Recipe Round-Up: Hawaii's Favorite Recipes

I love to try new recipes any chance I get, don't you? I love it even more after I make the dish and realize how amazingly good it is and want to bow down to whomever posted it. Each Monday I'll be posting up 5 recipes of my favorite recipes. I'd like to stick to a theme each week, so this week is Hawaii Recipes

Oldie, but a goodie. Poke, you can't get more Hawaii than this. I'll share a recipe for poke soon!

I grew up practically my entire life on the island of Oahu, which is just one of 8 islands in the Hawaiian island chain. The food here is mainly Asian influenced because of our large Japanese, Okinawan, Chinese and Filipino population. These ethnicities were brought here years ago to work on the plantations and have left their mark in our island cuisine. So, while these are all not "Hawaiian" recipes, they are recipes that many of us Hawaii residents have come to know and love. Here's some of the best Hawaii recipes to try out:

1.  Kalua Pig is our version of pulled pork. Usually cooked with cabbage and devoured at any luau. FYI, you don't need a fire pit in your ground to make Kalua Pig! Here's a slow cooker recipe. Best part? 3 ingredients baby!

2. Try some shoyu (soy sauce) chicken when you have absolutely no idea what else to make. It's easy to make and delish.

3. I know this one might not be for everyone because at one point I wouldn't touch this dish. However, your tastes change as you age and thank god I tried this before I died. Oxtail soup sounds iffy but is a must try!

4. Here's one that I've only recently come to love within the past year: Kim chee fried rice. Yes, that spicy pickled cabbage is even better when you throw it in with some rice. 

5. To top it off, let's have dessert. Try some butter mochi and you will keep going back for more. Trust me.