countries of origin, but the minute I dove into the whole process, I realized that there’s so much overlap. In the book, I’ve flagged the recipes with symbols that correspond with their country or countries of origin, and if you take a look, you’ll notice many of the recipes have more than one symbol.

As for varying from family to family, I’ll admit, I did feel some pressure to get it right, but ultimately, I realized that this book is my interpretation of these dishes based on my family and friends, and I hope that I’ve done them justice. FOUR EXCITING RECIPES FROM ALOHA KITCHEN Hawaiian Mac Salad The plate lunch staple has many variations, but the secret to this one is grated onions. There’s a book dedicated to Duke’s mayonnaise , which is arguably a top-3 mayonnaise choice in the great cannon of mayos.

The book includes 75 recipes, which makes us think—are we underutilizing one of the world’s great condiments? The pitch for Eventide is to “turn your kitchen into your own personal seafood shack and oyster bar” and yes we are up for this task.

We in recent weeks caught up with chef and author Hugh Acheson about what he’s been cooking, as well as some favorites from The Chef and the Slow Cooker and Sous Vide: Better Home Cooking .