From the Kitchens of Our Kupuna
Preserving & sharing the history of Hawai'i’s recipes
Honoring ingredients and techniques of the recent past
📸: Nina Prior
This book provides a historical collection of recipes for one of Hawaiʻi’s favorite sticky, squishy, and chewy confections: MOCHI.
As far as I’m concerned, this pie is what canned crushed pineapple was born to do! The filling is a dream, with bits of pineapple suspended in a cloud-like custard.
Takuwan (takuan) is pickled daikon, a type of tsukemono, or preserved vegetable. In our house, we called tsukemono, “ko-ko.” Mom would serve just a tiny portion of ko-ko, nestled up against the rice, with every dinner. Here’s a recipe for this ko-ko that is usually bright yellow, but if you are wary of food coloring, you are welcome to leave it out.
What delicious little rolls! I made these for Thanksgiving dinner and they were so yummy plain or slathered with butter and dipped in gravy. OMG. They are light and slightly sweet. They were also fun to make, but be sure to account for two rising cycles.
Sekihan is my spirit food—a dish that runs through my veins. It is one of my favorites, which means that every time I visited my grandma, she had a huge batch of it ready when arrived. She made it the “old fashioned” way, using a stovetop steamer. This recipe uses a rice cooker, which I can handle! The beans infuse the rice with a subtle nutty flavor, which is heightened by a sprinkling with salt and sesame seeds before serving.
Did I really just find my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe of all time? Yes. Yes, I did! Very crispy all around, with a small chewy center — it is truly the G.O.A.T. 🍪!
For me, nishime is a special occasion food. My aunties and grandma would make it for every family gathering. Today, I make it once a year for the New Year. This is a great recipe that results in the perfect balance between sweet and salty that I love so much about this dish.
I love me an upside-down cake! And after receiving a big box of mangoes, instead of 2 mangoes, in a recent grocery order, I had to find a way to use some mangoes ASAP. This is a simple and delicious recipe. With very little effort, you get a pretty spiral of yummy caramelized mangoes on top of a light and fluffy cake.
Remember the yummy coconut cookies from Roberts Bakery in Hilo? They came in white plastic tubs and I loved these cookies. Roberts is long gone and so are the cookies, but this recipe comes close to delivering the cookie of my childhood. 🥰
I was intrigued by this recipe because of its simplicity. Just put kim chee and cream cheese in a blender and you have a dip? I had to try it. It is delicious. I ate it all by myself in two days.
For Hawai'i folks, I think the mere sight of this frosting on this cake will trigger some good memories, even if my execution is pretty wonky! In Hawai'i, this is called chantilly frosting, though outside of the state, chantilly refers to more of whipped cream frosting. For me, this frosting found a place in my heart via a supermarket single-layer german chocolate cake sold frozen in an aluminum pan.
The recipe author who called this “melting moments” has a knack for poetic AND truthful titles! All I have to say is, what a dreamy cookie. They are a beautiful addition to a holiday cookie spread.
I’ve always wanted to make a jelly roll, seeing the calamities on shows like the Great British Bake Off definitely made me apprehensive. But, I believe in the the recipes from our kupuna and this recipe did not disappoint. You don’t need a special jelly roll pan. I baked this on parchment paper in a rimmed cookie sheet.
I remember the first time I had puto—a sweet steamed cupcake. I was 7 and it was at a friend’s house. It was soft, sweet, and cute as Hello Kitty!
The batter is a little looser than pancake batter. Do heed the instructions to fill to 1/2 full. I went to 3/4 and they overflowed. (I love the nubbin that formed on the one on the left in the photo.) Enjoy!
Okay, what a delicious biscuit! The biscuits are savory and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Seriously yum. The biscuits didn’t rise as high as other biscuits I’ve made, but I think it was my technique. I have a new go-to biscuit recipe now!
This is like an upside-down pumpkin pie! In fact, it is difficult to eat without flipping the crust that forms on the top—to the bottom.
I was delighted when I saw this recipe. I love making pies and the weirder the pie, the better. Rice? Saltines? Honey as the only sweetener? I’m there for it!
From the moment I saw this recipe, I wanted to make it! I have to say I was VERY skeptical. But as with every recipe I’ve tried in the Red Cookbook, the results are delicious! It is funny because it looks like a Poi Chiffon Pie (which sounds like a great idea), but it tastes like grape juice…
Mahalo to the community homemakers who created these cookbooks
A Shared History
Digitizing and making searchable historic hardcopy-only cookbooks before they are lost to time.
Flavors of an Era
Paying tribute to these cookbook creators, showcasing the best of Hawai'i cooking from this era.
For the Future
Presenting recipes in their original form as a record of our past and an enduring reference for the future.
Maui Home Council Board of Directors meeting. February 1, 1947. Old Wailuku Community Center. From 50th Anniversary Best of Our Favorite Recipes 1946-1996. Island of Maui.
The Calabash - A Hawai'i Food Blog
Learn about the kupuna who created and shared our favorite recipes of the past, present, and future.
Hear the origin stories of some of our most iconic island recipes.
