CRACKSEED (Includes Li Hing anything): catch-all name for preserved fruits and seafood, rice crackers, and candy snacks with or without li hing powder; most malls, including Ala Moana, will have a crackseed store with large glass jars filled with every kind of dried fruit or gummi candy; most supermarkets and Longs Drugs will have an entire aisle devoted to pre-packaged crackseed favorites
Li Hing (Mui) (lee-hing-moo-ee): dry preserved plum powder flavored with licorice, salt, and sugar; a very popular flavoring agent in Hawaii; in addition to crackseed, you will also find li hing margaritas (very ono), shave ice, gummi and hard candies, pancake syrup, popcorn, arare, etc. flavored with this powder
PICKLED MANGO: Fresh green mangos, sliced and brined in a sweet and vinegary li hing mix; often a deep red color; the coming of the fresh mango season is often heralded by the appearance of folks selling homemade pickled mango by the road; best eaten very cold
DRIED FISH AND SEAFOOD: strips, shreds, or slices of fish, squid or octopus marinated and dried (IKA=Squid, TAKO=Octopus, EBI=Shrimp)
PORK HASH: seasoned pork filling in thin wonton wrapper and steamed
GAU GEE (gow-jee): Chinese style meat “ravioli” or Maultaschen, deep-fried
MANAPUA (mah-nah-poo-ah): steamed or baked breads filled with char-siu, chicken, or sweet bean fillings; steamed version often seen in Chinese dim-sum as “char-siu bao”
ARARE (ah-rah-reh), aka KAKI MOCHI: Japanese style rice crackers in attractive shapes and seasoned with a salty soy glaze, and sometimes wrapped in nori (crisp seaweed); also found in ball shapes, filled with peanuts
MALASSADAS (mah-lah-sah-dahs): Portuguese drop doughnuts – very light and delicious – eat while hot; the island version of the New Orleans beignet
ANDAGI (ahn-da-gee): Okinawan drop doughnut; heavier than a malassada, with a cake doughnut texture; also can be found in poi flavor; find it at the food court at the Shirokiya department store at Ala Moana or, if you’re real lucky, from “Da Andagi Guy” stand outside the Don Quijote supermarkets (used to be Daiei) in Pearl City (Fri and Sat only) or Waipahu (Mon and Tues only)
MANJU (mahn-joo): Japanese style sweets filled with sweetened bean or nut pastes; can be made with steamed glutinous rice or baked with a cake-like exterior; local versions may have cream, fruit preserves, or peanut butter fillings
SWEETBREAD: sweet brioche-like egg bread descended from the Portuguese “pao doce”; travels well, so take some home to make great French toast and grilled cheese sandwiches
SHAVE ICE: not shaved ice; this is not the ice-y, chunky snow cone you may be familiar with; no, this is a mound of delicate shaves of ice flakes, topped with your favorite sweet syrups, with or without ice cream (try it without ice cream the first time); in Hawaii’s humid climate, this is the perfect afternoon cool-down, less weighty than ice cream or a shake
SENBEI (sen-bay): Japanese style wafer cookie, in plain, ginger, or non-traditional chocolate flavors; found pre-packaged in the crackseed aisle of supermarkets and drug stores
CHAN PUI MUI: Chinese style wet preserved plums, individually wrapped and pre-packaged in the crackseed aisle
LAVOSH: Armenian style flat bread, found here as a cracker in many local sweet and savory flavors
HAUPIA (how-pee-ah): thick squares of coconut pudding a favorite of the luau; also signifies a coconut topping or filling for cake or pie; there’s also a haupia ice cream and occasionally McDonald’s carries an only-in-Hawaii haupia pie (and a taro pie)
PIANOMO ROLL: Philippine style roll cake, often filled with buttercream, but can also be found with traditional jelly; there is also a dark purple version called UBE ROLL made with a purple yam of the same name; find in bakery aisle of supermarkets.
ENSEMADA (en-seh-ma-da): Philippine sweet bread roll topped with thick slather of butter and topped with white sugar; so bad for you, but so good with morning coffee; it's in the bakery aisle or Filipino bakeries
FESTIVAL FOODS
ANDADOG: Hawaii’s answer to the corndog; available once a year at the Okinawa Festival in September, a red Hawaiian hotdog on a stick dipped in andagi batter and deep-fried
Li Hing (Mui) (lee-hing-moo-ee): dry preserved plum powder flavored with licorice, salt, and sugar; a very popular flavoring agent in Hawaii; in addition to crackseed, you will also find li hing margaritas (very ono), shave ice, gummi and hard candies, pancake syrup, popcorn, arare, etc. flavored with this powder
PICKLED MANGO: Fresh green mangos, sliced and brined in a sweet and vinegary li hing mix; often a deep red color; the coming of the fresh mango season is often heralded by the appearance of folks selling homemade pickled mango by the road; best eaten very cold
DRIED FISH AND SEAFOOD: strips, shreds, or slices of fish, squid or octopus marinated and dried (IKA=Squid, TAKO=Octopus, EBI=Shrimp)
PORK HASH: seasoned pork filling in thin wonton wrapper and steamed
GAU GEE (gow-jee): Chinese style meat “ravioli” or Maultaschen, deep-fried
MANAPUA (mah-nah-poo-ah): steamed or baked breads filled with char-siu, chicken, or sweet bean fillings; steamed version often seen in Chinese dim-sum as “char-siu bao”
ARARE (ah-rah-reh), aka KAKI MOCHI: Japanese style rice crackers in attractive shapes and seasoned with a salty soy glaze, and sometimes wrapped in nori (crisp seaweed); also found in ball shapes, filled with peanuts
MALASSADAS (mah-lah-sah-dahs): Portuguese drop doughnuts – very light and delicious – eat while hot; the island version of the New Orleans beignet
ANDAGI (ahn-da-gee): Okinawan drop doughnut; heavier than a malassada, with a cake doughnut texture; also can be found in poi flavor; find it at the food court at the Shirokiya department store at Ala Moana or, if you’re real lucky, from “Da Andagi Guy” stand outside the Don Quijote supermarkets (used to be Daiei) in Pearl City (Fri and Sat only) or Waipahu (Mon and Tues only)
MANJU (mahn-joo): Japanese style sweets filled with sweetened bean or nut pastes; can be made with steamed glutinous rice or baked with a cake-like exterior; local versions may have cream, fruit preserves, or peanut butter fillings
SWEETBREAD: sweet brioche-like egg bread descended from the Portuguese “pao doce”; travels well, so take some home to make great French toast and grilled cheese sandwiches
SHAVE ICE: not shaved ice; this is not the ice-y, chunky snow cone you may be familiar with; no, this is a mound of delicate shaves of ice flakes, topped with your favorite sweet syrups, with or without ice cream (try it without ice cream the first time); in Hawaii’s humid climate, this is the perfect afternoon cool-down, less weighty than ice cream or a shake
SENBEI (sen-bay): Japanese style wafer cookie, in plain, ginger, or non-traditional chocolate flavors; found pre-packaged in the crackseed aisle of supermarkets and drug stores
CHAN PUI MUI: Chinese style wet preserved plums, individually wrapped and pre-packaged in the crackseed aisle
LAVOSH: Armenian style flat bread, found here as a cracker in many local sweet and savory flavors
HAUPIA (how-pee-ah): thick squares of coconut pudding a favorite of the luau; also signifies a coconut topping or filling for cake or pie; there’s also a haupia ice cream and occasionally McDonald’s carries an only-in-Hawaii haupia pie (and a taro pie)
PIANOMO ROLL: Philippine style roll cake, often filled with buttercream, but can also be found with traditional jelly; there is also a dark purple version called UBE ROLL made with a purple yam of the same name; find in bakery aisle of supermarkets.
ENSEMADA (en-seh-ma-da): Philippine sweet bread roll topped with thick slather of butter and topped with white sugar; so bad for you, but so good with morning coffee; it's in the bakery aisle or Filipino bakeries
FESTIVAL FOODS
ANDADOG: Hawaii’s answer to the corndog; available once a year at the Okinawa Festival in September, a red Hawaiian hotdog on a stick dipped in andagi batter and deep-fried
SNACK FOODS AND SWEETS
