In Hawaiʻi, we celebrate the holidays and special occasions with feasts of delicious food. And it’s certainly not a feast without lau lau. The entrée consists of a rich and flavorful filling of pork or fish wrapped in kalo (taro) and ti leaves, which has been steamed. It’s a local favorite in the Islands and a best-seller at many eateries, from local hole-in-the-wall spots to upscale restaurants like Kō at Fairmont Kea Lani.  

When diners at Kō unwrap the dish’s steamed ti leaves, they find fresh scallops, Kauaʻi prawns, Maui spinach and shiitake mushrooms all steeped in a mouthwatering shoyu coconut sauce. At Kō, you’ll find the menu showcases local cuisine and is reflective of the plethora of cultures in Hawaiʻi, often inspired by family traditions and local recipes.  

Chef Aris Aurelio has recently taken the helm of the Kō. The chef has worked in Fairmont Kea Lani’s kitchens since 1994.
Photo: Courtesy of Kō

Chef Aris Aurelio has recently taken the helm of the resort’s beloved restaurant. The chef has worked in Fairmont Kea Lani’s kitchens since 1994 but his passion for cooking began as a child in Cauayan Isabela, Philippines. He grew up appreciating the comforting foods prepared by his parents and when his family moved to Maui when he was 15, they brought along their culinary traditions. After high school, Chef Aris attended Maui Culinary Academy where he learned to balance the nuanced flavors of Hawaiian cuisine along with the foods from his childhood.  

At Kō, Chef Aris continues to find inspiration from his upbringing along with family recipes from his staff. And the chef is sharing his recipe for seafood lau lau, a perfect dish to make for your family over the holidays. 

Seafood Lau Lau 

YIELD 1 PORTION 

Ingredients: 

• 3 oz. mahi mahi fillet cut in 1 oz. pieces 
• 10 scallops 
• 16-20 Black Tiger Prawns, peeled and deveined with tail on 

• 2 oz. spinach leaves 
• 2 oz. baby bok choy 
• 2 oz. shiitake mushrooms 
• ¼ tsp red alae salt 
• 2 ti leaf for wrapping  
• 3 oz. coconut, garlic-tamari sauce 

• 2 tbs lomi lomi tomato ogo 

Directions: 

Place the two ti leaves down on a cutting board crossed over each other. This will be used to tie the ingredients together in a bundle for steaming. Next, place the spinach leaves and baby bok choy in a neat mound on the center of the two crossed ti leaves. Continue to layer and arrange the seafood and shiitake mushrooms on the greens and sprinkle with the red alae salt. To tie the bundle together, pull the end and stems of the ti leaves together and tie. This will secure the lau lau for steaming. Place the bundle in the steamer and steam for 8–10 minutes until the seafood and vegetables are cooked.  

Coconut Garlic Tamari Sauce 

YIELD 2 PORTIONS 

Ingredients: 

• 1 tsp vegetable oil  
• ½ tsp  garlic minced  
• 2 oz.  tamari 
• 1 cup coconut milk 

Directions: 

Heat a small saucepan on moderate heat with the vegetable oil and gently sauté the garlic. Next, add the tamari and the coconut milk and slowly reduce the sauce by 1/4 volume. Keep the sauce warm and serve over the seafood lau lau. 

Lomi Lomi Tomato Ogo 

YIELD 4 PORTIONS 

Ingredients: 

• ½ cup tomato diced to 1/4” 
• ¼ cup Maui onion diced to 1/8” 
• 2 tbs green onion sliced fine 
• 1 tb ogo (Hawaiian seaweed) 
• ¼ tsp red alaea salt    

Directions: 

Prepare all ingredients and mix together. Serve over the seafood lau lau with the coconut garlic tamari sauce.  

It’s International Poke Day (Sept. 28)—so what does that mean?

That means you should celebrate by eating Hawaiʻi’s iconic dish—with cubed raw fish, seaweed, sweet onions and inamona (roasted kukui, or candlenut)—wherever you are.

Unless you don’t have access to fresh ʻahi.

Or you’re a vegetarian.

Or you don’t like fish.

Or you’re not in the Islands, which arguably serves the best poke around.

That’s OK. There are a myriad of ways to make poke without raw fish. One of my favorites is tofu poke—and this recipe calls for ingredients you can find anywhere. Plus, it’s super quick and easy to make.

And you don’t have to be in Hawaiʻi to enjoy it. (Though it helps.)

Check out our Instagram for a video on how to make this dish.

The ingredients you need to make this simple tofu poke dish.
Photo: Catherine Toth Fox

Hawaiʻi-Style Tofu Poke

Ingredients:

• 2 blocks of tofu, extra firm
• 1/2 cup sweet white onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
• 1 inch of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 to 3 Hawaiian chile peppers, seeded and minced
• 3 to 4 T. sesame oil
• 2 to 3 T. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• Green onions, chopped
• OPTIONAL: 1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh ogo seaweed, roughly chopped

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Raise a glass to National Cocktail Day today. No matter where you are, these cocktail recipes from our friends at Kōloa Rum will transport you to a warm, tropical beach in Hawaiʻi. From refreshing pineapple to sour lilikoʻi (passion fruit) and sweet coconut, these cocktails highlight the Islands’ signature fruity flavors.

Hawaiian Mule

Ingredients: 

• 2 oz. Kōloa Kauaʻi Gold Rum 
• 2 T. roasted pineapple, diced 
• 3 to 4 mint leaves, chopped 
• 1 oz. kalamansi juice 
• 2 to 3 oz. ginger beer 
• Garnish: fresh mint, roasted pineapple wedge and fresh pineapple leaf 

Directions: 

1. Muddle mint with Kōloa Kauaʻi Gold Rum. 
2. Add crushed ice, ginger beer and kalamansi juice. 
3. Stir in cubes of roasted pineapple and garnish with a roasted pineapple wedge. 

Tutti Frutti 

Photo: Courtesy of Kōloa Rum

Ingredients: 

• 1 ½ oz. Kōloa Kauaʻi Dark Rum (float) 
• 1 oz. pineapple juice 
• ½ oz. orange juice 
• ½ oz. passion fruit liqueur 
• ½ oz .banana liqueur 
• Garnish: coconut flakes 

  Directions: 

1. Blend pineapple juice, orange juice, passion fruit liqueur, banana liqueur and ice. 
2. Once combined, pour into coconut rimmed glass and top with Kōloa Kauaʻi Dark Rum. 

Piña Piña

Photo: Courtesy of Kōloa Rum

Ingredients: 

• 1 ¾ oz. Kōloa Kauaʻi Spice Rum 
• 1 oz .coconut cream 
• 3 oz. pineapple juice 
• 4 pineapple chunks 
• Garnish: pineapple wedge and pineapple leaf 

Directions: 

1. Blend Kōloa Kauaʻi Spice Rum, coconut cream, pineapple juice and pineapple chunks with ice.
2. Once combined, pour into glass and garnish with pineapple wedge and pineapple leaf. 

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s as good of a time as any to check out these fun drink recipes provided to us by our friends at Kōloa Rum. Featuring ingredients like guava, strawberry and hibiscus rose syrup, these drinks are perfect for a love-filled holiday. And even if you’re not in a relationship, these fun and boozy drinks will be a hit at a Galentines Day get-together.

Kauaʻi Sweetheart

Ingredients

• 1 ½ oz Kōloa Kauaʻi White Rum
• ½ oz Grenadine
• 2 oz guava nectar
• 2 oz lemon-lime soda
• Cotton candy and conversation candy hearts

Instructions: Build in glass over ice. Gently stir in lemon-lime soda. Add the cotton candy and garnish with conversation candy hearts.

Kōloa Kiss

Photo: Courtesy of Koloa Rum

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Kōloa Kauaʻi White Rum
• ½ oz Grenadine
• 2 fresh strawberries (chopped)
• 1 fresh basil leaf
• Fresh strawberry and fresh basil leaf

Instructions: Lightly muddle basil at bottom of a highball glass. Add chopped strawberries and lightly muddle again. Add Grenadine and Kōloa White Rum, stir to mix. Add ice. Top with kombucha and garnish with strawberry and fresh basil.

Chocolate and Roses

Photo: Courtesy of Koloa Rum

Ingredients

• 1 oz Kōloa Kauaʻi Cacao Rum
• ¼ oz fresh orange juice
• ½ oz Campari or Bitter orange liqueur
• ¼ oz sweet vermouth
• ¾ oz hibiscus rose syrup
• 4 drops chocolate bitters
• Orange slice

Instructions: Build in shaker. Shake and strain into a glass with a rose ice cube or any large cube. Add an orange slice.

To celebrate the upcoming holiday season, get a little loose with these festive drink recipes made by our friends at Kōloa Rum Company and local mixologist Shanna Schad. Be sure to take it easy with the Hawaiian New Year’s Cocktail however, since you will probably want to remember the moment when the clock strikes midnight.

Chocolate Rum Balls

Photo: Courtesy of Kōloa Rum Company

Ingredients

1 ½ cups pitted dates

1 cup raw walnuts

¼ cup Koloa Kauai Cacao Rum

¼ cup high-quality cocoa powder

½ cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

Instructions

1. In a food processor, combine the dates, walnuts, rum and cocoa powder. Process until you achieve a very dense, fudgy texture, scraping down the sides as needed.

2. Spoon out the mixture in 1 tablespoon increments and roll each into a ball.

3. Roll the finished balls in shredded coconut.

4. Store the rum balls in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to several weeks. Serve chilled, right out of the refrigerator, for the best texture.

Coconut Rum Milk Punch

Photo: Shanna Schad

Ingredients

28 oz Coconut Milk (3.5 ounces per cocktail) (carton not canned)

1 1/2 c Koloa Coconut Rum

1/3 c coconut or cane sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Garnish

Sweetened whipped cream

Freshly grated Nutmeg

Shredded coconut

Instructions

1. In a saucepan heat the coconut milk with the vanilla and sugar, stirring well until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is hot and simmering, about 5 minutes. Taste and add more sugar if a sweeter drink is desired.

2. Remove from heat. Divide the coconut rum amongst 8 glasses, 1.5 ounces of rum per glass, top with the hot coconut milk. Top with sweetened whipped cream and garnish with 1/4 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg and a tablespoon or so of shredded coconut. Serve immediately

3. You can also serve this cold or over ice. Heat the coconut milk as stated above then let chill completely. Add the rum and pour into glasses with ice or without ice. Garnish the same way as above.

Hawaiian New Year’s Cocktail

Photo: Shanna Schad

Ingredients

4 oz Koloa Kauai Reserve Rum

4 oz Passion Fruit Juice

2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup

1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

1 oz Pineapple Gum Syrup

4-6 dashes Tiki Bitters (Bittermen’s brand)

Prosecco, sparkling wine or Brut Champagne

Garnish

Fresh passion fruit halves

Instructions

1. Combine all the cocktail ingredients up to bitters in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake well.

2. Place a large ice cube ( or large ice square) into a glasses then fill 2/3 of the way with the cocktail.

3. Top with prosecco or sparkling wine, then float the passion fruit half on top.

From ice cream to pastries and more, coffee seems to go well with everything.

And there’s no better time than Hawaiʻi’s fall season, where the temps drop ever-so-slightly and the sun sets before 7 p.m., to mix a little coffee into your cocktails. That’s right, two of America’s favorite beverages coming together to form one boozy union. But, if you’re not one to come up with your own concoctions, don’t fret! Writer Shanna Schad and local spirit maker Kōloa Rum Co. have joined forces to put together three decadent coffee cocktails perfect to start—or end—your day with.

1. Hawaiian White Russian

Photo: Courtesy of Kōloa Rum Co./Shanna Schad

Ingredients

• 1 oz. vodka
• 2 oz. Kōloa Kauaʻi Coffee Rum
• 1 oz. coconut milk (canned or carton)
• 1 tsp. simple syrup
• Coconut flakes

Instructions: Fill a rocks glass with ice and layer in the ingredients starting with vodka, ending with coconut milk. If a sweeter cocktail is desired add the simple syrup with the vodka. Top with a sprinkling of coconut flakes. Shake or stir if desired.

2. Boozy Hawaiian Mocha Coconut Hot Chocolate

Photo: Courtesy of Kōloa Rum Co./Shanna Schad

Ingredients

• 4 oz. good quality chocolate bar (dark 65-75%, or milk), roughly chopped
• 4 T. brown sugar (can add more if a sweeter drink is desired)
• 12 oz. coconut milk beverage (carton, not can)
• 6 oz. freshly brewed hot coffee
• 3 oz. Kōloa Coffee Rum
• 1 oz. Kōloa Coconut Rum (.5 ounce per drink)

Yield: Batch cocktail.

Garnish: Whipped cream, lightly toasted coconut shavings, finely chopped macadamia nuts and chocolate shavings.

Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until chocolate bar is melted and no solid pieces remain. Pour the desired amount of cocktail in a glass or ceramic mug and top with whip cream, toasted coconut flakes and dark chocolate shavings.

3. Russian Rum Slinger

Photo: Courtesy of Kōloa Rum Co./Shanna Schad

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz. Kōloa Coconut Rum
• 1.5 oz. Kōloa Coffee Rum
• 1.5 oz. Coconut Cream or Half & Half Cream

Instructions: Pour ingredients over ice in an old-fashioned glass and stir.

Garnish: Orchid and a sugarcane stir stick.

We asked Keoni Chang, chief food officer at Foodland Super Market, to show us step-by-step how to make this classic local dish. It’s simple, especially if you have the ingredients prepped ahead of time.

(To see more videos, follow us on Instagram @hawaiimagazine.)

Hawaiʻi-Style Fried Saimin

Ingredients:

• 2 packages fresh saimin noodles (cooked and drained)
• 4 T. oil
• 2 saimin dashi pack
• 6 oz. Spam (thinly sliced)
• 1 egg, scrambled (cooked ahead of time)
• 1 cup cabbage (shredded)
• 1⁄2 cup carrots (julienne)
• 1⁄2 onion (thinly sliced)
• 6 oz. kamaboko (sliced)
• 3 oz. char siu pork (sliced)
• 1⁄2 cup green onions (sliced )
• 2 T. shoyu (soy sauce)

Directions:

In a frying pan over medium high heat; add oil then add the spam and char siu.  Stir fry for a few minutes. When Spam and char siu is lightly browned, add cabbage, carrots, kamaboko, ½ of the green onion and onions.  Continue to stir fry for a few minutes until browned. Add the cooked egg, saimin noodles and dashi packs. After stir frying add the shoyu. Stir fry until shoyu is incorporated then transfer to a serving plate. Note: Garnish the dish with the rest of the green onion after plating.

It’s a housemade malasada, sliced in half and filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with fresh fruits. It takes the popular Portuguese doughnuts to another, tropical level.

Executive pastry chef Daniel Sampson shows you how to make this crave-able dessert. Don’t be intimidated! It’s easier than it looks.

So if you can’t get to Brown’s Beach House anytime soon, at least you can make this dessert wherever you are.

(To see more videos, follow us on Instagram @hawaiimagazine.)

Tropical Malasada Shortcake

Ingredients for Malasadas:

• 3 c. flour
• ¼ c. granulated sugar
• 1 T. + ½ tsp. dry yeast
• 7 eggs
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 ½ c. unsalted butter
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Sugar for coating

Directions:

Mix together the flour, ¼ c. sugar, and yeast. We recommend kneading the dough by hand. If mixing by hand, allot 10 to 15 minutes. If using an electric mixer, mix for 5 to 6 minutes tops. Start by mixing in 3 eggs to form a soft and smooth dough consistency. Once it thickens, add the remaining 4 eggs (one at a time) and then add the salt. Fold in the butter (at room temperature),½ cup at a time. Transfer dough to a large bowl, cover, and allow to rise at room temperature until it doubles. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Form the dough into a log and cut into nice, even portions. (If you have a scale at home, 1.5 ounces is plenty.) Allow them to rise once more at room temperature. Heat oil to 375°F. Fry the dough until it’s a nice, light golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Roll the malasadas in sugar when they’re still warm. This dessert takes best the day it’s made. Makes 2 dozen malasadas.

Toppings:

Fresh mango purée. To make your own: Purée 2 c. diced mango until smooth. You can also swap with strawberries.

Vanilla ice cream

Powdered sugar to taste

Ryan Birkett, head bartender at Doraku Sushi in Waikīkī, walks you through the recipe for Aoki Tai—new to the restaurant’s menu—which uses housemade falernum, a Caribbean cocktail ingredient spiced with clove, lime, ginger and almond. Birkett also uses a 2-year aged rum from Big Island-based Kuleana Rum Works for its notes of banana.

(To see more videos, follow us on Instagram @hawaiimagazine.)

Aoki Tai

Ingredients:

• ½ fresh lime juice, squeezed
• 1 oz. housemade falernum (ginger, cloves, almonds, lime zest)
• ½ oz. Bols orange Curaçao liqueur
• 1 ½ oz. Kuleana Rum Works Nanea Rum
• 1 oz. Mahina Premium Dark Rum
• Dehydrated lime wheels (for garnish)
• Pineapple leaves (for garnish)
• Ice
• Cocktail shaker

Directions:

1. Prepare the cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Pour the fresh lime juice, housemade falernum, Bols orange Curaçao liqueur and Kuleana Nanea rum into a cocktail shaker.
3. Cover the shaker with the cap. Give the combined ingredients a shake for 10 to 15 seconds.
4. Pour the mixture into a highball glass.
5. Top the mixture off with the Mahina Premium Dark Rum and pour directly on top of the mixture.
6. Garnish the drink with a dehydrated lime wheel and a pineapple leaf.

Samantha Ferraro grew up in Kona on Hawaiʻi Island, then moved to New York City as a teenager. That’s where she learned to love and appreciate all things food.

Today, Ferraro, who now lives in Bellingham, Washington, runs a food blog, “The Little Ferraro Kitchen,” where she shares recipes inspired from her culture and the places where she’s lived and visited—including Hawaiʻi.

“I love that I get to say I am from so many parts of the country,” says Ferraro, who penned her first cookbook, “The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen: 80 Authentic, Healthy Recipes Made Quick and Easy for Everyday Cooking,” in 2018. “I grew up Jewish and originally from New York, then lived in Kona through my teens and early 20s, then Southern California and now we live in Washington state. But Hawaiʻi will always be my home. It’s where I met my husband and we go back at least once a year to visit friends and family.”

Food blogger and recipe developer Samantha Ferraro grew up in Kona on Hawaiʻi Island.
Photo: Courtesy of Samantha Ferraro

One of her favorite Hawaiʻi flavors is lilikoʻi, or passion fruit. Her mom’s friend, who lives in Captain Cook on Hawaiʻi Island, would send her fresh lilikoʻi juice in glass jars.

“Absolute liquid gold,” she says. “She would pack the jars so very carefully for it’s long travel and once they arrived, I couldn’t wait to make all the lilikoʻi recipes! Lilikoʻi bars, lilikoʻi cheesecake and, of course, a homage to a favorite cocktail of mine, lilikoʻi margarita.”

Lilikoʻi Margarita from The Little Ferraro Kitchen.
Photo: Courtesy of Samantha Ferraro

The margarita combines the tang of lime, the sweetness of orange liqueur and the punch of tequila—the perfect Cinco de Mayo cocktail. (And that’s today!)

Now add lilikoʻi—and you’ve just brought a little bit of the Islands to your party.

“The bright tropical flavors of lilikoʻi just need a bit of sweetness to mellow out the sharpness,” Ferraro says. “Then add your favorite tequila, orange liqueur and citrus. I like to rim the glass with li hing mui for an extra pop because li hing mui with fruit is always a match made.”

For more recipes, visit The Little Ferraro Kitchen or follow Samantha at @ferrarokitchen on Instagram.

Lilikoʻi Margarita

Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz. Grand Marnier
• 1 oz. triple sec
• 1 oz. tequila
• 1/4 cup lilikoʻi purée
• 1 T. simple syrup
• Orange and lime slices/wedges
• Li hing mui powder for rim
• Ice

Directions:

Begin by rimming the glass with a lime or orange wedge and rim and dip rim of glass in li hing mui powder. In a shaker, add ice, grand marnier, triple sec, tequila, lilikoʻi purée and simple syrup and give everything a good shake until frothy. Pour margarita into rimmed glass and garnish with  lilikoʻi pulp, if desired, and orange and lime slices.