What we cook

The menu.

Everything is cooked the day of the event. Menus flex with the season, with what looks good at the Suisan auction that morning, and with what your gathering actually calls for. Here's the usual lineup — we cook around it, not from it.

Plate Lunch

Two scoops rice (short-grain Calrose or Hinode, your call), one scoop mac salad, one protein. Add a second protein for a "mixed plate," or swap mac for tossed green salad with papaya-seed dressing.

Shoyu ChickenBone-in thigh braised slow in Aloha shoyu, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, and a splash of pineapple juice. Kimo's tūtū's ratio, written in pencil on an index card in Mele's recipe box.
Mochiko ChickenBoneless thigh marinated overnight in mochiko flour, shoyu, ginger, and egg. Fried crispy morning-of, tossed in toasted sesame.
Kalbi Short RibCross-cut L.A.-style short rib, our house marinade (the one with Asian pear), grilled over kiawe right before it goes in the pan.
Shoyu PorkPork butt from the Kahuā side of Waimea, braised five hours until it falls apart with the back of a spoon.
Garlic ShrimpHead-on shrimp pan-fried in butter, a lot of garlic, a little paprika, a little black pepper. Kona-style, plate-scrapable.
Furikake SalmonFresh salmon filet, mayo glaze, furikake crust, baked on a sheet tray. Quiet star of the menu.

Poke Bar

Fish is bought morning-of at the Suisan auction in Hilo, or off the boat at Honokōhau on Kona side. Served over rice, over greens, or as pūpū with taro chips fried the same morning.

Ahi ShoyuShoyu, sesame oil, Maui onion, limu kohu when we can find it, inamona. The baseline.
Spicy AhiHouse aioli, a little heat from sambal, green onion, tobiko on top. The kids always clean this one first.
Tako PokeTender octopus, shoyu, ginger, sesame, chili flake, a squeeze of lime at the end.
Limu-StyleThe old-school preparation. Just fish, limu, onion, Hawaiian salt. Nothing else.
Salmon ShoyuFor folks who prefer a richer fish. Same shoyu treatment as the ahi, on sashimi-grade salmon.
Poke 'InamonaAhi with roasted kukui nut, 'alaea salt, a little 'inamona paste. The one we make for the aunties.

Imu & Luau Spread

This one takes planning — book at least ten weeks out so Kimo can dig the pit properly, source the pig, and line up the banana stumps. Minimum forty guests. See the imu page for how it actually works.

Kalua PigWhole pig in the imu, wrapped in ti and banana leaf, cooked overnight on river rock and kiawe.
LaulauPork butt and butterfish wrapped in lū'au leaf, steamed tender for four hours. We fold them ourselves the morning before.
Lomi Lomi SalmonSalted salmon, tomato (Waimea when in season), Maui onion, green onion, on crushed ice.
Chicken Long RiceGinger broth, long rice noodles, shredded poached chicken, green onion. Warm and simple.
PoiFresh one-day poi from a small hui on the Hāmākua coast. Two-finger or three-finger, we note it on the order.
'UalaPurple Okinawan sweet potato from the farm at Kawaihae, roasted in the imu with the pig.
HaupiaCoconut pudding cut into squares. Made the night before because it has to set. Simple, cold, perfect.
Kūlolo (by request)Baked taro-and-coconut dessert. Takes a full day; we only make it for the luau orders.

Pūpū Trays

For smaller gatherings, office pau hanas, or as starters before the main spread arrives. Usually feeds 15–25 as a nibble.

Fried Saimin Noodle CakesCrispy outside, soft middle, shoyu-ginger dip with a little chili oil.
Spam Musubi, Mele's wayTeriyaki-glazed Spam, furikake, nori, hand-pressed in the wooden mold. We don't mess with the classics.
Ahi CakesMinced ahi, panko, green onion, pan-seared, yuzu aioli.
Edamame with Hawaiian SaltSteamed and tossed hot with 'alaea. That's it. That's the whole thing.
Kalbi SlidersSweet King's roll, kalbi, a slaw of cabbage and Maui onion. Good for receptions after the ceremony but before dinner.
Poke NachosTaro chips, spicy ahi, scallion, sriracha aioli, tobiko. A crowd pleaser nobody grew up with.

* Pau hana — literally "done working." A casual after-work gathering, usually with pūpū and cold drinks.

Custom spreads

Vegetarian guests, shellfish allergies, halal requests, a dish your tūtū used to make — tell us when we talk story. We cook around real people, not a fixed menu.