This is a list of dishes in Hawaiian cuisine, which includes Native Hawaiian cuisine and the broader fusion Cuisine of Hawaii. The Cuisine of Hawaii refers to the indigenous, ethnic, and local cuisines within the diverse state of Hawaii.
Meals
Breakfast
Portuguese sausage and/or SPAM, eggs and rice is a common breakfast, so much so that it is featured item at places like fast food restaurants like McDonald's and Burger King.[1][2]
Bok tong go—generically known as "(Chinese steamed) rice cake," a classic item sold by the manapua man; a multiple layered version similar to kue lapis with a brown sugar top layer also exist[14]
Lavash (or "lavosh") glamourized in the 1960s as a high end alternative to toast[17]
Malasada—a traditional staple on Mardi Gras but popular throughout the year. Modern recipes have it coated with cinnamon sugar and/or filled with various jams and creams like guava, haupia, or custard[18][19]
Manapua—A local iteration of the char siu bao often 2-3 times larger than those found in dim sum restaurants. Popular fillings also include a whole lup cheong sausage, sweet potato, kalua pig, and sometimes is baked made popular by the Royal Kitchen in Chinatown in the 1970s[20]
Moon cakes—another favorite during the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival where local flavors are sometimes incorporated like mango and taro.[24]
Nian gao—(simply known as "gau") a staple of Chinese New Year sold at many Chinese and non-Chinese shops or made in bulk by local households to share with other families[25]
Tea - Introduced in the late 1800s. Farmers re-explored the idea of commercial tea farming in the 1980s. Hawaii’s local USDA office, along with University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture, aided in research and helped to establish cultivars. Today there are approximately two dozen tea farms in Hawaii.[31][32]
Chinese hot mustard sometimes made with Colman's powdered mustard hydrated with vinegar (or water) and often mixed with soy sauce and/or chili paste for dipping Chinese dim sum dishes, or sashimi (as an alternative to soy sauce and wasabi)[42]
Cantonese dim sum influenced dishes such as char siu manapua, fun guo is known as "pepeiao" (meaning "ear" in Hawaiian),[47]gok jai or "half moon", pork hash are a normally twice as large than the usual shumai, and "ma tai su" a baked pork and water chestnut pastry[48]
Crispy gau gee - (kau gee) deep fried dumplings but simply shaped by folding wrapper in half into rectangles or triangles[49][50]
Cake noodles - a serving of chow mein noodles are fried until the outside is crispy, while the inside remains al dente and then cut into squares. It is usually topped with gravied/saucy dishes like beef and broccoli[51]
Futomaki - simply known as "maki" classic fillings include strips of cucumber, par cooked carrots, tamagoyaki, kampyo, and colored powdered dried shrimp "hana ebi"
Inarizushi - simply known as "inari" or by its larger local variation "cone sushi"
Snacks and candies
Arare (or interchangbly as "kakimochi") and senbei
Coconut balls
Crack seed such as dried or preserved (wet) lemons, plums, and mangoes
Taegu - sometimes made with dried codfish and sold alongside poke in the seafood sections of local grocery store, but often made with dried squid/cuttlefish in households[53]